The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team in two decades to win back-to-back Super Bowls with their 25-22 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII
Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII in overtime thriller
The Chiefs have won Super Bowl LVIII, their third victory in five years and second consecutive. The game started off quite boring, to be honest. It was a slow, back-and-forth defensive game throughout the first half and into the third quarter. But once things picked up, they really picked up, and the game ended up coming down to the wire and being sent into overtime.
Niners’ struggles
The Niners struggled throughout both halves with penalties, getting several false start calls and a few holdings that set them back. They unfortunately lost two of their players to injury throughout the game, too. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw injured his lower leg when he slipped on the grass. Later, they wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffered a hamstring injury. Both losses were significant for the Niners, but at least Samuel was able to come back in, though clearly not fully well.
Field goal records
In the first half, Niners kicker Jake Moody made history with the longest field goal ever recorded in a Super Bowl, with 55 yards. He beat Buffalo Bills’ Steve Christie’s previous record of 54 yards from Super Bowl 28 in 1994 when they lost to the Dallas Cowboys. A record that hadn’t been broken in 30 years was broken again about an hour later, but this time by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butler, who made a 57-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Game Summary
The first half of the Super Bowl was a mostly defensive game, with turnovers on both sides of the ball, one sack on Niners’ quarterback Brock Purdy, and two sacks on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Niners found a way to get into the end zone on a trick play with 4 minutes left in the first half. Purdy tossed the ball to Jauan Jennings, who then passed it to running back Christian McCaffrey, who ran it 21 yards into the end zone for the touchdown.
Things didn’t get better for the Chiefs in the second half right away. Mahomes threw an interception, picked off by Ji’Ayir Brown almost immediately after the return from the half. Luckily for them, their own defense was on top of things, stopping the Niners from getting any more of a lead. They finally got their big break after Niners cornerback Darrell Luter Jr. muffed the punt and Chiefs’ cornerback Jaylen Watson was able to recover it at the Niners 16. That set them up for their first touchdown score of the game. Mahomes sent a pass to Marques Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown. The Chiefs took the lead for the first time in the game, 13-10.
The Niners took a risk in the 4th quarter when they were at 4th and 3 at the Kansas City 15. They could have just kicked a field goal. I mean, their kicker just broke a record, right? But instead, Kyle Shanahan decided to take a Super Bowl risk. It paid off. Tight end George Kittle made the 1st down by just barely getting his arms ahead of the pylon. It was enough to give them the momentum they needed and on the next play, Purdy tossed the ball to Jauan Jennings, who made the 10-yard touchdown. After that, however, Moody missed the point after touchdown. How? It’s a mystery. But because of that, the Niners were only up by 3.
The Chiefs should have had a touchdown after that. They made it all the way to the Niners’ 4 at 1st and goal, but were held to 4th and goal and unlike the Niners, they played it safe and tied up the game 16-16 with a 24-yard field goal by Butker.
With two minutes left in the game, the Niners got within field goal range at the Chiefs 35. At 4th and 4, Moody attempted a 53-yard field goal and it was good. The Niners took a 19-16 lead, but gave the Chiefs plenty of time to get down the field, at least into field goal range.
With 40 seconds left, they did just that. They could win the game with a touchdown and tie it and send it into overtime with a field goal. Mahomes made a 22-yard pass to Kelce to the 11 and he went out of bounds with 10 seconds left. On the next play, he passed incomplete to Kelce and with 3 seconds left, they went for the field goal and it was good. Butker’s 29-yard field goal put the score at 19-19 and sent the game into overtime.
Much like the start of the game, the Chiefs won the toss again and deferred again. The Niners got the ball first. In overtime, both teams get a chance at possession. Another false start set them back 5 yards and at 3rd and 13, when Purdy threw the ball away, the Chiefs were called for Holding, giving the Niners the first down. After that, they were able to make it down the field to make a 27-yard Moody field goal.
That left Mahomes and company the chance to win the game with a touchdown. With 7:22 left, the Chiefs were quite quickly held to 4th and 1, but of course, they went for it and of course, it was a run by Mahomes to make the 1st down for 8 yards. From there, it took them two minutes and 45 seconds for Mahomes to make the pass to Hardman, who ran it 3 yards into the end zone and win the game. The Chiefs dynasty has begun.
