The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs met again, 4 years after their meeting at Super Bowl 54, a game in which the Chiefs won 31-20. The 49ers were the one seed in the NFC at 12-5, led by their star studded offense and spectacular defense, especially linebacker Fred Warner and lineman Nick Bosa and Chase Young. The Chiefs, coming in as the defending Super Bowl Champions, entered the playoffs as the three seed in the AFC at 11-6 and were seen as underdogs all season.
Ever since their week one loss to the Detroit Lions, the team that the 49ers beat in the NFC championship game to clinch their way into the Super Bowl, the Chiefs had been deemed as underdogs and had problems from the Detroit game carry over into other games that year as well. The Chiefs took care of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game,with the Ravens having NFL MVP Lamar Jackson on their team. Because of the Chiefs deferring the opening possession to the 49ers, San Francisco took control to start the game. Running back Christian Mcaffrey seemed to be getting going almost immediately, something that was seen as a key to victory for the 49ers. Mcaffrey, Offensive Player of the Year, was the most important player on the field for the 49ers.
However, a Mcaffrey fumble at the Chiefs 27 yard line forced Kansas City to get the ball in what turned out to be a big moment in the game. However, the Chiefs immediately punted the ball back to the 49ers after failing to get a first down and extend the drive. This was the tail of the first quarter as the score was 0-0 after the first quarter, which was surprising considering the skilled offenses of both teams.
The 49ers got the scoring started in the second quarter with a 55 yard field goal by Jake Moody. This was at the time the longest made field goal in Super Bowl history. However, the Chiefs responded with a first down, in which they had a fumble by their wide receiver Rashee Rice but was luckily recovered by the Chiefs. The Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes then tested the subpar 49ers secondary by airing out a 52 yard completion to receiver Mecole Hardman Jr for the biggest play of the game to bring them inside the ten to the nine yard line. With the Chiefs threatening, running back Isiah Pacheco then fumbled at the 9 yard line that was then recovered by the 49ers at the eight yard line. The 49ers get the Chiefs back and cancel out the fumble from earlier with a big play of their own.
After two more punts, the 49ers capitalized late in the second quarter with a trick play. The 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy flipped it to wide receiver Jauan Jennings who then threw it across the field to Christian Mcaffrey who broke free for a 25 yard touchdown reception to make it 10-0 in favor of San Francisco. However, in both of the Chiefs Super Bowl victories prior to this game, they had been losing by ten at some point in the game.
The Chiefs were losing to the 49ers 20-10 after three quarters in Super Bowl 54, and were losing against the Eagles 24-14 at halftime in last year’s Super Bowl. The Chiefs then rode down the field at the end of the half and capitalized on a 28 yard field goal by Harrison Butker with 20 seconds to go in the first half. This was the final score of the first half, with the 49ers leading 10-3 at intermission.
The action continued in the third quarter with the Chiefs receiving the ball to begin the second half. After another fumble by the Chiefs that they recovered, later in the drive, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception to 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown at the 44 yard line. Another great opportunity for the 49ers only to go to waste with another punt. Later in the third, a combination of Mahomes and Pacheco, and superstar tight end Travis Kelce finally getting involved, the Chiefs scored the longest field goal in Super Bowl history with a 57 yard field goal by Harrison Butker. This surpassed Jake Moody’s 55 yard field goal made in the second quarter to make this the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. With the score being 10-6, the Chiefs were punting back to the 49ers with just under three minutes to go in the third. However, with the ball going off of a foot of a 49ers return man, the returner, Darell Luter Jr., muffed the catch. The ball was scattered around and recovered by the Chiefs at the 16 yard line by cornerback Jaylen Watson.
Following the fumble, the Chiefs on one play took the lead for the first time. It was a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling to make it 13-10 Chiefs. The 4th quarter began with the 49ers driving down the field due to the yards they gained to end the third. With 11 minutes to go, Brock Purdy threw a touchdown pass to Jauan Jennings for a ten yard touchdown. Jennings now had a passing and receiving touchdown, becoming the second player to do so, the first being former Eagles backup quarterback Nick Foles when they beat the Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl 52. The 49ers regained the lead 16-13. However, the Chiefs tied it up on the following drive due to a 22 yard chip shot field goal by Harrison Butker to tie the game at 16. With under four minutes to go, the 49ers regained the lead with a 53 yard field goal by Jake Moody to give them a 19-16 lead. After the two minute warning, the 49ers kicked the ball back to the Chiefs needing to stop them one more time to seal the victory. However, Patrick Mahomes had something to say about that. The Chiefs ran the clock down to three seconds and kicked a 29 yard field goal to send Super Bowl 58 into overtime.
Super Bowl 51 went into overtime after the New England Patriots were losing 28-3 in the third quarter and forced overtime and won 34-28 over the Atlanta Falcons in one of the more memorable Super Bowls of all time. With Super Bowl 58 going into overtime, it joins Super Bowl 51 as the two Super Bowls ever that have gone into overtime. However, they had new rules. Instead of requiring the first team to score a touchdown wins, which would happen often, or teams could have kicked a field goal and stopped the other team from scoring to win.
Although they kept the rule that a team could have kicked a field goal and stopped the other team from scoring to win, both teams had a possession, regardless if there was a touchdown by one team on the first drive or not. If both teams scored a touchdown or both scored a field goal, they would continue on. However, if one team was stopped and the other scored, the game would be over. Lastly, if the receiving team kicked a field goal and the other team scored a touchdown, the team that scored the touchdown would be declared the winner. According to NFL Overtime Rules, Play will continue regardless of how many overtime periods are needed for a winner to be determined.
Overtime began and the 49ers received the ball to start the overtime period. In a time consuming drive that took more than half of the 15 remaining minutes off the clock, the 49ers settled for a 27 yard field goal. The Chiefs received the ball with seven minutes and 22 seconds left with a chance to become back to back Super Bowl champions. They just needed to get in the endzone one more time. The Chiefs had a fourth and one with six minutes left.
That one measly yard was a must gain for the Chiefs. If they fell short of the first down, the 49ers would be Super Bowl Champions. However, Patrick Mahomes came through yet again with a eight yard scramble to extend the drive in the biggest play of the season. On a crucial third and six later, Mahomes again connected with Rashee Rice for a first down, then scrambled for another first down later in the drive, and then later connected with Travis Kelce who really made his mark on the game in the second half. With 3 seconds left, Mahomes connected with Mecole Hardman for a touchdown to seal the Super Bowl victory for the Chiefs.
For the second consecutive year, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions. With the dropped passes, to the doubters, and the possibility of Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce, the Chiefs are at the top again and have solidified themselves as one of the greatest dynasties not just in NFL history, but perhaps in sports history. Patrick Mahomes has his third Super Bowl, and his third Super Bowl MVP, something that only the great Tom Brady, considered the greatest of all time by many, and former Niners quarterback Joe Montana. This solidified Mahomes as one of the greatest quarterbacks and football players of all time.
For the 49ers, this is another tough loss deep into the playoffs and their second defeat in five years to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs became the first team to repeat as champs since the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots led by Tom Brady, the only man to defeat Mahomes in the playoffs when he won his seventh and final ring when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 at Super Bowl 55 when the Chiefs failed to become back to back champions that year. The Chiefs are now back to back champs now and will look to become the only team to make it and to win three consecutive Super Bowls next season, something that would immortalize them forever, if they aren’t already, as one of if not the greatest team to ever play the game.
