For just the second time in NFL history, we saw a Super Bowl be settled in overtime. It was the Kansas City Chiefs who emerged victorious, taking down the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 25-22. This one will sting a bit extra for the 49ers, who, for the second time in four years, took a double-digit point lead against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, only to end up losing. Meanwhile, the Chiefs get their third championship in the last five years, cementing themselves as the next dynasty in the NFL.
It was a mistake-prone first half for both teams. San Francisco’s star running back Christian McCaffrey coughed up a fumble on the first drive of the game. Meanwhile, Chiefs running back Isaiah Pacheco had a fumble of his own — on a play immediately after Patrick Mahomes had connected with wide receiver Mecole Hardman for a 52-yard gain — which would have put the Chiefs nine yards away from their first points of the game. After a first-quarter field goal, the 49ers extended their lead to 10 points with a bit of trickery, successfully executing a double pass play that saw wide receiver Jauan Jennings connect with McCaffrey for a 21-yard touchdown pass. Kansas City had a late charge that ended in a field goal right before the half, putting the score at 10-3 in favor of the 49ers as Usher took the stage.
Things went from bad to worse for the Chiefs at the start of the second half, with Mahomes throwing an interception to rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown. However, the 49ers weren’t able to extend their lead, failing to gain a single yard on their first three drives of the second half. The Chiefs got the lead down to 10-6 after another Harrison Butker field goal before finally getting their big break. The 49ers forced a punt, but the ball deflected off cornerback Darrell Luter Jr., causing a fumble deep in San Francisco territory, which the Chiefs were able to recover. It took just one play for Mahomes to find Marques Valdes-Scantling in the end zone, giving Kansas City their first lead of the game.
The 49ers responded well, driving downfield for another Jauan Jennings touchdown, though he was on the receiving end this time. However, rookie kicker Jake Moody missed the ensuing extra point. Kansas City, now down just three points off the missed extra point, drove down and tied the game at 16 with just under six minutes left in the contest. Moody responded to the miss nicely, drilling a 53-yard field goal with a minute and 53 seconds remaining to reclaim the lead for the 49ers. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Chiefs were able to drive into field goal range and tack on three points of their own, sending the game to overtime.
San Francisco won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff in overtime. They marched down the field, but when faced with fourth-and-4 on the Kansas City 9-yard line, they opted to kick the short field goal instead of going for the first down — or touchdown. This decision proved fatal, as the Chiefs marched down and won the Super Bowl off a 3-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Hardman.
Mahomes took home his third Super Bowl MVP as he threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns, adding another 66 yards on the ground. Travis Kelce also stood out with 93 receiving yards on nine receptions for the Chiefs. Christian McCaffrey paced the 49ers with 160 yards from scrimmage (80 rushing and 80 receiving) and a touchdown. Both teams arguably saw more impressive performances on the defensive side of the ball. The Chiefs saw excellent performances in coverage from their elite cornerback duo of Trent McDuffie and L’Jarius Sneed, while defensive tackle Chris Jones was a constant thorn in 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s side. San Francisco’s defense was paced by a strong showing from their defensive line, led by Nick Bosa and Arik Armstead. They made things extremely difficult for Mahomes, especially in the first half.
This will be a game Niners faithful will mourn for a while as nothing seemed to go their way. McCaffrey’s uncharacteristic fumble while they were in field goal range, Moody’s missed extra point and the muffed punt all directly cost them or handed Kansas City points, which simply cannot happen in such a close game. Perhaps, worst of all, star linebacker Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles tendon when running onto the field in the second quarter. Not only did this completely change the game, but Greenlaw’s injury will likely carry into next season, a year in which the 49ers will be trying to get back to this very game.
