The great fan base of Kansas City had been through a lot since winning the Super Bowl in 1969, the last year before the AFL-NFL merger. There had been playoff heartbreaks, one on top of the other. That included an overtime loss in the AFC Championship Game of 2018 to begin the Patrick Mahomes Era. But this era would be different, and the 2019 NFL season affirmed it—the Chiefs finally got their hands on the Lombardi Trophy again.
Mahomes had a Pro Bowl year in his second season as the starter. His yards-per-attempt was a healthy 8.3 and the TD-INT ratio was 26/5. Travis Kelce was a Pro Bowler at tight end, catching 97 balls for over 1,200 yards. The K.C. offense ranked fifth in the NFL for points scored, and the defense wasn’t far behind, coming in seventh with All-Pro defensive back Tyrann Mathieu, and Pro Bowl defensive lineman Chris Jones.
Kansas City got an impressive win in September, knocking off the Baltimore Ravens 33-28. They beat playoff-bound Minnesota 26-23 in November. On December 8, the Chiefs went into Foxboro and beat the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 23-16. When all was said and done, Kansas City finished 12-4, easily won the AFC West. And 2019 was the last year that the 2-seed they earned also came with a first-round bye.
Baltimore got a breakout year from Lamar Jackson. With a TD-INT ratio of 36/6, and over 1,200 yards rushing, Jackson won the MVP award. He was joined by 1,000-yard rusher Mark Ingram, who ran behind All-Pro lineman Ronnie Stanley. The Raven offense scored more points than anyone in the league.
Their traditionally stingy defense ranked third in points allowed, getting All-Pro performances in the secondary from Marlon Humphrey and Marcus Peters. Matthew Judon was a Pro Bowl pass rusher at outside linebacker and Baltimore kicker Justin Tuck was the game’s best.
Baltimore knocked off their traditional rival from Pittsburgh, 26-23, in early October. Two weeks later, after Peters was acquired in a trade, they beat playoff-bound Seattle 30-16. On November 3, in front of a prime-time Sunday Night audience, the Ravens throttled the Patriots, 37-20. Baltimore smashed a good Houston Texans team 41-7. In December, they won tough games over playoff teams from San Francisco and Buffalo, 20-17 and 24-17, respectively. The Ravens finished 14-2, held the #1 seed and were the team to beat heading into the postseason.
New England was a contender, but the Patriots were starting to show the signs of a dynasty in decline. Tom Brady played mistake-free football, but without a big-play threat, his yards-per-attempt dropped to a mediocre 6.6. The top targets were Julian Edelman, who caught 100 balls for 1,100 yards and running back James White. The New England defense was still the best in the league though, with corner Stephon Gilmore winning Defensive Player of the Year honors and fellow defensive backs Devin McCourty and J.C. Jackson intercepting five passes each.
Buffalo was becoming a viable contender in the AFC East. While second-year starting quarterback Josh Allen was still developing, John Brown caught 72 passes for over 1,000 yards. And the defense ranked second in points allowed, with All-Pro corner Tre’Davious White intercepting six passes. Defensive tackle Jordan Phillips produced 9 ½ sacks.
New England won a tough 16-10 decision over Buffalo on the road in September, part of a fast start for the Patriots. But they began to gradually show leaks. The aforementioned losses to Baltimore and Kansas City were part of that, as was a loss to Houston on Sunday Night Football. But on December 21, with the division title still up for grabs, the veteran Patriots dug deep and beat the Bills 24-17. Buffalo still made the playoffs and got the 5-seed. New England had an opportunity to secure a first-round bye. But when they suffered a shocking 27-24 home loss to the Miami Dolphins in the finale, the Patriots slipped to the 3-seed and into the wild-card round.
Houston and the Tennessee Titans contended in the AFC South. The Texans had one of the league’s top receivers in All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins and his 104 catches. DeShaun Watson was a promising quarterback, and the 24-year-old made the Pro Bowl. Carlos Hyde ran for 1,000 yards.
The Titans, after a slow start, benched Marcus Mariota and gave the job to Ryan Tannehill. Over his ten starts, Tannehill led Tennessee to seven wins and got Comeback Player of the Year honors. A big reason was that whoever played quarterback for Tennessee could give the football to Derrick Henry, who ran for over 1,500 yards at better than five a pop. A.J. Henry was a 1,000-yard receiver and the Titans had playmakers on defense in pass-rushing outside linebacker Harold Landry and free safety Kevin Byard.
Both AFC South contenders knocked off Kansas City. Houston got the big Sunday Night win over New England in December. Later that month, the Texans won the first head-to-head game with the Titans, 24-21. Houston was able to clinch the division and the 4-seed before the rematch in the season finale. Tennessee won that game 35-14 to grab the sixth and final playoff spot.
The NFC race was shaped by a battle between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. The 49ers used a physical style of football and a balanced attack to produce the second-most points in the NFL. George Kittle caught 85 balls and was the All-Pro tight end. While Jimmy Garoppolo could be mistake-prone, the quarterback also completed 69 percent of his passes for 8.4 yards-per-attempt. San Francisco got production from multiple running backs. And their defense, with a line led by pass rushers that included Arik Armstead, Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa and DeForest Buckner, finished eighth in the league for points allowed.
Seattle got a vintage year from Russell Wilson, who posted a 31/5 TD-INT ratio at 8.0 yards-per-attempt. Wilson made the Pro Bowl, while Tyler Lockett was a 1,000-yard receiver and Chris Carson rumbled for over 1,200 yards on the ground. While the Seahawk defense had slipped in recent years, middle linebacker Bobby Wagner was still an All-Pro.
The Los Angeles Rams had reached the Super Bowl out of this division in 2018, but both Seattle and San Francisco knocked off L.A. in the first part of October. In November, the Seahawks got the first big head-to-head win, 27-24 over the 49ers. Seattle went on to beat playoff-bound Philadelphia 17-9 and get a 37-30 win over Minnesota.
But the 49ers kept coming. Their own season was highlighted by a 37-8 crushing of a good Green Bay Packers team on Sunday Night Football. San Francisco’s 34-31 win over Los Angeles in the penultimate week served to knock the Rams from the playoffs.
It set up a season-ending showdown between the 49ers and Seahawks, flexed to prime-time. The winner would take both the division and the 1-seed. In a thriller, San Francisco prevailed 26-21, holding off a last-ditch Seattle drive in the red zone. The Seahawks had to settle for the 5-seed.
Green Bay and Minnesota were contending in the NFC North. Aaron Rodgers had a resurgent year under new head coach Matt LaFleur, making the Pro Bowl at age 36. Aaron Jones was a 1,000-yard rusher and Davante Adams came just short of that threshold in receiving yardage. The Packer defense was built on the pass rushing of outside linebackers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith, who combined for 25 ½ sacks. Corner Kevin King intercepted five passes.
The Vikings got a big year from Kirk Cousins, who completed 69 percent of his passes at 8.1 yards-per-attempt and posted a 26/6 TD-INT ratio. The versatile Dalvin Cook ran for over 1,100 yards and caught 53 passes. Stefon Diggs stretched the field, at nearly 18 yards per catch. The league’s fifth-best defense had All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks in the middle, pass rusher Danielle Hunter generating the heat, and free safety Anthony Harris picking off six balls.
Green Bay got the two head-to-head wins over Minnesota, 21-16 in September and a big 23-10 decision on the Monday Night just before Christmas. The Packers also beat the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, 31-24 in late October. Green Bay finished 13-3, got the 2-seed and the first-round bye. The Vikings still went 10-6, got a nice win over the Eagles in mid-October and were the 6-seed.
Drew Brees was 40-years-old, but the New Orleans Saints’ quarterback was still as good as new. With a 74 percent completion rate and 27/4 TD-INT ratio, Brees had another Pro Bowl campaign. The league’s third-best offense was fueled by Brees throwing to Michael Thomas—the wide receiver set a new NFL record with 149 catches, and they went for over 1,700 yards. Alvin Kamara was versatile, catching 81 balls and running for almost 800 yards behind All-Pro tackle Ryan Ramczyk. A respectable defense had All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis and defensive end Cameron Jordan going for 15 ½ sacks.
New Orleans beat Seattle, 33-27 in September. The Saints beat both AFC South playoff contenders, edging Houston 30-28 and Tennessee 38-28. New Orleans rolled to a 13-3 record, an easy NFC South crown, and the 3-seed in the playoffs.
The postseason bracket was filled out by Philadelphia in the NFC East. Carson Wentz played mistake-free football at quarterback, but the offense was limited. The top three pass catchers were tight ends and a running back. While Zach Ertz was a Pro Bowler, and Miles Sanders added 818 rush yards to his pass-catching, it underscored the limitations of the Eagle offense.
But mediocre Dallas was the closest the NFC East had to a competitor. While the Cowboys took the first head-to-head battle, hammering the Eagles 37-10 on a Sunday Night in October, Philadelphia bounced back. They beat Buffalo a week later. And in the second-to-last game, Philly took the rematch with Dallas 17-9. It was enough to pull out the division crown at 9-7 and get the 4-seed.
Wild-Card Weekend started in Houston. Buffalo came to town and jumped out to a 16-0 lead. But the Texans rallied, and the game eventually went to overtime at 19-all. Houston kicked a field goal and broke the Bills’ hearts with a 22-19 win.
History was made that night in Foxboro. New England’s late-season slide continued with a flat performance and a 20-13 upset loss to Tennessee. It would be the final game Tom Brady played as a Patriot. And it was the last time Bill Belichick coached a playoff game in front of the home fans.
Sunday afternoon saw another terrific overtime battle. This time it was Minnesota and New Orleans trading blows. And it was the Vikings getting the last word in a 26-20 win. It was the third straight year the Saints had suffered a gut wrenching playoff loss and two of those defeats had come at the hands of Minnesota.
The first round concluded with Seattle showing that their 17-9 victory over Philadelphia earlier in the year was no fluke—quite literally. The Seahawks again beat the Eagles 17-9 and advanced.
Divisional Round Weekend opened in San Francisco and the 49ers made a statement, methodically dispatching Minnesota, 27-10. And for the second straight week, Saturday night was marked by a shocker from Tennessee. This time, the Titans went into Baltimore, jumped all over the Ravens early and won 28-12.
One of the most roller-coaster games in the history of the NFL went down early Sunday afternoon in Kansas City. The Texans took a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter. It looked like another home playoff nightmare for the Chiefs. Except this time, they had Patrick Mahomes. By halftime, Kansas City was ahead, 28-24. Then it became an avalanche the other way, with the Chiefs turning it into a 51-31 rout.
Green Bay took a 21-3 lead on Seattle. The Seahawks rallied and closed the gap to 28-23 late in the fourth quarter. But with the clock nearing the two-minute mark, Seattle decided to punt on fourth down near midfield rather than give Wilson a chance. Rodgers put the game away for the Pack.
Championship Sunday was mostly devoid of drama. The home teams, Kansas City and San Francisco, were both favored by at least a touchdown, and both held serve. The Chiefs spotted the Titans a 17-7 lead in the second quarter, but were again ahead by halftime and went on to win, 35-24. The 49ers mauled the Packers up front, taking a 27-0 lead by the half and winning 37-20.
An evenly matched Super Bowl was anticipated and that’s what we got. The 49ers led 20-10 after three quarters. For the third straight time in the playoffs, the Chiefs faced a double-digit deficit. For the third straight time, they turned it around and won by double-digits themselves. Three fourth-quarter touchdowns gave Kansas City a 31-20 win.
It was a historic Super Bowl in more ways than one. It ended 50 years of waiting in Kansas City. And it formally ushered in the Mahomes Era league-wide.