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Needless to say, Sunday night did not work out how Kansas City Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes intended.
The Chiefs quarterback was under constant pressure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defensive front, rarely getting a clean pocket and taking a number of shots in the backfield.
Tampa Bay's stifling defensive performance led the Bucs to a dominant 31-9 Super Bowl victory, a drubbing Mahomes said he will have seared into his brain for quite some time:
Patrick Mahomes said last night's loss will motivate him not just next season but for the rest of his career
— Adam Teicher (@adamteicher) February 8, 2021
Mahomes hardly had a chance to get into the game.
The Chiefs were without their two starting offensive tackles, including Pro Bowl left tackle Eric Fisher. Those absences made a major difference, as Mahomes was pressured 29 times — most in Super Bowl history — and ran nearly 500 yards to avoid Tampa's dominant pass rush, which is all the more ridiculous considering he was limited with a turf toe issue.
Still, some of the narrative following Sunday night was wrapped up in Tom Brady getting the better of Mahomes again. The two previously met in the AFC Championship Game in Mahomes' first season as a starter, with Brady's New England Patriots getting the better of Kansas City in an overtime classic.
Needless to say, Mahomes will be eager to get another crack at his second Lombardi Trophy.
The 25-year-old has wasted little time establishing himself as the future face of the league. Mahomes is 38-8 during the regular season in his career as a starter, and — given the Chiefs have most of their core pieces intact going forward — that mark figures to get even better with time.
But none of those wins will matter if Mahomes and Co. fail to win the last game of the season. He appears determined to let the memory of this loss drive him in years to come, so the NFL better watch out.
