NFL playoffs: What We Learned from Chiefs’ overtime win against 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII

LAS VEGAS -- 

1) Patrick Mahomes conjures magic as Chiefs outlast 49ers in OT slobberknocker. With the game on the line, there's no one on the planet you'd rather have with the ball than the Magic Man, Mahomes. The Chiefs' offense came out of the gate slowly, as it has for much of the 2023 campaign, scoring three points with a red zone turnover in the first half. Then Mahomes began to find Travis Kelce, ate up a Dre Greenlaw-less 49ers D over the middle, and marched up and down the field. A few red zone stalls highlighted a year-long struggle for an offense that missed a big-play presence. But Mahomes led a game-tying field goal drive to force the second overtime Super Bowl game in NFL history. Then he got the ball back, trailing by three in OT, and zoomed the Chiefs down the field. Mahomes used his legs, scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-1, and his arm. When Niners defensive coordinator Steve Wilks dared bring the blitz in a key spot, the QB did what he always does: ate it alive, finding Rashee Rice for a big third down. Another Mahomes scramble put the Chiefs on the doorstep. The QB kicked it down, finding a wide-open Mecole Hardman for a 3-yard, game-winning TD. All season, Mahomes has conjured magic with an up-and-down pass-catching crew. He did it again on the biggest stage. Greatness personified. Dynasty cemented.

2) Kyle Shanahan's 49ers come up shy once again. Once again, Shanahan watched Mahomes eat up a 10-point deficit in the Super Bowl. Credit the coach for not puttering out, going for it on a big fourth-and-3 early in the fourth quarter when a chip-shot field goal would have tied the game. The decision underscored that Shanny knew they needed touchdowns, not field goals, against Mahomes. The coach