Super Bowl LVII Locks Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes in as NFL's Best with No End in Sight

The Kansas City Chiefs entered Super Bowl LVII in rather unfamiliar territory—playing the role of underdog. And when the Chiefs headed to intermission down 10 points to the Philadelphia Eagles and with a visibly limping quarterback, it appeared Kansas City was headed for a second disappointing Super Bowl in three seasons.

But the second half was the polar opposite of the first. The Chiefs had the ball four times and scored on every possession. Mahomes played his best half ever in the Super Bowl on the way to winning his second Super Bowl MVP award.

In Super Bowl LVII, the Chiefs did more than just win a second Lombardi Trophy in four years. They served notice to the rest of the NFL. Some of the faces might change around him, but in Mahomes, Kansas City has an all-time great at the game's most important position. The best quarterback in the league.

And so long as they do, the Chiefs are the kings of the NFL. The team to beat.

After the confetti started dropping, Mahomes applauded his teammates stepping up in the second half while speaking to Erin Andrews of Fox Sports.

"It was everybody," Mahomes said. "It didn't some from just one person. Everyone said we've got to step our game up. Our defense played their ass off in the second half, and our offense… we found a way. Man, I just want to thank everybody on this team."

To be fair, Mahomes wasn't solely the reason that the Chiefs came back to down the Eagles. Kansas City's offensive line was fantastic against an Eagles pass rush that posted the third-most sacks in NFL history in 2022. The Chiefs' offensive game plan in the second half was flawless. Kansas City's defensive front controlled the line of scrimmage, and after getting torched in the first half the Chiefs allowed just 11 points after the intermission.

But the "way" the Chiefs offense found was Mahomes (who aggravated his sprained ankle just before halftime) standing on his head.

In the first half, Mahomes was held mostly in check—largely because the Chiefs had the ball just three times and tallied less than nine minutes of possession. But starting with a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with an Isiah Pacheco touchdown run, the second half was a different story. Mahomes carved up an Eagles pass defense that allowed fewer than 180 yards per game in the regular season at will.

By game's end Mahomes had completed 21 of 27 pass attempts for 182 yards and three touchdowns while adding another 44 yards on the ground. By his lofty standards, those numbers are pretty pedestrian. But when it came time to name the game's MVP, Mahomes got the nod—and that put him in some pretty rarefied air.

Mahomes was also the first player since Kurt Warner in 1999 to win NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. That's the thing. Mahomes just keeps piling up achievements. In five seasons as Kansas City's starter, Mahomes has posted two 5,000-yard seasons—including one with 50 touchdown passes. He has thrown at least 35 touchdown passes four times. Been named to the Pro Bowl five times. Won two MVP awards. Played in three Super Bowls—winning two. And been named Super Bowl MVP twice.

Reid put it bluntly after the win.

"He's the MVP. The MVP," Reid said in his postgame on-field interview. "That's all that needs to be said."

Patrick Mahomes is 27 years old.

Now, staying on top of the mountain can be just as difficult—if not more so. Mahomes and the Chiefs already know this. After coming back in the fourth quarter to down the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, Kansas City got thumped in Super Bowl LV by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Last year, the Chiefs watched the Cincinnati Bengals celebrate an AFC Championship Game win at Arrowhead Stadium.

Arrowhead has hosted the last five AFC title games, by the way—another notch in Mahomes' belt.

There will be some tough decisions coming roster-wise. Left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. is set to hit free agency after playing the 2022 season under the franchise tag. Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is also about to become a free agent. So is edge-rusher Carlos Dunlap. And running back Jerick McKinnon. Per Over the Cap, the Chiefs have just $7 million in cap space. And while all-everything tight end Travis Kelce continues to play at an elite level, he'll turn 34 during the 2023 season.

There will be changes in the offseason. And those changes mean jack squat.

We just witnessed a season in which the Chiefs jettisoned their No. 1 wide receiver in Tyreek Hill in a cost-cutting move. That impacted Mahomes so badly that he paced the league in passing yards and touchdown passes while leading the Chiefs to the AFC's best record.

A rising tide lifts all boats. And Mahomes is a tsunami.

Terms like "dynasty" and "all-timer" get thrown around pretty easily in this day and age. There were those who thought the Los Angeles Rams could be set for prolonged success after they beat Cincinnati in Super Bowl LVI. Same with the Buccaneers the year before.

But three AFC Championships and two Super Bowl wins over a four-year span is a dynasty—especially in this era of roster turnover and free agency. And the Chiefs have enjoyed that immense success because they have a quarterback who would be a Hall of Famer if he retired tomorrow.

So whether you love the Chiefs or hate them, you might as well come to grips with the idea of watching Mahomes and Co. play in February.

Because so long as No. 15 is leading Kansas City, the Chiefs are the team to beat in the NFL.