Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was magical again, as the Chiefs’ ‘Corndog’ comes through in the end

Remember that play? Mahomes ran it again to finish off the 49ers in overtime and capture yet another Super Bowl MVP.

Published Feb. 12, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

LAS VEGAS — As the 49ers’ vaunted group of skill players left the field and took their seats on the sideline at Allegiant Stadium, the dejection was apparent even from four stories above them.

Patrick Mahomes had a chance to win Super Bowl LVIII with a touchdown and it felt like a foregone conclusion that he would deliver yet again. Watching the Kansas City Chiefs march down the field en route to a 25-22 win, several San Francisco players buried their heads into their hands while others knelt along the sideline even before the decisive series gained steam. These are the moments Mahomes is known for and, on Sunday night, he further cemented his legacy as a star who consistently rises to the occasion.

In a game that lacked a decisive blow well beyond the theatrics of the pregame ceremonies and halftime performances, Mahomes capped off the night with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime, using the same orbit motion that buried the Eagles in last year’s Super Bowl.

The Chiefs call the play “Tom & Jerry,” and the motion “Corndog,” according to Mahomes and Kansas City coach Andy Reid.

“The motion was the exact same motion that we ran in the Super Bowl last year,” Mahomes said. “And they actually covered it pretty well at first. … So I was a little like, ‘Hey, let me make sure it’s open.’ But obviously Coach Reid knows when to call those plays at the right time.”

In the huddle before the 13-play, 75-yard scoring drive, trailing by just a field goal, there was never any doubt. Why should there be? The Chiefs converted three of their four third downs and got a timely zone-read keeper from Mahomes for an 8-yard gain on fourth-and-1 to keep the game alive.

“I guess at this point, I take it for granted,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said. “But I know we’re in every single game I’ve ever played in with him, no matter what the score is, no matter how much time is left, that guy’s got magic in his right arm, man, and he can just — he found ways to propel us, even with his legs, as you saw today.”

Hardman added, “How much confidence is there in the world? Whatever that is, that’s what we have in him. The man has done it time and time again. I think he has proven himself in those situations that he’s so calm under pressure and he makes the right decisions. … He’s one of the best I’ve seen in those pressure moments like that and I wouldn’t rather have anyone else in those types of moments.”

The Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes finished the game 34-for-46 for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while also leading the Chiefs in rushing with nine carries for 66 yards. He had a 19-yard scramble on third-and-1 from the 49ers’ 32-yard line, setting up the touchdown pass three plays later.

“Greatness,” Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice said when asked about Mahomes. “He has a real, ‘Why?’ His, ‘why’ is just being great. I don’t think he wants to be under any other quarterback in this game. He does what he does right now to be the best.”

With Sunday’s win, Mahomes is on pace to accomplish just that. The 28-year-old has won three of the last five Super Bowls and has gotten his third title at the same age Tom Brady was when he beat the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX for his third. Technically speaking, Mahomes is about a month younger than Brady was in that game.

Mahomes still has others to catch. Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw finished their careers with four titles, but, as Rice alluded to, he’s truly chasing Brady. His first and only Super Bowl loss came at the hands of the now-retired icon, who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020-21 season.

Even while processing the satisfaction of winning back-to-back championships on Sunday night, Mahomes borrowed a sentiment he learned from the quarterback he’s so determined to surpass.

“I’m going to celebrate tonight and I’m going to celebrate at the parade, and then I’m going to do whatever I can to be back in this game next year and try to go for that three-peat,” Mahomes said.

“It’s an ongoing thing in the NFL, I think Tom said it best, ‘Once you win that championship and you have those parades and you get those rings, you’re not the champion anymore.’

“You have to come back with that same mentality, and I learned from guys like that that have been the greatest of all time at the top of the level and so that’s my mindset. Celebrate with my guys because of how we’ve done this, but then we’re going to work our way to get back to this game next year.”