The Kansas City Chiefs stunned Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy, and the San Francisco 49ers with a stunning 25-22 victory at Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday in Las Vegas. Patrick Mahomes threw a walk-off touchdown to Mecole Hardman in overtime.
Mahomes managed it while Taylor Swift was in the stands cheering him on. The Chiefs managed it. Andy Reid’s team would win the NFL’s first back-to-back champions since 2003/2004, solidifying the league’s newest dynasty. Fortune favoured the champions, and menacing inevitability prevailed once more.
The winning drive was every bit the most recent example of a quarterback on his way to become one of the NFL’s signal-callers’ “Mount Rushmore” of brilliance. In overtime, Mahomes raced to score on a fourth-and-one, hit Rashee Rice with a strike to score on third-and-six, then daringly passed to Travis Kelce underneath to score on second-and-seven. Finally, Hardman’s three-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory put San Francisco out of the game.
Kansas City was stumbling along. The 49ers appeared to be in control of the game in the first half, but Mahomes and his offence had been faltering, and Kelce had been enraged with his head coach. However, the scoreboard never truly reflected this. That ought to have served as a red flag for the Chiefs, a team that had successfully navigated through errors and uncertainty throughout the season to secure a Super Bowl rematch.
With three seconds remaining in the game, Harrison Butker converted four field goals, including a 29-yarder that forced OT, while Mahomes finished the contest 34 of 46 for 333 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
As the final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy completed 23 of 38 throws for 255 yards and a score, but he was robbed of the chance to cap off one of football’s greatest underdog stories.
With the Chiefs behind 10-3 at the half, Mahomes was locked out of the end zone and attempted an interception on the first drive of the second half. Just one hour after San Francisco’s Jake Moody had broken the previous mark with a 55-yard field goal, Butker subsequently brought the defending champs within four points with a new Super Bowl record of his own.
Then came the mishap; a punt by Kansas City bounced off Darrell Luter’s ankle, giving Jaylen Watson of the Chiefs the opportunity to recover at the 49ers’ 16-yard line. With a wide-open Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown, Mahomes punished right away, giving Kansas City their first lead of the game at 13–10.
On the following drive, Purdy misfired on a pass to an open Deebo Samuel in the end zone. However, Purdy eventually completed a 12-play, 75-yard answer, culminating in a 10-yard scoring pass to Jauan Jennings through multiple tackle breaks from his excellent wide receiver. Leo Chenal swatted down Moody’s extra point to maintain the score at three points, setting up further drama.
With Javon Hargrave having sack Mahomes on third-and-goal, the 49ers were able to hold the Chiefs to a 24-yard Butker field goal in response, and they looked to capitalise.
With 1.53 remaining, rookie kicker Moody calmly converted a 53-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 19-16 lead. Mahomes then led the Chiefs downfield to set up Butker’s game-tying 29-yarder, which sent the game into OT.
Once there, Steve Spagnuolo took a risk by applying pressure to Purdy, and it paid off when Chris Jones forced an incomplete on third-and-four, limiting San Francisco to a field goal from Moody that was 27 yards out.
Next, it was Mahomes’ turn. He accepted the pressure and used it to his advantage to lead the Chiefs to a historic Super Bowl victory with a 13-play drive that included a successful second-and-13 conversion.
Stats leaders:
San Francisco 49ers
- Passing: Brock Purdy, 23/38, 255 yards, 1 TD
- Rushing: Christian McCaffrey, 22 carries, 80 yards
- Receiving: Christian McCaffrey, 8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD
Kansas City Chiefs
- Passing: Patrick Mahomes, 34/46, 333 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- Rushing: Patrick Mahomes, 9 carries, 66 yards
- Receiving: Travis Kelce, 9 catches, 93 yards
A disjointed, erroneous, penalty-heavy, defensively-focused first half that gave the 49ers an advantage even though the scoreboard may not have indicated it was cagey.
Four minutes remained in the half, and the game-winning moment came when wide receiver Jennings took a lateral from Purdy and threw it back across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who easily scored an eight-play drive for a 21-yard touchdown, giving the team a 10-0 lead.
With a 55-yard field goal that temporarily held the record for the longest kick in Super Bowl history, Moody split the posts to start the scoring in between seven drives that resulted in either a punt or a fumble.
After a brilliant first drive that saw McCaffrey stumble under pressure from Mike Pennel and Leo Chenal, Greek defensive end George Karlaftis recovered to give San Francisco a chance.
After rolling left and hitting Hardman for a 53-yard pass to put the Chiefs up at the nine-yard line, Mahomes appeared to have ignited the offence, but on the next play, Isiah Pacheco fumbled.
With 20 seconds left in the half, Butker’s 28-yard field goal gave the Chiefs their first point after Arik Armstead’s sack of Mahomes on third-and-five had seemingly stopped the momentum.
Score summary
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes: “This game was a microcosm of our whole entire season. The defense kept us in there and the offense made plays when it counted. I’m proud of the guys, they kept believing. Just know that the Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid: “There was no doubting it. The guys were great. The defense played out of their mind, and the offense just kept persevering, pushing and pushing. It was beautiful.”
Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter on Brock Purdy and the 49ers: “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. They’re always on the verge, just missing that one piece. But they should be absolutely proud of what they did. Brock Purdy was in his first full year at the helm at QB. He did a phenomenal job tonight. The stage was really never too big for him. Yes, there were a couple of missed throws but he overcame that and took it overtime in his first ever Super Bowl appearance.”
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