The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 to win their fourth Super Bowl in a rematch of the big game in 2020.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes led the team to an overtime win, winning his third Super Bowl championship and third Most Valuable Player award. The game was a rollercoaster that started slow before culminating in an exciting finish.
The first half was riddled with miscues, with both teams fumbling in each other’s red zone and it being a scoreless first quarter in the Super Bowl for the first time in five years. The 49ers opened the scoring with a 55-yard field goal early in the second quarter, adding a flea-flicker touchdown thrown by wide receiver Jauan Jennings and caught by running back Christian McCaffrey 10 minutes later.
The Chiefs struggled throughout the first half but ended it with a 28-yard field goal, leaving the 49ers leading 10-3 at halftime.
The second half would begin with a pair of Chiefs miscues, with quarterback Mahomes fumbling the ball before his running back Isiah Pacheco recovered it. Two plays later, Mahomes threw an interception. The 49ers would fail to capitalize on the turnover, and after several three-and-outs, the Chiefs would get within 4 points by making a 57-yard field goal.
A blunder by the 49ers when attempting to receive a punt proved costly, with the Chiefs turning the prime field position into a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. With the touchdown, the Chiefs would take a 13-10 lead, their first of the game.
The 49ers would respond with their own touchdown but would miss the extra point attempt, giving them a marginal lead of only 16-13, and the Chiefs would respond with a field goal to tie the game 16-16.
With less than two minutes in the game, the 49ers would make a 53-yard field goal to take a 19-16 lead, but the Chiefs would quickly respond, kicking a field goal to send the game to overtime tied 19-19.
In overtime, the 49ers would march down the field and make a 27-yard field goal, but the Chiefs would respond with the game-winning touchdown from Mahomes to wide receiver Mecole Hardman.
During the trophy presentation, Mahomes said the game mirrored their season, which had several ups and downs.
“This whole game was just kind of our whole entire season. It was a defense just keeping us in there, and then the offense making plays when it counted, and then of course [Chiefs kicker] Butker Harrison hitting from about 70,” Mahomes told CBS Sports’s Jim Nantz.
“So, it was a microcosm of our whole season. I’m just proud of the guys that kept believing, and I’m proud of the coaches for calling in those plays to get some touchdowns there at the end,” he added.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce celebrated the victory by leading the crowd in a rendition of Elvis Presley’s “Viva Las Vegas” during the trophy presentation and later was seen sharing a moment with girlfriend and music superstar Taylor Swift.
In a big game for the kickers, 49ers kicker Jake Moody set a Super Bowl record for the longest field goal in the big game with his 55-yard field goal, but his record would only last one quarter because Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker would break the record by 2 points with a 57-yard field goal. The game also featured a rare block on an extra point attempt after the 49ers’ second touchdown.
The victory is the third Super Bowl win for the Chiefs under the combination of quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid. It also marks the third Super Bowl win in five years for the pair and the first time in nearly 20 years that a team has repeated as Super Bowl champions.
The loss for the 49ers is the team’s third Super Bowl loss and second to the Chiefs with the combination of Mahomes and Reid.
The game also marked the second time the Super Bowl went to overtime, with the first instance being in 2017 when the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.
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The pregame festivities at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, included country music star Reba McEntire singing “The Star-Spangled Banner” and Post Malone singing “America the Beautiful.” Usher performed at the halftime show.
The 2024 NFL season is expected to begin on Sept. 5, with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs expected to host the first game of the season. The next Super Bowl will be held at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Feb. 9, 2025, and will be televised by Fox.
