“1st and goal, Mahomes flings it…IT’S THERE! HARDMAN, JACKPOT! KANSAS CITY! AND THIS WAS AN ANDY REID SPECIAL! THIS WAS THE ANDY REID SPECIAL HE WAS SAVING ALL DAY, HES GONNA FAKE A MOTION ACROSS AND AT THAT MOMENT HE TURNS AND GOES BACK. HARDMAN, WHO THEY DIDN’T HAVE RIGHT, AND THEY GO GET HARDMAN AND BRING HIM BACK.” Those were the words of commentator Jim Nantz in the final moments of the 2024 Super Bowl as the Chiefs beat the 49ers.
The NFL season has finally wrapped up and this season has been pretty historic. The Lions hosted their first home playoff game in 30 years, the playoffs averaged 38.5 million viewers across the Wild Card, Divisional, and Championship rounds which makes it the most watched playoffs since 1988, and it was the 104th NFL season.
The season kicked off with the Lions beating the Chiefs, when not many fans thought that the Chiefs were going to lose to what fans thought was not so good Lions team but man, did the Lions prove many people wrong this season. The Lions finished 12-5 and won the NFC North. With that, they were able to host their first home playoff game in Detroit in 30 years. They hosted the Rams at home which was the team that traded Jared Goff to the Lions and it’s fair to say, the Rams made the wrong decision to trade Jared Goff. Although they won a Super Bowl in 2022, Goff has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league. They won the game against the Rams with a score of 24-23. They then hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and beat the Bucs with a score of 31-23. Unfortunately, they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
The other big story of the playoffs was CJ Stroud. After being drafted number 2 overall behind Bryce Young, CJ Stroud proved as to why he should’ve been the number 1 overall pick. Stroud helped lead the Texans to their first playoff appearance since 2020 where they made it through the Wild Card but then got obliterated by the Chiefs 51-31. Stroud was also named the Offensive Rookie of the Year and he definitely deserved this award. Stroud had a 63.9 completion percentage, passed for 4,103 yards, and 23 touchdowns while only throwing 5 interceptions. CJ Stroud will be fun to watch in the league for many years to come.
The NFL season officially ended on Sunday, February 11, 2024 after the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers played in a thriller. The game was hands down one of the best Super Bowls to ever be played. With 4 seconds left the 49ers were up with a score of 19-16 and then Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker kicked a field goal to tie it up and go into overtime. The 49ers had possession first in overtime and that possession ended in a field goal to have them make the score 22-19. Then the Chiefs had their chance to score, it was a 13-play, 75 yard drive that took seven minutes and 19 seconds. Patrick Mahomes was outside the pocket, and threw the ball to an open Mecole Hardman, to make the score 25-22. The Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII which also made them the first back-to-back champions since 2003-2004. Star QB Patrick Mahomes also has a 3-1 record in the Super Bowl, the only Super Bowl he lost was to the GOAT, Tom Brady. On top of all of that Mahomes had helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls in the last 5 years, along with Mahomes being a 3-time Super Bowl MVP.
Whether you were watching the playoffs for the actual football that was being played, the Halftime show with Usher featuring Ludacris and Alicia Keys, or for all you Swifties out there who were watching for Taylor Swift, everyone can say this Super Bowl will be one to remember for decades.
