On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime by a score of 25-22 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl. The Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back in 19 years since the New England Patriots in 2004, led by legendary quarterback Tom Brady. Brady, often referred to as the GOAT—the greatest of all time—had a phenomenal career, holding the NFL record for wins and Super Bowl MVPs, complemented by his seven total Lombardi trophies. With the chance to win three championships in a row, Patrick Mahomes, in only his 7th NFL season, has set himself up to solidify his contention in the GOAT conversation. But before looking toward next season, we’ll rewind to Sunday night’s matchup.
Kansas City and San Francisco squared off in a rematch of their 2020 Super Bowl matchup. Both teams looked noticeably different. San Francisco added all-pro running back Christian McCaffery and Kansas City lost all-pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Most notably, the 49ers were led by quarterback Brock Purdy—the very last selection in the 2022 NFL draft. Coined as “Mr. Irrelevant,” Purdy first entered the scene in Week Eight against the Miami Dolphins as starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo left the game with an injury. With the opportunity to win a national championship, all eyes were on Purdy. Kansas City kicked the ball off to the 49ers to start the game, deciding to put the pressure on the young quarterback. But Purdy looked comfortable. He made routine throws and managed the San Francisco offense well. Despite not scoring in the first quarter, the 49ers looked solid.
On the other hand, the Chiefs looked utterly uncomfortable during the first half. Tight end Travis Kelce caught one pass for one yard and Kansas City failed to post even one touchdown. The entire first half of the game was fairly lackadaisical, dominated by defensive prowess. The 49ers came out firing, but were stifled by an array of sloppy mistakes and poorly timed penalties. Eventually, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan opened up the playbook, scoring the game’s first touchdown on a trick play that featured two passes behind the line of scrimmage to give San Fransisco a 10-0 lead. Kansas City knocked in a field goal to cut the lead to a one-score just a couple drives later.
Going into the second half, the game felt a bit sluggish. Scoring was infrequent and dominated by unexciting field goals. After five minutes or so of commercials, Usher took the stage for the Apple Music Super Bowl halftime show. Usher’s flashy performance included the eight-time Grammy winner stripping his shirt off on national television then roller skating on stage, and featured Alicia Keys and Lil Jon (among others). While viewers reconciled the performance, the Chiefs had some of their own reflection to do. The Chiefs were down a touchdown as the third quarter began, and with the pressure on, Kansas City answered. When trailing by one-score or more after the first half throughout his career, Mahomes’ record was 8-2. Now, he is 9-2.
The change in energy was due to two main factors: Mahomes locked in, and the 49ers faded. Specifically, Kansas City’s offense found a rhythm and opened up their playbook. On the other hand, the 49ers dealt with injuries all game. 49ers star linebacker Drake Greenlaw tore his Achilles tendon while running onto the field early in the game. Nevertheless, San Francisco’s defense absolutely suffocated Mahomes and Kelce at the onset of the match.The Niners’ defense displayed utter physicality and poise, forcing a turnover to start each half with a forced fumble in the first quarter and an interception in the third. However, this focus was interrupted when Mahomes found his composure. Despite being pressured on 22 of his 55 dropbacks, the Kansas City quarterback still averaged 7.2 yards per pass attempt, recording just one turnover-worthy play.
As the second half got underway, there was an almost instant shift in the tide. San Francisco quarterback Purdy’s angst got to him as San Francisco saw three consecutive three-and-outs to start the second half for the 49ers. While Kansas City’s defense dialed in to start the latter half of the game, things started to get messy for Purdy and the Niners.
When San Francisco punt returner Ray-Ray McCloud III failed to recover a punt that hit another 49er on their foot and gave Patrick Mahomes the ball in the red zone, even I could feel San Francisco’s nerves from 2,500 miles away. One play later, Kansas City cashed in on the mistake with a touchdown to take the lead. At that moment, all the momentum was behind the Kansas City Chiefs. Heading into the fourth quarter, Kansas City led by just three points—one single field goal. A back-and-forth final quarter was underscored by a missed extra point from 49ers rookie kicker Jake Moody. After a clutch touchdown pass which put the Niners back up by three points, the Kansas City Chiefs tipped Moody’s extra point kick to limit San Francisco’s lead to three. Before this attempt, Moody was 68 for 68 on extra points on the year. Two field goals from each squad later, the Niners held onto their three-point lead as they punted the ball to Kansas City. With under two minutes left, in the biggest game of the year, the 49ers made a critical mistake. At that moment the Chiefs’ win felt inevitable. Of the billions of humans on planet Earth, two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and now three-time champion quarterback Mahomes was the last person the Niners wanted to shepherd his team 75 yards down the field. Kansas City’s iconic quarterback-tight end duo of Mahomes and Kelce clickedcliqued when most critical. Kelce caught a 22-yard reception to set up the Chiefs within the 25-yard line. Nevertheless, Taylor Swift would have to wait to descend onto the field to celebrate with her boyfriend Travis Kelce—San Francisco stopped the Chiefs when they seemed most unstoppable. The Chiefs were forced to kick a 26-yard field goal with three seconds left in regulation. For just the second time in Super Bowl history, we were going to get to see an overtime period.
Purdy found a way to lock back in. After an uninspiring first few plays, San Francisco nearly turned the ball over in their own defensive quarter of the field. A sloppy penalty resuscitated San Francisco. The squad marched down the field, finding themselves on Kansas City’s own nine-yard line. With the opportunity to score a touchdown, which would have forced KC to do the same or lose the game, the Niners failed to execute, opting to kick a field goal. With the new overtime rules in place, allowing both teams an opportunity to score, the Chiefs now had the chance to kick another field goal to keep the game going, or score a touchdown to win the National Championship. Mahomes was done waiting. He locked in when it mattered most and charged down the field, even scrambling on a fourth down to keep Kansas City alive. Mahomes passed the ball to wide-open receiver Mecole Hardman on a touchdown pass that crowned the Chiefs champions, for the third time in five years. Confetti poured onto the grass of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, and a dynasty was born. The audience received their expected shot of Taylor Swift jumping with joy and Mahomes laying on the grass, soaking in the moment. The first thing on Kansas City’s mind: Let’s win three in a row. A feat that has never been accomplished in NFL history was up for grabs now, and Kelce made sure to point that out in a post game interview—Mahomes even alluded to the team’s youth. Kansas City has built a team that is here to stay.