Enemy Reaction Special Edition: Super Bowl 54

With seven minutes left in Super Bowl 54, it looked like our worst nightmare would become a reality. There was a high probability of the San Francisco 49ers hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, and on the six-year anniversary of the Seattle Seahawks’ lone Super Bowl win.

...But have you met my new Mahomie, Patrick Mahomes?

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs had one more comeback left in them. Mahomes, Damien Williams, and company turned in 21 unanswered points to pull off a dramatic 31-20 win over San Francisco. A first Super Bowl win for the Chiefs since 1970, and at long last Andy Reid gets his ring as a head coach.

You know what else we get? Enemy Reaction!

I was going to do this whether or not the 49ers had won, just to show full fairness, but I would’ve been a miserable man doing this for a San Fran victory. So on that note, let’s dive into our final Enemy Reaction of the 2019 NFL season. Game thread comments are courtesy of Arrowhead Pride and Niners Nation.

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Deebo Samuel rips off 32-yard gain, leading to 49ers field goal (3-0 SF)

Patrick Mahomes scores on option play (7-3 KC)

Jimmy Garoppolo throws it with his eyes closed... to Bashaud Breeland for the pick, leading to Chiefs FG (10-3 KC)

Kyle Juszczyk ties the game with a 15-yard touchdown (10-10)

Huge play by George Kittle... called back for OPI! (10-10)

Patrick Mahomes picked off by Fred Warner (13-10 SF)

Raheem Mostert plunges in from a yard out (20-10 SF)

Honorable Mention: Cool jinx, Seahawks fan Michael Tzeng!

Mahomes gets picked off again, this time by Tarvarius Moore (20-10 SF)

Mahomes finds wide open Tyreek Hill on 3rd and 15 (20-10 SF)

Good call, Chiefs fan!

Travis Kelce gets the Chiefs back in it (20-17 SF)

Sammy Watkins burns Richard Sherman (20-17 SF)

Damien Williams just crosses the goal-line to give Kansas City the lead (24-20 KC)

Frank Clark sacks Jimmy Garoppolo on 4th and 10 for a turnover on downs (24-20 KC)

The meltdown is on!

Damien Williams ices it (31-20 KC)

The Chiefs are Super Bowl champions! (31-20 KC Final)

Sure thing!

Broncos fans irate over Chiefs win

Eagles fans rejoice watching Andy Reid win a Super Bowl

Falcons fans still remember 28-3...

Rams fans and Seahawks fans finally agree on something

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Post-Game: Patrick Mahomes doesn’t need his best to be the best (Matt Conner, Arrowhead Addict)

The Niners had to be thrilled with the way Mahomes played for most of the game. It was abnormal. It was lackluster. That is, until it wasn’t.

For Mahomes, he can only get better from here. It’s possible for him to avoid the turnovers in a game like that. It’s possible for the first drive to not stall and for the team to not fall into a 10-point or more deficit. It’s possible for the jitters to subside before the game, for Mahomes to come in calm and collected like the savvy veteran he’ll soon be.

Until then, the NFL should still be very, very afraid because none of this is fair. The Chiefs were on the ropes, yet again, and still came back and won, like a predictable feel-good movie in which, of course, they are going to rise up and win.

For now it still feels novel, because it’s the city’s first championship in 50 years. The confetti is exciting. The feelings are overwhelming. The celebration is ongoing. But soon enough, the idea of Mahomes coming back will make you roll your eyes. “Of course, he will. That’s what the Chiefs always do.”

Because even on one of his worst nights as a professional quarterback, Patrick Mahomes was still good enough to win something called the Super Bowl. Sorry, NFL, he’s just that good.

Post-Game: The 49ers will be back (Joe Davidson, Sacramento Bee)

The 49ers answered three major questions this season. If any of them come up negative, the 49ers don’t get this far.

Were general manager John Lynch and Shanahan the right picks for 6-year contracts offered up by the York ownership group, given that both would be first-timers in those roles? Nailed it. This is a great partnership.

Would Garoppolo be the right fit since his arrival from New England via trade in 2017? He has. He should not bear Sunday’s loss by himself. He didn’t play defense, for one thing.

And would first-round pick Nick Bosa become an impact after an injury-plagued career at Ohio State that lingered throughout training camp? He was, emphatically.

Each is a building block to continue the Super Bowl quest, only now, the view is mixed. The 49ers won their first four Super Bowls under Montana, then their fifth under Young 25 seasons ago, but the franchise has lost the last two, including following the 2012 season.

Better days loom. Teams learn from Super Bowl losses, or they become defined by them.

Post-Game Audio: Chiefs radio announcer Mitch Holthus makes the final call

Post-Game Video: 49ers fans react to game-ending plays vs. Chiefs

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Damn! Add in the Broncos fans and that’s enough salt intake for me for a year.

I hope you enjoyed every single one of these Enemy Reactions! This is the most I’ve ever done in a season, and it wraps up my tenth one for Field Gulls. There will be some offseason stuff that I’ve not quite determined yet, but one of them will be centered around the Pete Carroll hiring (shoutout to bahvoom!), which was ten years ago.

Congratulations to the Chiefs on a well-deserved Super Bowl victory. Remember that amazing duel Mahomes and Russell Wilson had in the penultimate week of the 2018 season? Perhaps we can have that again on February 7th, 2021 down in Tampa, Florida.

Thanks for reading and go ‘Hawks!