Michael & Amigos II: Super Bowl LVIII Summary — Part 5/5

Welcome to the final installment of “Michael & Amigos II.” As usual, I am joined by my three amigos: Ashley F., Brian C., and my brother, J.C.

So, Super Bowl LVIII has concluded with the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 25–22, in overtime. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes earned Super Bowl MVP honors after completing 34 of 46 passes for 333 yards and tossing two touchdown passes. This is the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl title in five seasons, having also defeated the 49ers (coincidently) and Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 and 2023, respectively.

Without further ado, these are our final thoughts on the Super Bowl and a look ahead to the 2024–25 NFL season, starting with mine:

• As a fan of the Las Vegas Raiders, I understandably hate the Kansas City Chiefs (after all, they are divisional rivals). Yet, even I admit the Chiefs are the NFL’s best team and reigning dynasty, having won three Super Bowl titles the past five seasons. They are talented, young, and should have 2–3 more opportunities to earn rings — as long as quarterback Patrick Mahomes is healthy, and Andy Reid is the head coach.
• Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce crossed the line when he pushed Reid. Kelce deserves to be either suspended or, at the very least, fined. Anger is a natural emotion we have all experienced. But being mad does not justify assaulting another human being, especially one’s superior (or coach, in this matter). Allowing Kelce to slide would set a poor precedent for the NFL.
• Despite the defeat, the San Francisco 49ers are a team with championship-caliber players. Running back Christian McCaffrey. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Defensive end Nick Bosa. Lineback Fred Warner. Even quarterback Brock Purdy. But the problem is their head coach, Kyle Shanahan.
• To be fair, Shanahan is an excellent offensive coordinator with elite play-calling abilities and intricate knowledge of player development. Yet, he has earned zero Super Bowl titles in seven seasons as head coach of the 49ers. Z-E-R-O. He might be a “good” coach, but not good enough to win a championship at the professional level. Stop blaming injuries. Stop making excuses. Stop with the delusional “almost” and “would have” statements. The 49ers need to fire Shanahan and find someone who can lead them back to glory. They have the right players to win a title but lack the right leader to make it happen. With their key players still in the primes of their careers, they had better aim for a championship sooner than later.
• There are a number of 49er fans who believe Shanahan is the “next” Bill Walsh. I had grown up in the Bay Area during the Walsh and George Seifert eras, so trust me — Shanahan is neither one of those football geniuses. He is, instead, simply the son of a well-respected former NFL coach, Mike Shanahan. This connection is the only reason Kyle Shanahan has no concerns about his job security. Nepotism talks, I suppose.

Ashley F.

• What a game! Back and forth with not only one, but two record-breaking field goals — and after 60 minutes, we still didn’t have a champion. We needed overtime to decide the 2023–24 NFL champion.
• Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on defending their title and becoming the first back-to-back Super Bowl winners since the New England Patriots did it two decades earlier. We’re not going to throw the “G” word (GOAT) around just yet, but with this win, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes does get closer to “that” Patriots quarterback (Tom Brady) as well.
• On the flip side, that’s three straight trips to the Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers with a familiar theme — losing a lead and ultimately the game. The 49ers are still super talented, and I would expect them to get back here sooner than later, but they — especially head coach Kyle Shanahan — need to figure out what it takes to close out the game and get the win.
• With more than 200 days until the 2024–25 regular season kicks off again, it’s time for teams to regroup and reload for the goal of getting to New Orleans and holding up the Lombardi Trophy. Today, every team believes they have a chance to win it all next year. With wish lists of free agents to sign and dreams of drafting quarterback Caleb Williams, teams will look a lot different next year, but they’ll have the same goal. Dream big. See you next year.

Brian C.

• Quick thoughts on the Super Bowl…
• For all the talk of the ending, this started as a great defensive game…
• It’s a Kansas City Chiefs dynasty, baby. We’re just living in it. The Chiefs have taken the baton from Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and are now running with it…
• The scary part is this was the most “vulnerable” the Chiefs have looked, yet they still won…
• Losing linebacker Dre Greenlaw of the San Francisco 49ers to a freak Achilles tear ended up being a huge loss for them, especially late in the game when they couldn’t stop Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes…
• I know the 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy “haters” are going to be out in full force, but this loss wasn’t on him — the Chiefs’ defense is legit…
• …Instead, I put a good chunk of the blame on 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. I mentioned previously that in big games he gets too pass happy and abandons the run in key moments — and sure enough he does it again! Not only failing to utilize star running back Christian McCaffery for a good chunk of the third quarter (at one point after Mahomes gift wrapped an interception) leading to three straight three-and-outs, but again not running after the two-minute warning (which could’ve potentially ended the game right there), and again not running on the third-and-5 in overtime. This also includes not making adjustments, like utilizing screen passes to neutralize the free rushers the Chiefs were constantly sending. Granted, certain things like Greenlaw’s injury, the muffled punt return, and missed extra point are out of his control, but this is his third Super Bowl as either an offensive coordinator or head coach with a double-digit lead, and he keeps making the same mistakes…
• Ultimately the 49ers let the Chiefs hang around instead of knocking them out early when they had the chance, and it cost them in the end.
• I thought the halftime show with Usher was solid and enjoyed the performance of Alicia Keys and H.E.R.’s guitar solo. Would’ve danced, but then realized I’m 39 and need to stretch first…
• Quick pinball predictions for next year…
• At this point, picking anyone else other than the Chiefs as the favorites for next year just feels silly, doesn’t it?
• I’m not sure what the Chicago Bears will do with the No. 1 pick in the draft (select quarterback Caleb Williams vs. keeping current quarterback Justin Fields), but given the team’s bad luck at that position, whatever choice will probably end up being the wrong one…
• Will the running back who played on franchise tags (Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard and Saquon Barkley) last year as well as new faces Derrick Henry and Austn Ekeler score larger deals? I doubt it, but given that McCaffery was Offensive Player of the Year, it’ll be curious to see how the league views the position going forward…
• I feel like the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles are going to regress the most next year…
• I think Jim Harbaugh will do well as new head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, but I think it might take a year to two given the amount of “dead cap” money issues they have…
• Should be an interesting NFL season. Can’t wait for 2024!

J.C.

• Well, where do I begin? Oh, yeah, I told all of you the Kansas City Chiefs were going to win the Super Bowl. How did I know this? The turning point was when San Francisco 49ers rookie kicker Jake Moody — his sorry ass was drafted in the third round — missed a routine extra point. If he didn’t miss it, the game wouldn’t have went in overtime.
• The second mistake was that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t go for it on fourth down in overtime when they were on their own five-yard line. They needed only three yards to get a first down. What the fuck? His stupid ass kicked a field goal and gave the ball to the Chiefs. What a fucking idiot! Did he not think the Chiefs were going to score a touchdown? His ass should be fired, and weak-ass quarterback Brock Purdy should accept half the blame for why they’d lost. He played like shit, but I still fucking hate the Chiefs. Go Las Vegas Raiders!

That’s all, folks! Thank you for following us throughout the 2023–24 NFL playoffs. We hope you have enjoyed this series. Please join us when we return next season. Until then — take care, enjoy, and go football!