Kansas City’s first possession of the third quarter in Super Bowl LIV was fraught with issues. The Chiefs started at their own nine-yard line and got to their own 46-yard line when 49ers edge-rusher Nick Bosa caused a Patrick Mahomes fumble with a sack. The fumble was recovered by Kansas City, but it put the ball back at the Chiefs’ 39-yard line, with third-and-12 to face.
And then, Patrick Mahomes, who had played it safe through most of the game, turned the ball loose, attempting a downfield throw to receiver Tyreek Hill, and linebacker Fred Warner picked it off.
This was… not a good throw. Mahomes was trying to avoid pressure, and while he may have seen Warner, he certainly didn’t seem to properly estimate the risk.
Warner, who’s a massively underrated coverage linebacker, made my list of unheralded players who could make a massive difference in the Super Bowl. Referring to his interception of Aaron Rodgers in the NFL Championship game, in which he followed receiver Davante Adams all over the field on a quick screen, Warner made it sound like no big deal.
“They just threw a little bubble screen out into the flat, and I was in pursuit, and he happened to cut it back, and our defense does a great job of pursuing to the football.”
Richard Sherman, pressed to remember the play, was more enthusiastic.
“He’s confident! I mean, he was a DB before. That translates really well for him. He had never played Mike linebacker before he got to the NFL, but Saleh thought he was really smart and he could get it done, and he was right. Everything he thought about Fred has come to fruition. He’s really smart, he gets the defense lined up, he recognizes formations and routes. He’s really cool in his diagnosis, and he can run.”
Indeed. The interception not only stopped the Chiefs in their tracks, but it also gave the 49ers the opportunity to put more points on the scoreboard. This they did, with a one-yard touchdown run by Raheem Mostert at the end of a six-play, 55-yard drive. That put the 49ers up, 20-10.
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