Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter, and I'd like to extend a special welcome to Chiefs fans, who probably haven't slept for a single minute since last night.
If that's the case, then they have something in common with me. My total sleep since last night was maybe eight minutes, but who cares, because it was all worth it. Last night's game was one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. For just the second time in NFL history, the game went to overtime where the Chiefs topped the 49ers 25-22.
As you can imagine, we have a lot to cover today, and 95% of it is Super Bowl related. We'll be taking a look at almost every aspect of the game, so let's get to the rundown.
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1. Today's show: Full recap of Super Bowl LVIII
After watching one of the most exciting Super Bowls in NFL history, Ryan Wilson, Will Brinson and I immediately got together after Kansas City's win to break down the game for a full 60 minutes.
Here's a look at some of the keys from the game that we touched on during the podcast (If you're a 49ers fan, I understand if you don't want to listen. I feel your pain):
- Kyle Shanahan makes interesting decision to start overtime. After the 49ers won the toss in overtime, they decided to take the ball first, which doesn't necessarily make sense under the new OT format where both teams are guaranteed at least ONE possession. We dissected why we thought Shanahan made the wrong decision (We'll also be covering this decision later on in the newsletter).
- Travis Kelce took over in the second half. At one point in the first half, Kelce absolutely blew up on Andy Reid (You can see it here). Kelce was definitely frustrated after catching just one pass for 1 yard in the first half. At halftime, Reid and Kelce clearly got on the same page because the Chiefs tight end was one of the stars of the second half for Kansas City, catching eight passes for 92 yards.
- Kickers took over the Super Bowl. Harrison Butker played so well that he had a legit case for MVP in the fourth quarter. Not only did the Chiefs kicker hit all four of his field goals, but he also set a Super Bowl record with a 57-yarder in the second half. Not to be outdone, 49ers kicker Jake Moody set a Super Bowl record by becoming the only kicker in NFL history to hit multiple field goals in a single Super Bowl.
- Jauan Jennings was an unsung hero for the 49ers. We listed Jennings as an under-the-radar player to watch, and he came up big. Not only did he catch a touchdown pass, but he also threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey. Besides McCaffrey, Jennings probably provided the biggest spark on offense for San Francisco.
- The Chiefs are officially a dynasty. After the Patriots dynasty ended, it didn't seem possible that we'd see another one so soon, but here we are. With three Super Bowl wins in five years, there's no debate about the Chiefs being a dynasty. In 2024, the team will have a chance to pull off something that no other team in NFL history has ever pulled off and that's winning three Super Bowls IN A ROW.
To listen to our entire recap, be sure to click here. You can also watch the video version of today's episode on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Patrick Mahomes takes home his second straight Super Bowl MVP
If you're wondering why we didn't mention Patrick Mahomes a single time in the section above, it's because he's got his very own section here. For the second straight year -- and third time in his career -- Mahomes was voted the Super Bowl MVP.
Here's a look at why he won the award:
- Mahomes comes up in the clutch. After the third quarter ended, Mahomes definitely wasn't the frontrunner for MVP, but that all changed over the fourth quarter and overtime. Over the final two periods, Mahomes completed 16 of 22 passes for 154 yards while also throwing the game-winning TD to Mecole Hardman. That total includes going a perfect 8 of 8 in overtime. Overall, Mahomes threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
- Mahomes does something he's never done before. Although Mahomes came up big with his right arm, he also did some serious damage with his feet. The Chiefs QB rushed for 66 yards, with 59 of those coming in the second half and overtime. Mahomes' rushing total was the most ever by a quarterback in a Super Bowl win. Two of his biggest runs came in overtime. First, he converted a game-saving fourth-and-1 by running for eight yards. He followed that up a few plays later with a 19-yard scramble on third-and-1. You can see both of those runs -- while also reliving the Chiefs' entire game-winning drive -- by clicking here.
- Mahomes makes history. With this third Super Bowl MVP award, Mahomes has now joined a very select group. Only Tom Brady and Joe Montana have won at least three Super Bowl MVP awards. Mahomes is now tied with Montana and he's only two behind Brady, who won five during his career. With this award, Mahomes also became the first player in NFL history to win Super Bowl MVP three times in a five-year span.
For our full story on Mahomes' historical MVP win, be sure to click here. We also took a stab at ranking where Mahomes' performance falls on the all-time list of QB performances in the Super Bowl, and you can check that out here.
3. 49ers botched OT decision after winning the coin toss
When the 49ers won the coin toss in overtime, Kyle Shanahan had to make a decision that no other coach in NFL history had ever had to make. The Super Bowl marked the first game ever under the new postseason overtime rules that were implemented in 2022 and under those rules, both teams are guaranteed at least one possession.
I know we mentioned Shanahan's OT decision in an earlier section, but we're going to take a deeper dive into that because it was such a pivotal moment in the game.
- Why Shanahan wanted the ball. The 49ers coach explained his decision after the game: "This is something we talked about with, you know that none of us have a ton of experience of it but we went through all the analytics and talked with those guys and we just thought it would be better, we just wanted the ball third," Shanahan said. "If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones who had the chance to go in. We got that field goal, so we knew we had to hold them to at least a field goal. And if we did then we thought it was in our hands after that." If the game gets to a third possession, then it becomes sudden death and Shanahan is essentially saying that he wanted his team to have the ball on that third possession.
- Why this is bad logic. Shahanan based his entire decision on a third possession that might not happen. The reason you want the ball second is because you can play four-down football. The team that gets the ball first is going to stick to their normal game plan. If they're facing a fourth-and-3 in their own territory, they're going to punt. If you get the ball second -- and you're trailing -- you'll get the added advantage of knowing you have four downs to work with plus the added advantage of knowing what you need to win.
- In-game example of why getting the ball second is better. At one point in overtime, the Chiefs faced a fourth-and-1 from their own 34-yard line. If they had gotten the ball first, they almost certainly would have punted there. The reason you punt there is because if you go for it and fail, then the second team gets the ball needing just a field goal to win AND they'd already be in field goal range. However, in the Chiefs' situation, they had no choice but to go for it, because they were trailing in overtime. Punting wasn't even an option because giving up possession would mean that the Chiefs would lose the game.
- Andy Reid's take on overtime. If the Chiefs had won the coin toss, it sounds like Reid was going to defer and LET the 49ers have the ball first. "Ours ended up being the right one, but that easily could have gone the other way. But that's what we felt was the right thing to do," Reid said after the game. "I'm never going to question Kyle, because he's brilliant, but that was something we chose and, through our studies, we thought was important."
- Some 49ers players were unaware of the new OT rules."I didn't even realize the playoff rules were different," Kyle Juszczyk said after the game. In the Super Bowl, you certainly want to make sure that every player knows what's going on, but the 49ers didn't do that here.
- Chiefs player knew what to expect. On the other hand, the Chiefs knew exactly what they were going to do in overtime. "We talked for two weeks about new overtime rules," Jones said after the game. "Give the ball to the opponent. If we score, we go for 2." Jones' explanation is another reason why Shanahan's decision was wrong. Andy Reid was never going to let the game get to a third possession. If the 49ers had scored a TD and the Chiefs matched it, Reid was going to go for two.
You can read more about Shanahan's decision here.
4. 14 crazy stats about Super Bowl LVIII
Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild stats about the game, and the Super Bowl was no different. The research department was working overtime to get these to me for today.
With that in mind, here are 14 crazy facts about Super Bowl LVIII:
- Chiefs go back-to-back. With their win, the Chiefs became the NFL's first repeat champion in nearly 20 years. Before Sunday, the last team to go back-to-back was the 2003-04 Patriots. If the Chiefs want a three-peat, they'll have to make history: No team has ever returned to the Super Bowl the following year after going back-to-back.
- Mahomes joins a list of legends. With his third Super Bowl win, the Chiefs QB became just the fifth QB in NFL history to win at least three Super Bowls. Mahomes joins Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman.
- Mahomes keeps piling up the playoffs wins. The Super Bowl win marked the 15th postseason victory of Mahomes' career, which is the third-most ever, trailing only Tom Brady (35) and Joe Montana (16). The Chiefs QB could pass Montana as soon as next season if he wins two playoff games.
- Mahomes picked a great time to have his best drive. The Chiefs QB went 8 of 8 for 42 yards on the Chiefs' game-winning drive in overtime, which is notable, because it was the most passes that Mahomes has ever thrown without an incompletion on any drive in his entire career.
- Andy Reid also joins a list of legends. The Chiefs coach now has three Super Bowl wins, which makes him just the fifth coach in NFL history to hit that number. Reid joins Bill Belichick, Chuck Noll, Joe Gibbs and Bill Walsh. At this point, it's safe to say that Reid will be a Hall of Famer whenever he decides to retire.
- Harrison Butker sets multiple Super Bowl records. The Chiefs kicker had a perfect night, going 4 for 4 on field goals. That total includes a 57-yard kick in the second half that broke the record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. Butker also now has nine career field goals in the Super Bowl, which broke the previous record of seven that was held by both Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski.
- Super assistant. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has now won four Super Bowls as a coordinator, which is the most by any coordinator in NFL history. Besides winning three with the Chiefs, he also won in 2007 as the defensive coordinator for the Giants.
- Kyle Shanahan can't catch a break. The 49ers coach has now been to three Super Bowls and he's lost all three in a painful manner. He was the Falcons' offensive coordinator when they blew the largest lead in Super Bowl history. In both games against the Chiefs, the 49ers blew a 10-point lead, which is tied for the second-largest blown lead in Super Bowl history.
- Kyle Shanahan can't catch a break, Part II. Only two Super Bowls in NFL history have gone to overtime and Shanahan has been on the losing end in both games. Before Sunday, the only other OT Super Bowl came in 2016 when Shanahan's Falcons lost to the Patriots.
- Christian McCaffrey carried the 49ers offense. The 49ers running back finished with 80 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards, making him the first player in Super Bowl history to finish with at least 75 yards in each category.
- Unexpected dual threat. Jauan Jennings had a huge game with a TD pass and a TD catch against the Chiefs. Jennings became the second player -- and first receiver -- in Super Bowl history to have both a passing and receiving TD in the same game. He also became just the second receiver to throw a TD in a Super Bowl, joining Antwaan Randle El, who did it in Super Bowl XL. Overall, Jennings was the sixth non-QB in Super Bowl history to throw a TD pass. You can see the play here.
- Jake Moody sets a Super Bowl record. The 49ers kicker set the record for longest field in Super Bowl history when he drilled a 55-yarder in the second quarter, but he ended up only holding the record for roughly 25 minutes of game time. Harrison Butker topped him with a 57-yarder in the third quarter. That being said, Moody did still become the only kicker in Super Bowl history to make multiple field goals of 50 yards or more in the same game.
- Butter fingers in first half. With Christian McCaffrey and Isiah Pacheco both losing a fumble in the first half, this became the first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XLI (Colts-Bears) where both teams lost a fumble in first half.
- Slow start. There were exactly ZERO total points scored in the first quarter, which marked just the 10th time in Super Bowl history that neither team scored in the opening quarter.
If you see any other fun facts about the Super Bowl, feel free to shoot them my way on Twitter.
5. Chiefs roundup: Taylor Swift chugged a beer, Andy Reid probably not retiring
Things always get crazy at the Super Bowl and this year was no different. Here's a look at some of the things that went down before and after Chiefs' win:
- Taylor Swift chugged a beer. At one point during the first half, Swift showed up on the big screen at Allegiant Stadium while holding a beer, so she did what any NFL fan would do: She immediately chugged it. Taylor Swift: She's just like us! You can see the video here.
- Travis Kelce celebrates with his family. After the game Travis Kelce found his mom and Taylor on the field and gave both of them a hug and a kiss. It was a heartwarming moment that CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones caught on video here.
- Chiefs' celebration goes late into the night. When you win the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, you know you're going to be staying up all night, and that's what the Chiefs did. There's a lot of footage of Kelce and Swift celebrating at a night club and you can see some of it here and here. At one point during the festivities, Kelce was even singing a Taylor Swift song, "You belong to me," which you can see here. The postgame party took place at Resorts World in Las Vegas on the north end of the strip.
- Andy Reid doesn't sound like he'll be retiring. With the Chiefs now on the verge of becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls, it sounds like Andy Reid will definitely be sticking around for another season. "Yeah, I haven't had time to think about it, but yeah," Reid said when asked if he'll be returning next season. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, sure." It seems unlikely that he'd pass up a shot at becoming the first NFL team ever to three-peat. Speaking of three-peats ...
- Patrick Mahomes is already thinking about a three-peat. It sounds like the Chiefs QB is going to celebrate for a little bit, then immediately get down to business. "I'm gonna celebrate tonight," Mahomes said. "I'm gonna celebrate at the parade. And then I'm gonna do whatever I can to be back in this game next year and try to go for that three-peat." It sounds like the Chiefs are all-in on the three-peat.
There is no team that knows how to celebrate a Super Bowl more than the Chiefs, and that's mostly because they're now getting to do it for the third time in five years.
6. Extra points: Seahawks steal Alabama's offensive coordinator
It's been a busy weekend in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of the non-Super Bowl-related things that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Seahawks have their offensive coordinator. The Seahawks are set to hire Ryan Grubb, who actually had already accepted the OC job at Alabama. However, Grubb decided that staying in Washington made more sense for him. Grubb had been the OC at Washington for the past two seasons. You can read more about his hiring here.
- Haason Reddick given permission to seek a trade. The Eagles star might not be in Philadelphia much longer. Reddick, who's headed into the final year of his contract, has been given permission to seek a trade. We came up with a few landing spots and you can check those out here.
- Tom Brady's Raiders purchase gets closer to approval. The seven-time Super Bowl winner has been trying to buy a piece of the Raiders since May and it appears that his purchase is finally going to go through. It could happen as soon as March and you can check out the full details here.
- Saints expected to hire 49ers passing game coordinator. The Saints don't have an offensive coordinator yet, but it looks like that's because they were waiting for Klint Kubiak to become available. With the Super Bowl now over, the 49ers passing game coordinator is expected to become the Saints new offensive coordinator.
