Andy Reid Compares Patrick Mahomes to Larry Bird After Chiefs Win Super Bowl 54

Following the Kansas City Chiefs' come-from-behind 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid compared quarterback Patrick Mahomes to one of the all-time great athletes.

As part of his Football Morning in America column for Pro Football Talk, Peter King asked Reid if he had any doubts about Mahomes after his slow start at Hard Rock Stadium, but Reid said he had confidence his signal-caller would turn it around if he just kept throwing:

"I never think that. I always think with him, keep firing. I've seen this before. Right when you don't think he's gonna do something, he rips your heart out with great plays. You saw that with Larry Bird. Larry Bird might've gone cold for a little bit but he kept shooting. That's what you do with the great ones. This kid's young, but he's great. He's gonna do nothing but get better."

Bird averaged 24.3 points per game and won three championships during his career with the Boston Celtics. Mahomes won his first title Sunday, but at just 24 years of age, he could have many more in his future.

Mahomes finished with 286 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions to go along with 29 rushing yards and a score on the ground en route to being named Super Bowl MVP.

That result seemed unlikely for much of the contest. Mahomes was picked off on consecutive possessions in the third and fourth quarters, and the Chiefs trailed 20-10 until Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for a one-yard score with just 6:13 remaining in the game.

The Kansas City offense was humming from that point forward, and a 38-yard pass from Mahomes to wide receiver Sammy Watkins on the ensuing drive set the Chiefs up for the go-ahead score, which came with 2:44 left on a five-yard toss to running back Damien Williams.

"

THE @CHIEFS TAKE THE LEAD!

Back-to-back scores put Kansas City on top! #ChiefsKingdom

: #SBLIV on FOX
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app pic.twitter.com/fMDm3iaqAS

— NFL (@NFL) February 3, 2020"

After the Niners turned the ball over on downs on their next possession, the Chiefs officially put the game out of reach when Williams scored on a 38-yard run to make it 31-20.

The Chiefs offense looked lost for much of the night against a defense that ranked No. 2 in total yardage allowed and No. 1 against the pass during the regular season, but Reid believed in his young quarterback, and it resulted in Reid's first Super Bowl win as a head coach and the Chiefs' first title in 50 years.

Mahomes already has a championship and an NFL MVP award to his credit—and he is the youngest quarterback to be named Super Bowl MVP—but he has an opportunity to cement his legacy as an all-time great in the coming years.        

If he can win multiple titles and MVP awards like Bird or longtime New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, his status as a legendary player and Hall of Famer will be certain.