Patrick Mahomes made history on Sunday as the youngest NFL quarterback to win the Super Bowl MVP, and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Super Bowl 54 from Miami.

The 24-year-old Mahomes also took down the infamous "Madden Curse." The annual EA Sports NFL video game has occupied an integral place in the sport among fans since its first edition in 1988. However, previous cover athletes for the game have suffered unlucky fates in the seasons after they were placed on the cover.

The curse first came to life in 1998, when former 49ers running back Garrison Hearst broke his ankle after appearing on the cover of Madden NFL 99. "Of the 22 players who have been selected to grace the cover of Madden games through this season, 16 have had troubling or abruptly shortened seasons following their cover debut — including several who suffered season-ending injuries shortly after their game hit shelves," digitaltrends.com's Steven Petite and Rick Marshall wrote last October.

Some have had good seasons after being on the Madden cover, including Tom Brady (Madden NFL 2018) and Antonio Brown (Madden NFL 2019). Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski actually received a Super Bowl ring after he was on the cover of Madden 2017, but he did not play in the game due to injury.

That makes Mahomes the first Madden cover man to play in the Super Bowl and win it in the same season he graced the EA Sports cover. The Madden franchise acknowledged the curse in a tweet after the Chiefs won Super Bowl 54.

"What curse?" Madden wrote in a graphic that included a picture of Mahomes.

Mahomes was in danger of becoming the latest victim of the Madden Curse after he dislocated his knee in a game against the Denver Broncos on Oct. 17. However, the quarterback only missed two games. He returned to the field on Nov. 10, and then led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.

Kansas City became the first team to overcome double-digit deficits in three games during a single NFL postseason, including a 20-10 deficit to the 49ers with 8:53 left in the fourth quarter on Sunday. The Chiefs won their first championship since 1970.