Chiefs Beat 49ers In OT, Win Third Super Bowl In Five Years

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime of Super Bowl LVIII. With the game in the extra period and the KC down three, Patrick Mahomes drove the team 75 yards for a championship-winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman.

With the win, Mahomes wins his third Super Bowl MVP, only the third player in history to do so. The win for the Chiefs also marks the first back-to-back championships since 2003/04, with Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

“I love these guys right here. Family forever, baby. I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” tight end Travis Kelce said after the game. “And how about it? We get a chance to do it three times in a row.”

The game started slow with neither team able to score in the first quarter. The 49ers were able to take a 10-0 lead after a 21-yard touchdown pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to running back Christian McCaffrey. Kansas City was able to kick a field goal to only be down seven going into halftime. In the third quarter, the Chiefs defense dominated the Niners to force three straight punts and a recovered fumble, while the offense was able to score a Super Bowl-record long field goal and a Mahomes to Marquez Valdez-Scantling touchdown to take the lead 13-10.

San Fransisco quickly scored in the fourth quarter but missed the extra point to go up by only three. The Chiefs were able to quickly respond with another field goal of their own to retie the game. With five minutes left, the 49ers were able to march down the field one last time in regulation to kick a field goal with two minutes remaining. Down three, Mahomes did what he does best and took his team down the field to set up another Harrison Butker kick to retie the game for a second time and send it into overtime.

The 49ers won the coin toss in the extra period, the first playoff game with new overtime rules allowing both teams to be guaranteed a possession. They were able to use half of the clock to set up their final score of the game, which came in the form of a 27-yard Jake Moody field goal. With seven minutes left and down three, Mahomes once again did what he’s known for and led a comeback for the ages. Without a key run from Mahomes and a crucial pass to Kelce, the Chiefs were, at multiple times, only a play away from losing the game. However, with the clock at only a few seconds left and the Chiefs lined up at the three-yard line, Mahomes found Hardman for the championship-sealing score.

Mahomes finished the game 34/46 with 333 passing yards and 66 rushing yards for two touchdowns and an interception to win the game MVP, his third total and second straight. Kelce ended with nine catches for 93 yards, and both Valdez-Scantling and Hardman had three catches, each scoring a touchdown for KC.

For the 49ers, quarterback Brock Purdy finished 23/38 for 255 yards and a touchdown. McCaffrey had a touchdown and a fumble while leading San Fransisco in both rushing and receiving yards with 80 each and Jennings became the second player in history to throw and catch a touchdown in the Super Bowl. Receiver Deebo Samuel tried to play through an injury on Sunday night, but could only manage to gain 41 total yards.

Mahomes now has 15 playoff wins and is only behind Brady and Joe Montana on the all-time list while Kelce became the third player to lead his team in receiving in three different Super Bowl games.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is also now tied for the third-most Super Bowl wins by an NFL coach, and the team’s three championships in five years have all come after trailing by at least ten points. Just like the Patriots did with Brady and Bill Belichick, the Chiefs with Mahomes, Kelce and Reid are building a new dynasty right in front of us.

“It’s the start of [a dynasty], we’re not done. I know we’re going to celebrate tonight but we got a young team, we going to keep this thing going,” Mahomes said.