Quote:
Originally Posted by ThaVirus
I've read some rumblings that many think that hit caused Jimmy G a slight concussion. I wouldn't be surprised because he was legitimately night and day from that point.
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Do you remember when Alex used to unravel a bit after taking a few shots? Usually it'd end up with him getting happy feet, be quicker to run the ball, and abandon clean pockets. IF Alex got hit AFTER that, these tendencies would magnify themselves on an exponential level.
I would argue we first started seeing Jimmy unravel after taking a hit from Hitchens on the previous drive. Not only that, the hit from Hitch was immediately followed up with another hit from Fenton. After that drive, it felt like we started seeing Happy Feet Jimmy where he was quick to release the football, ignore secondary targets (he missed a wide open
George Kittle on the 3rd and 5 where he took that shot from Niemann AND a wide open Bourne from Fenton's busted coverage on the 3rd and 10 overthrow to Sanders) but once he got lit up from Ben, it felt like it was straight up curtains at that point.
I am so happy we scored a TD and that Andy planned to go for it on 4th down had Williams not made it in (though I would have been a nervous disaster). Because the Niners could have played their game through Mostert to set up a game winning field goal, a touchdown forced Jimmy to throw, and basically locked the title in for us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rain Man
Oddly, I actually feel more emotion about it afterwards. If I think about the big plays in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, I'll actually tear up sometimes four months later.
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This is exactly how I feel. My respect for the Niners has gone up immensely since the Super Bowl. Shanny Jr's offense is legitimately fun to watch, it's a hugely creative evolution of his Dad's game. They can attack you with multiple home run hitters (Mostert, Samuel, Sanders last year), and if they use those threats as a misdirect, Jimmy can roll out and hit a wide open Kittle or Juice, both of whom can gash your defense for 15-20 yards at a time. They were simply a machine last year.
Couple that with their defense, a defense many of us did not give due credit coming into the game (a few did, if you go back through the Let's talk about the 49ers thread). That pass rush had all time talent and they allowed the fewest 20+ yard plays than any D had in the last
decade. That pass rush crushed pockets with ease and had the potential to force a turnover on any opposing offensive play. They were as complete of an opponent as we've had in the last two seasons, with one big exception, they lacked a quarterback who can lead the team on a game winning touchdown drive. Something Chiefs fans know all too well is almost always a requirement in the postseason.
They were a combination of the 97' Chiefs and Broncos, basically the perfect cathartic opponent we could have had after decades of playoff futility. The final game of the season could not have been drawn up any better. They felt like the perfect counterbalance to us, the ultimate pass rush vs Patrick Mahomes, and a dazzling running game against a defense that had been gashed by the run repeatedly. The fact it was against the franchise that had delivered us so many game-manager QB's and a coach who was the direct descendant of our biggest rival made the match-up that much sweeter. From a league perspective, the fact that we were seeing a coach who had revolutionized Walsh's WCO against a coach that had revolutionized the run heavy Shanahan variant of the WCO made the match-up a marquee one from the get-go.
In terms of my own mental state - I was a nervous wreck through the game, but I was never angry, even after the 2nd INT. The only thing I could think of was "what if this virus I'm hearing about cancels the NFL after a SB loss? That'd be so #BecauseChiefs." My wife was actually more down about the game than I was at that point. The comeback for me, felt surreal, I still couldn't believe it played out that way. I always wondered if I'd cry too, but my amazement over the fact that the
Kansas City Chiefs had won the Super Bowl just stood above all else.