5 Overreactions to NFL Super Bowl LVIII
Nothing generates as much buzz and excitement as the NFL. Week after week, the intensity continues to be ratcheted up as we race toward the postseason. As usual, several noteworthy headlines emerged from this week’s gridiron action.
Without further ado, here are five overreactions to what we saw in the NFL Championship Round:
5. Brock Purdy Forgot How to Throw a Football
For most of the past two seasons, Brock Purdy has earned the adoration of his teammates and fans. And rightfully so. Mr. Irrelevant is a fairytale story that Walt Disney couldn’t have written better. But Purdy’s story could be spiraling towards a haunting Brothers Grimm conclusion rather than the Disney-fication everyone hopes for.
That’s because Purdy has forgotten how to throw a football. We have witnessed a deterioration of Purdy’s skillset for three straight playoff games. We saw glimpses of it earlier in the campaign, but when the stakes were highest, the Niners quarterback was at his worst. Punctuated by a 23-for-38 effort in Super Bowl LVIII, Purdy completed just 61.7% of his throws through three playoff games.
Remember, Kyle Shanahan burned through three quarterbacks before landing on Purdy last year. He might face a similar dilemma in 2024.
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4. Harrison Butker was the Super Bowl MVP
In the future, we might need to carve out a space to share all the excellent work kickers do weekly. One guy who won’t get enough credit for his contributions to the Kansas City Chiefs’ last two Super Bowls is Harrison Butker.
The Chiefs’ kicker was scorching from the field, almost single-handedly keeping his team close while the offense sputtered. He went 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts, including drilling a 57-yarder in the first half.
I’m sure a few people held Butker Super Bowl MVP tickets at 300-1. The real shame is that he’ll never get credit for being the MVP, even though we all know he was.
3. Travis Kelce Should Have Been Benched
I don’t know why more people aren’t talking about this. Travis Kelce physically berated his head coach on the sideline. The Chiefs offense was struggling when Kelce got in the face of Andy Reid, making physical contact with him before stepping back. You may have seen it briefly on one replay, but never after that.
This can’t even be considered an overreaction because it should have been a natural consequence of childish behavior. Kelce should have been benched.
2. The 49ers Shot Themselves in the Foot Again
This was San Francisco’s game to lose.
And they did.
For whatever reason, Kyle Shanahan can’t seem to lead his team to postseason success. San Francisco has come painstakingly close time after time, consistently coming up short in the most significant moment.
The intrinsic locus of control that Shanahan needs to accept is that he continues to do it to himself. Anecdotally, it’s best exemplified in how the 49ers handled overtime.
A touchdown would have put all the pressure on the Chiefs, forcing them to get into the endzone. Instead of going for it on fourth-and-four from Kansas City’s nine-yard line, Shanahan elected to kick a field goal, giving Patrick Mahomes a second chance to go down the field and beat him with a game-winning drive.
On fourth-and-one, his defense bit on the play-action call, but they were in soft coverage the entire time, inviting Mahomes to take a handful of yards on every snap.
We all know how it ends. Up three as -1.5 chalk, San Francisco let the Chiefs march and claim victory. Until the Niners learn to do something differently, this won’t be their only heartbreak.
1. Bring On Super Bowl LIX
We’ve had a day to mourn the end of the football season and celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. But the countdown is already on until the start of the 2024 campaign and, eventually, Super Bowl LIX.
Coincidentally, the San Francisco 49ers opened as the betting favorite, installed as +500 chalk. The two-time defending Champion Kansas City Chiefs are close behind at +650. From there, it’s the usual list of underachieving squads like the Baltimore Ravens (+900), Buffalo Bills (+1200), and Dallas Cowboys (+1200).
For now, we can set our sights on free agency, the NFL Draft, and eventually OTAs. But you can still hook it to my veins until September rolls around.
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