That Super thingy, observationed

Here's to all of 'em, first of all. All of that great host in the great state of Kansas or Missouri or Belarus or wherever the hell Kansas City is.

(An entirely gratuitous shot at our Geographer in Chief, Donald J. Magellan Trump, who initially congratulated everyone in the great state of Kansas for the Kansas City Chiefs' epic comeback win in the Big Roman Numeral. A fifth-grader would have known K.C. is in Missouri, but then the G-in-C isn't up to fifth grade yet, developmentally. Next year when you're a fourth grader maybe, Donny!)

Where was I?

Oh, yeah. Here's to all of 'em.

Here's to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and Travis Kelce and maybe Curley Culp, too, for all I know. Here's to all those Chiefs who looked up with nine minutes to play, saw they were down 10 to the 49ers, and said "No problem."

Here's to 21 points in the last half of the last quarter, and to the only running back to rush for 100 yards Sunday (Damien Williams), and to Mahomes again for figuring out a way on a day when he wasn't sharp and missed receivers and threw two interceptions for the first time since, I don't know, maybe the '60s.

Here's to the Chiefs Kingdom, God love 'em, and to  the three Chiefs fans who took an out-of-town sportswriter to dinner with them epochs ago. God love them, too, wherever they are, and I hope they took today off. They deserve it, and probably need it.

And with that, a few observations on the day ...

* Anyone with a working knowledge of Super Bowl history knows it's defense that ultimately most leaves its imprint on these deals, either because it shuts down the opposition or utterly fails to. That was true in LIV, too.

For three quarters and a half, it was the 49ers defense that dictated terms, harrying Mahomes into uncharacteristic mistakes and nullifying the Chiefs' speed. Then it was the Chiefs' defense that took over; while Mahomes was leading the Chiefs to those 21 points in the last six minutes, the Chiefs' D shut out the 49ers in the fourth quarter and, when the Niners needed one score to put it away, forced a five-and-out, a three-and-out, a turnover on downs and an interception on San Francisco's last four possessions.

* Remember all that talk last week about Jimmy Garoppolo only throwing eight passes in the NFC title game, and if the Niners had to throw to win the game they might be in trouble?

Well ... the talk was kinda right, in the end.

Garoppolo's numbers Sunday: 20-of-31, 219 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. And a 40.6 QBR.

* Three observations about the entertainment portion of the evening:'

1. Demi Lovato stuck the anthem. But she still ain't Gaga.

2. The choreographers won halftime.

3. That Google ad, that Jason Momoa ad and Sam Elliott and his dancing 'stache won the Commercial Bowl. (Also, kudos to my friends Steve Penhollow and Jaclyn Garver, whose local car ad also aired during the game. The bright lights are callin', baby!)

And with that ... one final word on LIV from my Super Bowl decorations, Lil' Mahomes and Lil' Nick Bosa: