Mahomes is inevitable in decisive moments

Patrick Mahomes is inevitable.

Honestly, the outlook did not seem encouraging at the start of the game.

San Francisco was the clear dominator during the first half, but that dominance was not reflected on the scoreboard, and a common idea began to settle in the minds of all 49ers fans.

After all, there is no worse nightmare for rivals than Mahomes with the ball in his right hand, with the game at its climax.

There were many turning points in the game, including a missed extra point and two costly fumbles for San Francisco.

The 49ers’ special teams were a problem all season, and Super Bowl LVIII, although Jake Moody was accurate with his field goals, was no exception.

Those mistakes, along with the Chiefs defense, as it has done all season, tightening the screws in the second half, gave Mahomes another possible date with history. “You can’t trust anyone but Patrick in a critical moment,” tight end Travis Kelce said. “Nothing surprises us anymore.”

Precisely Kelce, with whom he already connected 31 times in Super Bowls – a historical record -, searched and found frequently in the last quarter; after all, she is his security blanket.

With less than two minutes left in regulation, Mahomes put the Chiefs in scoring position, although he failed to score from six, and the game went to overtime.

It was notable that the 49ers elected to get the ball under the new overtime rules, but I guess Kyle Shanahan saw the defense tired of him.

Otherwise, the decision doesn’t make much sense, because you were giving Mahomes the green light to go for it on fourth down out of necessity, and you were telling him exactly what he needed to win the game.

In fact, the 49ers were one play away from being crowned champions for the first time since 1994.

It was a fourth down and one yard left, and as he has done so many times, Mahomes used his legs to get the first down and break the opponent’s spirit.

And before starting that winning campaign, Mahomes already had one idea in mind.

“Our mentality was to win the game right there,” Mahomes recalled. “We had fallen short in the previous series and that wasn’t going to happen again.”

Mahomes ended up leading the Chiefs on a 13-play, 75-yard drive, which ended with Mecole Hardman’s winning touchdown.

“That last attack was a work of art,” explained head coach Andy Reid. “The offense persevered.”

Just as Mahomes has done so many times throughout his career.

In fact, the Chiefs were losing by double digits in all three of their Super Bowl wins.

“I’m going to try to start better to make it easier for the team,” Mahomes said, laughing. “But we never give up and we always fight.”

He gave the impression that the entire stadium was imagining the final outcome, even the 49ers’ sidelines.

And that is the mark of genuine greatness. When everyone knows what is going to happen and yet they can’t avoid it.

That kind of reputation has been earned by Mahomes, who at 28 years old already has three rings and three Most Valuable Player awards.

Last year was supposed to be a transition year for the Chiefs, and they came out champions.

It was also supposed to be tough for Kansas City this season, with a rookie as its first wide receiver and a $37 million cap hit on Mahomes’ lucrative and well-deserved contract.

And indeed it was, because the Chiefs offense did not necessarily have its best year.

However, when it mattered most, Mahomes once again showed the best version of himself.

Because if we have learned anything in these last six years, it is that Patrick Mahomes is inevitable.

And if you “forgive” him and don’t step on him when he’s down, like San Francisco did in the first half, his revenge will be as certain as it is spectacular.

“His right arm has magic,” Kelce concluded. “Simply magic.”

And with so much career ahead of him, something tells me that he still has several rabbits left to pull out of his hat.