The Kansas City Chiefs fought back superbly and overcame a 10-point deficit to become the first back to back Super Bowl Champion in the last two decades. They beat San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to win their third Super Bowl in the last five years.
In Sunday night’s mega-duel at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, San Francisco 49ers were the slight favorites and were twice on the brink of victory. A last-minute field goal by the chiefs kicker Harrison Butker equalized the score 19-19 before sending the game into overtime.
In the epic overtime, Jake Moody put ahead the 49ers 22-19 by scoring a 27-yard field goal. But Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes drove the Chiefs down the field, and with just 13 seconds left in overtime, his one-yard touchdown pass to receiver Mecole Hardman made the defending champion Kansas City three-times Super Bowl winner in the last five years. It goes without saying that this epic victory has established the Kansas City Chief as the first NFL dynasty since the New England Patriots.
At the time of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy with his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, 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.”
The Chiefs arrived four of the last five Super Bowls and became the first team to win back-to-back titles like the Patriots did in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Mahomes, at just 28, became the 6th quarterback in NFL history to win three or more Super Bowls while Andy Reid has become the fifth coach to win three or more titles.
This is the only second time in the history of the NFL that a Super Bowl game has been decided in overtime. The first one took place in 2017 when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots fought back from 28-3 down to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28.
The Chiefs started the Super Bowl game on Sunday night 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 Mahome. He said after the game was over, “Just know that the Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs”.
Super Bowl LVIII served as a rematch of Super Bowl LIV IN 2020, when the Chefs and Mahome defeated the Niners 31-20 to help Kansas City to win its first Super Bowl in a half-century. Chef head coach Andy Reid and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan both patrolled the sideline in that game too. After Sunday’s game, Andy Reid maintained a perfect 4-0 record against Shanahan.
“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 made the first strike in the game, taking a 3-0 lead early in the second quarter on a 55-yard field goal from kicker Jake Moody. He set up a brief record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. Within five minutes in the second quarter, their quarterback Brock Purdy pitched the ball back to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Jennings then threw it across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who sprinted 21-yards before extending the lead 10-0.
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 on behalf of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who defeated the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs were finally able to score before half-time with a Harrison Butker 28-yard field goal.
McCaffrey got confused with 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 knocked the ball out, and the Niners were saved.
In the middle of the third quarter, Butker broke Moody’s record, hitting his own 57-yard field goal to reduce the Niners lead to 10-6.
With less than three minutes left in the third quarter, Niners’ returner Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled a punt, the Chiefs recovered. On the very next play, Mahomes connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 16-yard touchdown pass and the Chiefs took a 13-10 lead.
The Niners replied early in the fourth, when Purdy connected 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 equalized the score at 16.
However, Moody rectified his earlier miss, nailing a 53-yard field goal with under two minutes to play before putting the Niners ahead 19-16.
But Mahomes’ pass to Travis Kelce in the end zone fell incomplete, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Butker with three seconds left to send the game to overtime.