Super Bowl 58: Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes combine for vintage performance

It was always going to come down to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

For six years the duo has wreaked havoc on the NFL — not including Kelce’s pre-Mahomes dominance — and Super Bowl 58 was one of innumerable reminders.

A slow start gave way to expected production from the pair, who connected for nine catches and 93 yards, the bulk of which came in the second half and overtime of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 25-22 come-from-behind win over the San Francisco 49ers.

The performance brought Kelce 14 receiving yards shy of Rob Gronkowski’s 364 achieved across five Super Bowl appearances. It brought Mahomes his third Super Bowl MVP award. It brought the word “dynasty” further into the conversation. It solidified what we already knew: Mahomes and Kelce are inevitable.

Perhaps there was no bigger play between the two than on a third-and-7 with 16 seconds remaining in regulation and Kansas City trailing by three. A 50-yard Harrison Butker field goal at that point would have been more certain than not, but Mahomes found Kelce on a crossing route that pushed the Chiefs to the 49ers’ 11-yard line — a 22-yard catch and run.

Kansas City settled for a field goal anyway, a much shorter one at that, but it was another of those reminders. The Mahomes-Kelce duo shines when it matters.

Kelce owns an 82.7 PFF receiving grade in Super Bowls, ranking fourth among the 31 receivers who have garnered 10 or more Super Bowl targets since 2006. And in the second halves of those games, no player has more targets or catches than the 11-year veteran.

Highest PFF Receiving Grades in Super Bowls | Since 2006

His 78.9 game grade against the 49ers led the way for the Chiefs’ offense, and while Mahomes’ 75.2 mark was hindered by a poor interception, among minor miscues, his poise prevailed, as it often does.

The Chiefs entered halftime with three points, with Kelce having secured one catch for one yard and, likely, with some frustration brewing. TV cameras caught Kelce giving head coach Andy Reid an earful after a second-quarter Kansas City fumble.

So the Chiefs went back to the well: Mahomes and Kelce.

Mahomes completed 16 of his 22 passes for 154 yards and a score in the fourth quarter and overtime, while Kelce earned an 85.6 grade over that span. Eight completions and 92 yards later, the two had put up an all-too-familiar stat line, resembling the elite connection built since Mahomes took over as the starter in 2018.

Pressure doesn’t faze Kansas City on the biggest stages; look no further than the team’s three Super Bowl trophies since the 2019 season. But pressure in its physical form did cause some damage to the Chiefs this year.

Three teams during the regular season managed to record at least 30 quarterback pressures against Kansas City, and all three toppled the now-back-to-back champions. The 49ers reached 34 — a season high allowed by the Chiefs — but Mahomes handled it, not without obvious struggles, at times. He completed nine of his 17 pressured passing attempts in the contest, three to Kelce, and made one of his two big-time throws.

There was no pressure on Super Bowl 58’s last play: a schemed-up, wide-open touchdown toss to Mecole Hardman. It was the deciding moment. But the game’s deciding pairing? It was always going to be Mahomes and Kelce.