49ers' Kyle Shanahan attributes part of the blown lead to playing Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes
The Kansas City Chiefs have won their last three Super Bowls by way of a 10-point deficit and coming back to win them. Against the San Francisco 49ers for the first time in Super Bowl 54, they were trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter and won by 11 points.Against the Philadelphia Eagles in […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have won their last three Super Bowls by way of a 10-point deficit and coming back to win them. Against the San Francisco 49ers for the first time in Super Bowl 54, they were trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter and won by 11 points.
Against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57, the Eagles got off to a hot start, and the Chiefs won by three. You could say the same thing about the 49ers in this last Super Bowl, as the Chiefs waited until the very last seconds of the first overtime period to win the game.
As for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, they have blown that lead twice. Shanahan has now done it three times, twice as the head coach and once as the offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons when they blew a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Some things never change, it seems. Shanahan is a great coach, but during the biggest games of his career, he finds a way not to come through, and that's an issue.
"This is my second game [Super Bowl] as a head coach," Shanahan said. "I think when you go against guys like Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead. Those are two of the best to ever play the game. That's why. If you have a lead or are down points, those guys are always in it. I watch them all the time do that stuff."
That is a funny way of excusing your biggest flaw, and it's a warranted excuse. Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady don't lose often, no matter how big a lead. That happened on Sunday, and that's what Shanahan is saying – Mahomes willed his team to a win.
Shanahan has been known to mismanage games, though. He could have run the ball more often. And, hey, if he draws up the right plays to score a touchdown rather than a field goal, they don't lose on the Mahomes game-winning touchdown; they then have another chance to score and win. That's just what Mahomes does, though.
Kansas City Chiefs: The ‘Playoff Comeback Kings’
No need to remind everyone of the 2018 AFC Championship game, but we may have to in this one. Kansas City didn't win this game. However, they came back big and could have won if given a chance. But we have seen Kansas City do the impossible so many times now, especially in the Playoffs. […]
