By MAKENNA WILLIAMS
Sports Editor
On Feb. 11, the Kansas City Chiefs squared off on the 50-yard line against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII. The Super Bowl took place in Las Vegas at the Allegiant Stadium. After 18 long weeks of football, the Chiefs went 11-6 in the regular season along with clinching the AFC West division. The 49ers clinched the NFC with a record of 12-5. Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs quarterback, and Travis Kelce, a starting tight end, have made an appearance in three of the last five Super Bowls, which makes the Chiefs officially a dynasty football team. The last time this happened, the New England Patriots and Tom Brady were dominating the football world. Not only have the Chiefs won the Super Bowl again, Patrick Mahomes has taken home his second straight MVP award. This year’s Super Bowl was a tight and nitty gritty game that was close until the very end, even going into overtime.
The game started off slow. The 49ers started with the ball on their 25-yard line. Running back Christian McCaffery had fumbled a two-yard carry to hand the Chiefs their first possession. It quickly became a kickers game, both teams shared turns on punting for the following two possessions. Chase Young recorded the first sack of the game by taking down Mahomes, completing San Francisco’s defensive stop.
Heading into the second quarter, the 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, who is only 26 years old, attempted to pass to wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie had broken up the play, forcing the rookie kicker Jake Moody to finesse a Super Bowl record of a 55-yard field goal, giving the 49ers a 3-0 lead . Mahomes retaliated by throwing a dime to perfectly place them in the 49ers red zone. Isiah Pacheco cut the Chiefs offensive drive short after fumbling the ball and turning over the play to the 49ers. With the turnover the Niners fought hard to make the most of the next few drives. Kansas City’s defense was not going to allow this, forcing another punt from Moody. With their next drive, San Francisco showed some creativity as they scored the game’s first touchdown, racing 67 yards into the end zone. The touchdown, which gave the 49ers a 10-0 lead, was McCaffrey’s doing. He took a ball from wide receiver Jauan Jennings and raced 21 yards for the score. Harrison Butker’s 28-yard field goal was enough to give the Chiefs their first points after the game lasted over 30 minutes. Heading into Usher’s halftime performance the 49ers led 10-0.
After halftime, the Chiefs struggled on offense, with all thanks to miscommunication between Mahomes and Pacheco, which almost led to yet another fumble. Two plays later, the now two-time MVP made a costly mistake, throwing a long ball that 49ers rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown intercepted. After this huge play, San Fran was not able to move the ball efficiently enough to add points to the board. After a rough start for KC, Mahomes’s ground attacks on San Francisco’s defense allowed the Chiefs to take the lead early in the second half. A 22-yard rush by the quarterback put Kansas City in 49ers territory. As previously recorded not even an hour earlier by Moody, Harrison Butker made a new Super Bowl record for field goals with a flawless 57-yard kick to push the score to a 4 point difference. Purdy led San Francisco down to Kansas City’s 42-yard line at the conclusion of the third quarter, but the squad was unable to score. Fifteen minutes remained, and the Chiefs were ahead 13–10.
As the fourth quarter rolled around, the 49ers came out strong with a solid drive to the Chiefs 25 yard line, yet defensive lineman Mike Pennel’s tackle for loss brought up a fourth down with three yards to gain. George Kittle almost made it by outstretching the ball over the goal posts, but 49ers head coach Shanahan decided to go for it rather than go for a game-tying field goal. San Francisco was able to answer with a touchdown of their own, proving that their decision was worthwhile. Purdy connected with Jennings for a 10-yard touchdown to restore the 49ers’ lead. But the extra point attempt was blocked, giving Shanahan’s squad a 16–13 lead. No one else other than Kelce and Mahomes fired back as the two worked together for a 16 and 13 yard gain. With fewer than six minutes remaining, Butker made his third field goal of the day to tie the score at sixteen each. Though it wasn’t easy, San Francisco was able to follow up with a scoring drive of their own. A blitz forced Purdy to get rid of the ball early on third down at Kansas City’s 35-yard line, and his pass was incomplete. Moody’s attempt to score an extra point was blocked, but he didn’t let it stop him from scoring a 53-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 19-16 lead. After a 22-yard reception by Kelce with 10 seconds remaining, the Chiefs moved down to San Francisco’s 11-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in regulation and two timeouts remaining. For the first time since 2017, the game went into overtime after Butker’s fourth field goal of the match.
The first overtime in Super Bowl history since 2017 and this being the first overtime after the new regulations with Super Bowl rules, and the 49ers decided to receive the ball. San Francisco was able to get back into field goal range as a result of receptions by Brandon Aiyuk and McCaffrey. Purdy also made several nice passes under pressure. Purdy swiftly got rid of the ball and, under attack from star defensive end Chris Jones, his pass went short on third down and four yards to gain at the Chiefs’ nine-yard line. With just over seven minutes remaining in overtime, Moody made a 27-yard field goal to put the 49ers ahead 22-19 and give Mahomes the ball back. At first, Pacheco’s rush attempt was crushed for no gain, and the Chiefs stopped at their own 34-yard line. To save Kansas City’s season, Mahomes raced for nine yards on a fourth down with one yard remaining. Mahomes avoided multiple pass-rushers as he proceeded to create plays both in the air and on the ground. In order to put the Chiefs at San Francisco’s 13-yard line, Mahomes ran for 19 more yards. To close off the game, he connected with Hardman for his second and final touchdown throw of the day three plays later. winning his third MVP award in the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl ended in overtime with the Chiefs winning 25-22. The former No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 draft has already established himself as one of the all-time best quarterbacks in NFL history at the age of 28. The Chiefs are now the eighth team in history to win four or more Super Bowls.
Millions of football fans from all over the world come together to celebrate football, rivalry, and friendship at the Super Bowl, which represents the pinnacle of athletic brilliance, and cultural importance. As we ponder yet another exciting chapter in Super Bowl history, let’s cherish the times, memories, and common experiences that bind us together—both on and off the field.
