Caption: Jake Moody and Harrison Butker traded historic field goals throughout regulation, but Mahomes led Kansas City to victory in overtime
Superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs took down the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to bring the Lombardi Trophy to Kansas City for the third time in five years.
This Super Bowl win for the Chiefs officially cements them as a dynasty and a team that NFL fans will reminisce about for years.
The catalysts of the Chiefs’ win? As always, Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and head coach Andy Reid led the team to victory. Mahomes threw for 333 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, a performance that earned him Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes connected with Kelce nine times for a team-high 93 yards.
The Chiefs defense was also integral to the win, holding the high-octane 49ers offense to 19 points in regulation. Linebacker Nick Bolton led the way for Kansas City with 13 total tackles, one tackle for loss, and two quarterback hits. The Chiefs defense was also successful in limiting the 49ers running attack. San Francisco’s All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey ran for just 3.6 yards per carry.
The game began slowly, with both offenses lacking rhythm. The first quarter concluded with zero points for either team.
The 49ers scored the first points of the game in the opening of the second quarter. San Francisco’s rookie kicker Jake Moody drilled a 55-yard field goal to give the 49ers an early advantage. Moody’s field goal broke the record for the longest field goal in Super Bowl history — a record that wouldn’t survive the remainder of the game.
After offensive hibernation for 10 minutes, the 49ers found points again. When nothing was working, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan resorted to trickery.
With 4:23 left in the first half, wide receiver Jauan Jennings received a lateral pass from quarterback Brock Purdy. Jennings chucked the ball across the field and found McCaffrey, who was still behind the line of scrimmage. McCaffrey had four blockers in front of him, which was all he needed to explode. McCaffrey took the pass 21 yards to tally the game’s first touchdown and extend the 49ers lead to 10.
The Chiefs offense found a heartbeat right before halftime. Mahomes drove down the field and set up his kicker, Harrison Butker, for a 28-yard field goal attempt. Butker nailed the kick and sent the Chiefs into Usher’s halftime performance with a 10-3 deficit.
After a long halftime, both teams’ defenses came out more prepared than their offenses. It took nearly 10 minutes for a second-half score to occur.
The Chiefs desperately turned to Butker with 5:01 left in the third quarter. Butker faced down a 57-yard field goal attempt, and he kicked a low, line-drive laser that cleared the uprights. Butker’s field goal is now the longest in Super Bowl history, and it narrowed the gap to a 10-6 49ers advantage.
After two possessions of offensive lulls, Kansas City was forced to punt. Miscommunication and frenetic play caused the 49ers to muff the punt, and the Chiefs recovered the football on San Francisco’s 16-yard line.
On the first play of the new drive, Mahomes rifled a 16-yard touchdown to Marquez Valdes-Scantling to give Kansas City a 13-10 lead.
The 49ers immediately retaliated with a touchdown. Purdy led his team on a methodical 12-play, 75-yard drive. On Kansas City’s 10 yard-line, the Chiefs blitzed Purdy, but he delivered a strike to Jennings across the middle of the field, who broke a tackle and marched into the end zone for six. The extra point was blocked, so the 49ers’ lead was only 16-13.
The Chiefs tied up the game on the next possession with a field goal, leaving 5:46 left in regulation.
With both offenses finding a rhythm, the 49ers drove and Moody drilled a 53-yard field goal to go ahead 19-16, but San Francisco left Kansas City with 1:53 on the clock, which wasn’t enough to stop Mahomes.
Mahomes orchestrated a masterful drive down the field that ended in Butker’s fourth field goal. The battle of the kickers netted NFL fans with an overtime finish in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers received the ball to begin the half, driving to Kansas City’s nine-yard line but failing to score six. Once again, the 49ers settled for a field goal and allowed Mahomes a chance to win.
Mahomes pieced together a legacy drive to win the Chiefs the Super Bowl. It took Mahomes 13 plays and 75 yards, but he capped off his third Super Bowl victory with a walk-off touchdown. On the San Francisco three-yard line, Mahomes shifted right and found receiver Mecole Hardman for a touchdown.
Mahomes, Kelce, and Reid are all NFL legends, as they’ve been stalwarts on three Kansas City Super Bowl-winning teams. Mahomes, at just 28 years old, has plenty of prime years left to thrive and challenge Tom Brady’s seven championships.
