The Kansas City Chiefs are NFL champions once again after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime during Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas on Sunday night.
Turnovers were the early storyline as both teams coughed up the ball. San Francisco took the game’s first possession deep into Kansas City territory but gave the ball to the Chiefs on a fumble.
After San Francisco’s Jake Moody broke a scoreless tie with a 55-yard field goal early in the second quarter, Kansas City got a 52-yard completion to wide receiver Mecole Hardman to set the offense up in the red zone. However, running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled on the next play, and San Francisco came up with the ball.
The 49ers got the game’s first touchdown on the ensuing drive, running a double pass that hung in the air for an eternity yet somehow found its way to running back Christian McCaffrey for a 21-yard score to give San Francisco a 10-0 lead.
San Francisco held Kansas City scoreless for the game’s first 29:40 and led 10-3 at the half.
Both offenses struggled to open the second half, as nearly half the third quarter passed before anyone was able to pick up a first down. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes briefly took over the game with his legs, running for back-to-back first downs to lead Kansas City to a 57-yard field goal to cut the deficit to four.
Later in the quarter, a muffed punt from San Francisco gave the Chiefs possession at the 16-yard line, and Mahomes found Marques Valdes-Scantling for a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead.
The 49ers responded with a touchdown to reclaim the lead as Purdy connected with Jauan Jennings. The teams traded field goals for the rest of regulation, and the game went to overtime.
Moody added another field goal to put the 49ers ahead to start overtime, but the Chiefs came up with the winning score as Mahomes found Hardman for a touchdown with three seconds left in overtime.
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WHAT TO KNOW
— The Kansas City Chiefs are the first team in 19 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls after a 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Chiefs have now won four Super Bowls, while the 49ers have five and remain one short of the NFL record.
— The game was the second-ever Super Bowl to go into overtime, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was on the sidelines for both. It was also the first postseason game to use the new overtime rules that were inspired by a Chiefs win against Buffalo, which allows both teams to possess the ball in overtime.
— Moody’s 55-yard field goal was a new Super Bowl record, but Kansas City’s Harrison Butker broke the record again in the third quarter.
— Patrick Mahomes threw the game-winning touchdown pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in overtime.
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BY THE NUMBERS
— There were three field goals made from over 50 yards on Sunday, while there have only been seven in the previous 57 Super Bowls.
— Kansas City got back in the game by outscoring San Francisco 10-0 in the third quarter, holding the 49ers to just two first downs in the same span.
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NEXT UP
— The NFL season is over.
