In a back-and-forth affair, the Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champion in two decades as they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
The Chiefs entered the Super Bowl as underdogs to the Niners, just as they were to the Baltimore Ravens in the conference title game, and the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. But Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as he has so many times before, drove the Chiefs down the field, and with 13 seconds left in overtime, connected with receiver Mecole Hardman on a one-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs their third Super Bowl in the past five seasons, establishing Kansas City as a football dynasty.
As he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy with his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, looking on, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said “the goal’s always been to get three. But we couldn’t get here without getting the two. And having the target on our back all year.”
This marked only the second ever Super Bowl to go to overtime, with the last being Super Bowl LI in 2017, when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots came back from 28-3 down to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
The Chiefs entered the Super Bowl as underdogs to the Niners, just as they were to the Baltimore Ravens in the conference title game, and the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round — something which was not lost on Mahomes. “Just know that the Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs,” Mahomes said.
Super Bowl LVIII served as a rematch of Super Bowl LIV in 2020, when the Chiefs and Mahomes felled the Niners 31-20 to bring Kansas City its first Super Bowl in a half-century. The two head coaches who patrolled the sidelines four years ago were again at the helm Sunday. In winning, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid maintained his perfect 4-0 record against Niners coach Kyle Shanahan. The Chiefs also extended the 49ers Super Bowl drought to 30 years. “The guys were great, defense played out of their mind,” Reid said. “And then the ‘O’ just kept persevering, and pushing and pushing.”
The Niners struck first in the game, taking a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 55-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody, setting what was briefly the record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. They increased their lead to 10-0 thanks to a double-pass trick play With under five minutes to play in the second quarter.
Niners quarterback Brock Purdy pitched the ball back to wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who then threw it across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who sprinted 21-yards for the score. Jennings became the first wide receiver to throw a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl since Antwaan Randle El did it in Super Bowl XL in 2006 for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs finally got on the board thanks to a 28-yard Harrison Butker field goal before halftime. Turnovers were the story of the game, with both sides making backbreaking mistakes. The running backs struggling to hold onto the football. McCaffrey fumbled on the game’s opening drive. Then, with the Chiefs still without points and set up with a promising first-and-goal from the Niners nine-yard line early in the second quarter, running back Isaiah Pacheco also had the ball knocked out, and the Niners recovered.
The Niners defense repeatedly confounded Mahomes. He came out after halftime and immediately threw an interception to rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown, marking Mahomes’ first pick in his last 218 postseason pass attempts, and ending the third-longest such streak in NFL history. Midway through the third quarter, Butker broke Moody’s record, hitting his own 57-yard field goal to cut the Niners lead to 10-6.
With under three minutes to go in the third quarter, Niners’ returner Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled a punt, the Chiefs recovered, and on the very next play, Mahomes connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 16-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead. The Niners answered early in the fourth, with Purdy connecting with Jennings on a six-yard touchdown. But Moody missed the extra point, leaving the Niners with a slim 16-13 lead. Butker’s 24-yard field goal with under six minutes to go tied the score at 16.
