The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas after an overtime thriller against the San Francisco 49ers. In addition to the quarterbacks, the two kickers also played a major role in the 25:22 triumph on Monday night (February 12, 2024). In the end, the hero of the game was, like last year, Patrick Mahomes.
The game in Las Vegas didn’t take long to get going, it was immediately spectacular. Brock Purdy, the 49ers quarterback who no one wanted in the 2022 draft and who was the last player selected in the seventh round by San Francisco, began to write his fairy tale: almost all of the passes were received, he also varied greatly between receivers, so that the Chiefs defense initially had no access at all.
Fumble by McCaffrey – but then record field goal
The first possible points were then destroyed by a fumble, and superstar McCaffrey, of all people, lost the ball – the first ever by the 49ers in the entire postseason. The Chiefs with playmaker Patrick Mahomes couldn’t capitalize on it, so Purdy initiated the first score of the game with more top passes: rookie kicker Jake Moody chased the egg through the bars from 55 yards – it was the longest field goal of the Super -Bowl history.
The pressure was increasing for the Chiefs, and you could see that on the sidelines. Star tight end Travis Kelce, the boyfriend of pop superstar Taylor Swift (yes, she made it to the game on time despite her Tokyo concert the night before), was apparently so dissatisfied with the choice of plays that he resorted to his Coach Andy Reid rushed up and angrily bumped into him. Kelce pretty clearly demanded that there should be more about him that night.
Pacheco destroys Mahomes’ hammer
After this scandal, Mahomes also made a real exclamation mark, playing a fantastic pass over more than half the field to Mecole Hardman. But instead of following up this catch with a touchdown at the 9-yard line, the Chiefs also lost the ball. Of all people, the otherwise reliable running back Isiah Pacheco made a mistake, so that Kansas City still had zero on the scoreboard.
The first touchdown of the game was delivered by the 49ers – wholly deserved and consistent based on their share of the game up to that point. How these points came about was another highlight: Purdy played to his wide receiver Jauan Jennings, but after the successful catch he didn’t run to gain space, but passed again to the other side. Running back McCaffrey was waiting there, caught the egg and carried it easily into the end zone. The Chiefs defense was completely outmaneuvered: the 49ers were 10-0 with 4:23 minutes to go before the end of the second quarter; it was a humiliating display for the Chiefs up to that point.
Damage limitation by Butker
Kicker Harrison Butker scored a field goal shortly before the break, but the Chiefs still had a lot of problems with them into the halftime break: Kelce, otherwise a fixture in the offense, had only one pass in two complete quarters, gaining space of one (! ) yard caught.
In addition, Mahomes was let down several times by his other pass catchers on catchable throws, and the defense was also completely off track.
Mahomes false start and next field goal record
Whatever Reid, Mahomes and Kelce had planned during the break, it initially backfired. Shortly after the halftime show with R&B megastar Usher, Mahomes clearly missed Kelce on a pass attempt, causing the first interception of the game. But Mahomes wouldn’t be the league’s star quarterback and defending champion if he had let that completely upset him. He personally surprised the 49ers’ defense with a strong run, then Butker hit a field goal from 57 yards – thus surpassing the Super Bowl record set by Moody in the first half of the game.
This action left an impression on both sides and the momentum changed. Suddenly there was very little to be seen of the 49ers offense including Purdy, but the Chiefs defense was getting better and better. After a touchdown pass from Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, this long one-sided game was suddenly turned to 13:10 for the Niners at the end of the third quarter.
Courage rewarded by San Francisco
It wasn’t the last twist of the night, the next one was thanks to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Instead of going for the almost certain field goal on a fourth attempt near the Chiefs end zone, he let the attempt play out and was rewarded with a new first down. Purdy found Jauan Jennings for a touchdown on this drive, but Moody’s extra point attempt was then blocked, so instead of 17:13 it was only 16:13 for San Francisco. The penalty followed promptly: With strong defense, the 49ers were able to avoid the touchdown, but conceded the score at 16:16 with Butker’s next field goal 5:46 minutes before the end.
And the kickers remained in the spotlight. Just under two minutes before the end, Moody kicked in again, this time from a very respectable 53 yards. He kept his nerve and scored to make it 19:16. Mahomes had 1:57 left to turn the deficit around again. The three-time champion was now fully in his element and, as he often did in the second half, went over Kelce – six (!) seconds before the end of regular time, kicker Butker pushed the ball through the bars from 29 yards to make it 19:19 – there was extra time .
Harman touchdown in overtime
Purdy had the chance to put the Niners back in the lead, but ultimately, after a drive that lasted more than seven and a half minutes, it was only enough for one more field goal – Moody scored from 27 yards to make it 22:19.
But that shouldn’t be enough. The clock ticked down almost to zero – but with the last chance of this legendary night, Mahomes found Mecole Hardman for the decisive touchdown: 25:22 was the score for the Chiefs after this crazy turn of events.