"On the sideline down 10 in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, every guy thought we were going to win," Patrick Mahomes
Wednesday 5 February 2020 01:33, UK
Andy Reid warned Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is only going to get better, after the superstar Kansas quarterback led his team to the Lombardi Trophy in Miami.
The San Francisco 49ers had built a 20-10 lead heading into the final quarter before Mahomes led three successive touchdown drives to turn the game on its head.
Reid paid tribute to his side after claiming Super Bowl honours for the first time as a head coach, but had some special words for the history-making former Texas Tech signal caller who claimed the Most Valuable Player award after his fourth quarter heroics.
"I've got a great owner who does it the right way, I've got this guy right here (Mahomes) who is phenomenal. The team-mates it was all about them, they're just dirty tough," Reid told NFL Network.
"The scary part is he (Mahomes) is going to get even better with time because of experience.
"I've got a ton of confidence in these guys. We've been through a lot of these types of situations and they've handled it."
Mahomes, at just 24 became the youngest player to claim a league MVP and the Super Bowl, insisted afterwards there were no signs of doubt as Kansas City found themselves 10 points down with time running out in Super Bowl LIV.
A key turning point had been Mahomes' 44-yard strike to Tyreek Hill after the 49ers had largely frustrated Andy Reid's offense. It proved yet another reminder of the Chiefs' threat when behind, following on from their comeback victory from 24-0 down against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round.
"We just like to make it a difficult it seems. I think the biggest thing is these guys around me, their belief, it's amazing," Mahomes told NFL Network.
"On the sideline down 10 in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl every guy thought we were going to win and so to get that win was amazing.
"It hasn't even set in yet, I'm just trying to enjoy every single moment of this. To go throughout this season and build this brotherhood with these guys was just amazing and I'm glad we were able to cap it off the right way and get the Super Bowl championship and bring it back to Kansas City."
Mahomes finished the game 26 of 42 passing for 286 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, earning the MVP award with his role in the Chiefs' revival.
A frenetic game had seen him sacked and intercepted in the space of two plays as it looked as though he was struggling under pressure from what has been a dominant 49ers defense.
Neverthless, he responded to not only showcase his arm talent but also underline the resilience that has moulded him into such a valuable leader among his team-mates.
He added: "I think I had to grab myself. The guys give me confidence to go out there and keep slinging it, I obviously didn't have the third quarter I wanted. I knew if I kept fighting the defense would get stops.
"I kind of joke around about it sometimes but I was kind of blessed to be in the Big 12 where you had to go and score and if you threw an interception you got the ball back and you'd go to try and score again, so I've kind of had that mindset that no matter what happens on the last play, just to focus on the next play.
"I think coach Eric Bieniemy is big on that, he always says 'the most important play is the next play' and he preaches that to the offense and so I think having people around me and the coaches around me that have instilled this confidence I just focus on the next play no matter what I did on the previous play.
"Being a little kid running around baseball fields to now being in the Super Bowl and winning it. My dream was always to be a professional athlete, I thought it was going to be baseball not football, but now to be here and winning it it's amazing."
