The Kansas City Chiefs‘ season-long “Run it Back” campaign came to a disappointing end Sunday night, losing 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes acknowledged in his post-match remarks that it was not how he intended on finishing, but he remains confident that his side will return stronger than ever next year.
“We can’t let this define us,” Mahomes said, via ESPN. “We have to continue to get better going into next year and prepare ourselves to hopefully be in this game again. We knew it wasn’t always going to be successful and we weren’t going to be able to win 1,000 championships in a row. We knew we were going to go through times like this and adversity. I think the best thing about it is the guys we have have the leadership ability to be even better next year.”
The father-to-be recorded just 26 of 49 passes all game for 270 yards and two interceptions. The Chiefs failed to score a touchdown while the Bucs couldn’t stay out of the end zone all night.
“Obviously it hurts right now,” Mahomes continued. “It hurts a lot. But we’re going to continue to get better. We have a young group of guys that had a lot of success and we learned from that but we’ve had a few failures and we have to learn from that.”
Following the game, he posted a more personal message to Chiefs Kingdom on Twitter thanking them for their support.
Thank you #ChiefsKingdom for all the support. Wasn’t the way we wanted it to end, but we will be back! 💪🏽
Mahomes Pressured Most of Any QB in Super Bowl History
It’s no surprise the Bucs wanted to avenge their regular season loss against the Chiefs, and they made sure to target the man everyone attributes to the success of this franchise for the last three years.
According to ESPN Stats, Mahomes was pressured on 29 of his 56 dropbacks, coming out to 52% of his total dropbacks. Consequently, it counted for the most pressures against any QB in the Super Bowl in NFL history. The previous record was held by Buffalo Bills play caller Jim Kelly back in Super Bowl XXVI.
Patrick Mahomes was pressured more in this game than any QB in Super Bowl history (29), passing the record of 25 by Jim Kelly in SB XXVI.
Tom Brady faced his fewest pressures (4) in any Super Bowl of his career
That statistic, coupled with questionable officiating, makes complete sense why Chiefs players and fans alike would be upset about the circumstances of this match. Not mention, the Chiefs were marred by injuries to their offensive line, which made it somewhat of an uphill battle to come from behind and try to take down of the most threatening defenses in the NFL. With the 2020 season officially over, Kansas City’s front office will have some tough decisions to make when it comes to strengthening their roster if they want to make a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
Mahomes’ Fiancée Tweets Message of Support
Perhaps Mahomes’ biggest fan was the first one to send nothing but love to the franchise guy. Brittany Matthews, Mahomes fiancée posted late Sunday night saying she was “proud” of her longtime love.
Not how we wanted it to end, but 15 played his heart out and I’m always and forever proud of him in everything he does! 🙏🏼❤️
Now let’s have a baby🤣
“Not how we wanted it to end, but 15 played his heart out and I’m always and forever proud of him in everything he does! Now let’s have a baby,” the tweet read.
Mahomes and Matthews are set to welcome a baby girl sometime this spring. While the exact due date and name have yet to be revealed, even in the offseason, Mahomes will certainly have his hands full.
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Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Speaks Out After Rough 31-9 Loss in Super Bowl LV