Last Sunday was an intense and emotional roller coaster for fans of the 49ers and Chiefs and for all football fans across the nation and throughout the world. For the first time under the new overtime rules, a Super Bowl went into extra time through a field goal kick by Harrison Butker, creating a nail-biting finish resulting in another historical event. The Chiefs claimed the victory over the 49ers with a touchdown pass to receiver Mecole Hardman with 13 seconds left in overtime, resulting in the first back-to-back Super Bowl win by a team since the Patriots did it with Tom Brady in 2004. This Super Bowl also marked Patrick Mahomes’ third victory with the team in the Super Bowl and his third MVP award. It is quite an accomplishment for a quarterback who is only 28 years old.
There are a few critical parts that can be attributed to the victory by the Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes certainly can be a clutch quarterback if the team is down on points, as he has proven throughout the season. Additionally, key pieces on the team, including Travis Kelce, Isaiah Pacheco, Chris Jones, Rashee Rice, and others mean that a game that seems to be decided can be turned around. For instance, while Kelce was not a factor in the first half, he ended as the lead receiver for the team in the end and was crucial to the Chief’s victory.
However, several conspiracy theories about a scripted Super Bowl have jumped around popular media, with surprisingly numerous parallels between this Super Bowl and Super Bowl 54 in 2020 as one of the primary reasons. First, both included the Chiefs and 49ers, with coaches Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan, respectively. Additionally, both resulted in a victory for Patrick Mahomes’s Chiefsas they would come back from a double-digit point deficit. Both 49ers teams were very promising as they were both ranked first in the National Football Conference and had a quarterback who started their NFL career 7-0 when they started. Both games occurred during a leap year, and the list could go on.
Some have attributed the Chiefs win to strange and convoluted mathematical equations summing up to the value of 13, which is significant to Taylor Swift. The Super Bowl was held on February 11th, and when the numbers of this date are added together, theytotal 13. Also, when five and eight are added from the 58 in Super Bowl 58, they total up to 13. Taylor Swift traveled 13 hours by plane to attend her 13th Chiefs game this season, where the Chiefs versed a quarterback wearing the number 13 on a team where the numbers of their name (being four and nine) sum up to 13. Even during the game, the total points scored by the half was 13, and the final winning drive by the Chiefs included 13 plays.
With whatever is to be believed, the 2023-24 NFL season has come to a close, and teams are preparing now for the draft and the upcoming season. While the Chiefs have set themselves as the undefeated champions, it is anyone’s guess which team could stand out next year and take home the Lombardi trophy.
