Super Bowl 2024: Chiefs stun 49ers in overtime for second straight NFL title

The NFL is becoming an easy-to-understand league, even for those who struggle with its complex plans and playbooks. All you really need to know is that Patrick Mahomes will most likely be part of the winning team. And so it was on Sunday in Las Vegas. Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to their third Super Bowl title in five years with a thrilling 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

For much of the season, a Super Bowl appearance seemed like a long shot at best for the Chiefs. With the exception of his favorite target, Travis Kelce, and rookie Rashee Rice, Mahomes was surrounded by receivers with two things in common: they couldn’t catch and they couldn’t get open. That meant fans got to see a first in the Mahomes era: a Chiefs team that borrowed on defense, led by brilliant coordinator coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

The Chiefs won the toss and elected to kick, giving the 49ers the first possession. Perhaps the Chiefs thought their stellar defense could hold off the 49ers and provide a psychological advantage. That happened quickly: George Karlaftis, born in Athens to a Greek father and an American mother, forced a fumble by Christian McCaffrey, who days earlier had been voted the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year, into the Chiefs’ half and the ball was in Mahomes’ hands. The 49ers defense has looked shaky so far in the playoffs but got a boost of its own, stopping the Chiefs’ percussive running back Isiah Pacheco for a three-yard loss. Short completions from Mahomes weren’t enough to sustain the drive and the Chiefs punted.

While Mahomes’ counterpart, Brock Purdy, has been helped this season by talented teammates on offense like McCaffrey, receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent Williams, he is much more than the game manager his critics have portrayed him as. : He led the league in passer rating in the regular season, threw the third-most touchdowns and has an appetite for spectacular, high-risk plays. It took Purdy less than 10 minutes to attempt one in this game: On the 49ers’ next possession, he ran around before throwing the ball across his body — something quarterbacks are told never to do because it makes them feel better disrupts tuned throwing mechanics – to George Kittle for an 18-yard gain. The whistle blew back for a holding penalty, but Purdy had shown he was going to play the game his way.

The first quarter ended scoreless, a testament to the strength of both defenses. It was San Francisco who opened the scoring shortly afterwards when Jake Moody made a 55-yard field goal, the longest in Super Bowl history.

The Chiefs looked like they were going to strike right back when Mahomes found Mecole Hardman for a 53-yard gain — a rare example of the 49ers’ pass rush giving Mahomes enough time to complete a throw of more than 10 yards — that Kansas City to the 49ers brought ‘9 yard line. But the 49ers forced a fumble of their own when Decommodore Lenoir knocked the ball out of Pacheco’s grasp and Javon Hargrave recovered.

It was, it’s safe to say, no classic; the most exciting part of the game so far came when the cameras cut to Jeff Goldblum in the crowd and he threw up a love heart sign with his hands. The Chiefs didn’t seem to enjoy it either when Kelce yelled at his head coach, Andy Reid, on the sideline as he came off the field.

It took something special to break the game open, and it happened through a trick play. Purdy tipped the ball to receiver Jauan Jennings, who threw to McCaffrey. The pass was as ugly as you’d expect from a guy who catches the ball for a living, and it seemed to flutter in the air for quite a while. But the shock of it meant McCaffrey found himself in space – something he uses ruthlessly – and he barreled into the end zone to give the 49ers a 10-0 lead.

The problem for Mahomes was that he simply didn’t trust his receivers to make big plays outside of the long reception to Hardman. That meant the 49ers defense could limit Mahomes to short completions and contain his threat. Mahomes did lead a drive that ended in a field goal late in the first half, making it 10-3, but the fact that he couldn’t find the end zone said a lot about how effectively he was contained.

Perhaps Mahomes’ frustration grew at halftime, as he went deep early in the third quarter with a nasty pass that went between two receivers and into the hands of 49ers safety Ji’Ayir Brown. It was a bad pass by the standards of an average quarterback, for Mahomes it was terrible. However, the 49ers’ offense also barely distinguished itself and their next two drives ended in punts. However, another Super Bowl record was soon established: Harrison Butker’s 57-yard field goal cut the 49ers’ lead to 10–6 and ended Moody’s brief stay in the record books.

The Chiefs would soon take the lead, although that was largely due to the 49ers’ sloppiness. Darrell Luter Jr mishandled a punt deep in his own territory, the Chiefs recovered and Mahomes floated a touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. It was a nice moment for a receiver who had made a lot of mistakes himself this season. The Chiefs led 13-10 entering the final quarter.

It was at this point that Purdy and Mahomes, disappointingly for much of the game thus far, found a new level. On fourth-and-3 on the next drive, the 49ers had a chance to make a field goal to tie the game. But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to rely on Purdy, who had been brilliant on the end of comeback wins in San Francisco’s last two games, and his quarterback repaid that trust with a short completion to Kittle. Purdy followed that up with a touchdown pass to Aiyuk, but Moody’s extra point was blocked, meaning the Chiefs were within a field goal at 16-13, a crucial difference as Mahomes marched his team down the field to tie the game at 16 -16. with 5:46 left.

Moody was thrust into the spotlight with 1:53 left when he was awarded a field goal from 53 yards out, a difficult distance for any kicker, let alone a rookie whose last attempt had been unsuccessful. He still managed to give his team a 19–16 lead, and the ball was in Mahomes’s court with the game on the line. Naturally, he led his team to a tie with three seconds left. For the first time since the 2016 season (and the second time in history), the Super Bowl would be extended.

The 49ers won the toss and started with the ball. It initially looked like their drive had stalled, but a defensive holding call on third gave them a second chance. A couple of big plays by McCaffrey looked like they would lead to a touchdown, but the 49ers were stopped at the Chiefs’ nine-yard line and Moody’s field goal gave the 49ers a 22-19 lead.

Of course, that wasn’t enough to beat Mahomes. Twice it looked like the Chiefs wouldn’t be able to continue the drive and twice Mahomes got the first downs with his legs. And then the dagger: a pass to Hardman on the goal line. This time, a Chiefs receiver didn’t drop it.

It was Mahomes’ third Super Bowl title. He’s not even 30 yet.