You have to be good and lucky to be great.
Most people are calling the Chiefs Super Bowl victory either a classic comeback or an epic collapse by the 49ers.
Well, it’s a little bit of both, triggered by some luck. All such rallies have to be fueled by big plays from the offense and big blunders by the defense. And seasoned with a dose of good fortune.
The Chiefs, who are from the great state of Missouri, in case geography whiz Donald Trump listens to WCHL, talked afterward about all of them having ultimate faith while being down by 10 points deep into the fourth quarter.
It sure looked to me like they were all resigned to defeat until Patrick Mahomes converted a 3rd-and-15 on a critical mistake by the San Francisco secondary.
It wasn’t a great pass by Mahomes, who was struggling until that point, but it found its way to Tyreek Hill. Any of the three defensive backs in the area should have gotten to that floating ball and knocked it down.
Then the Niners committed pass interference in the end zone, which virtually gave KC a touchdown and its first points since the second quarter. More importantly, it was now a one-score game.
After a three-and-out and a punt only one minute later, the 49ers’ heretofore stout defense gave up another long pass that led to the go-ahead touchdown. Holding the Chiefs to field goal there would have tied the game and likely sent it to overtime.
With his team suddenly behind and panicked, Jimmy Garoppolo went from playing an almost perfect game to a hurried and flustered quarterback.
The Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in a half a century, and both teams look young and good enough to be back for a rematch next year.
If it happens, Lady Luck will likely again be part of the outcome.
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