The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in Super Bowl LVIII. It was without a doubt one of the most thrilling and memorable Super Bowls in recent memory with exciting plays from both teams, Patrick Mahomes making extraordinary plays, and the game even going to overtime.
The game started with the first play from scrimmage a first-down reception from 49ers fullback Kyle Jusczyk. After driving down the field, the 49ers’ first possession ended with a fumble from running back Christian McCaffrey. The Chiefs then got the ball and their drive ended up stalling out, and after some more back and forth, the first quarter ultimately ended up with a score of 0-0. It seemed as if the game would end up being a defensive battle, however, that ended up not being the case.
Jake Moody opened up the scoring in the 2nd quarter with a 55-yard field goal to put the 49ers up 3-0. The Chiefs then got the ball and it seemed as if they were having an extremely promising drive after Mahomes connected to Mecole Hardman for a 52-yard bomb to get the Chiefs into the red zone. However, all good things must come to an end, and on the next play Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball and the Chiefs electric drive came to an end. After some more time went by, the 49ers were back to driving the ball downfield. Brock Purdy was lined up under center at the Chiefs 21-yard line, caught the snap, and instantly threw the ball left to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Jennings then instantly threw the ball back across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who, in a stunning effort, was able to run the ball into the endzone and put the 49ers up 10-0 with a Moody extra point with 4:23 left in the first half. The Chiefs were then finally able to put some points up on the board and made the score 10-3 heading into halftime.
The 3rd quarter initially seemed to be another defensively-minded quarter, with neither team scoring until 5 minutes left in the quarter via a Harrison Butker field goal to get the Chiefs within grasp of the lead, only being down by 4. Not soon after, the Chiefs were able to add even more points to the scoring column from a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, setting the score at 13-10.
Heading into the 4th quarter, both defenses were gassed, and the Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy-led offenses were prepared to lead their teams to victory. Jauan Jennings opened up the scoring in the 4th quarter with a 10-yard reception touchdown from Brock Purdy to put the 49ers ahead 16-13. While the momentum seemed to be shifted toward the 49ers, the Chiefs’ special teams ended up blocking the extra point making the game able to be tied with only a field goal, which is exactly what happened when Harrison Butker tied the game at 16-16 with just under 6 minutes left. Later in the game, the kickers traded field goals and the game ended up being tied 19-19 heading into overtime.
With the new overtime rules in place stating both teams would get a chance to possess the ball no matter what, each team had to strategize what they would do if they won the coin toss. The 49ers ended up victorious with the flip and chose to receive the ball. They were able to move the ball down the field, but the Chiefs’ defense held strong which resulted in a 27-yd field goal with 7:22 left. All the Chiefs had to do now was score a touchdown and they would become repeat champions and cement themselves as a dynasty, which is exactly what they did. Patrick Mahomes led his team downfield, converted some necessary 4th downs, and ended the game with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman.
Mahomes ended up winning his 3rd Super Bowl MVP, and Travis Kelce showed his playoff dominance with nine receptions for 93 yards. Ultimately, Patrick Mahomes added to his already deep legacy and showed that the Chiefs can never be counted out with him at the helm.
