The win fully cements the Mahomes, Reid and Kelce era as one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history.
The game was sealed with a redemption-fueled touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr., who will now forever go down as a Chiefs playoff. To get the job done, Kansas City had to get through a 49ers team led by the same head coach, Kyle Shanahan, who was on the losing side of the first Super Bowl victory of the Mahomes-Reid era. Tight end George Kittle makes his return to the matchup, this time complimented by a new quarterback in the form of ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Brock Purdy and an entire offense stacked with weapons — including running back Christian McAffrey and receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel.
This matchup may feature the same teams as Super Bowl LIV, but the 49ers and Chiefs both carried very different identities. In a near-complete role reversal, it was 49ers who carried the NFL’s most explosive offense and the Chiefs who boasted a swarming NFL-best defensive operation.