By Cordell Woodland
Special to the AFRO
Super Bowl LVIII surpassed the hype and then some when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25-22 on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Things started murky for the 49ers with an early fumble from running back Christian McCaffrey on the first drive. Fortunately for the 49ers that fumble was the highlight of the first quarter as both teams would go scoreless in the opening frame. It’s the first time the Super Bowl saw a scoreless first quarter since Super Bowl LIII.
That inaction didn’t last long with these two powerhouse offenses taking chances downfield. Fast forward to overtime and the world-wide audience witnessed hands-to-your-face drama unfold.
Does it get much better than overtime football in the Super Bowl? San Francisco won the toss and elected to receive. The 49ers drove the length of the field but the offense ran out of gas in the redzone and were held to another field goal.
Overtime rules allowed for both teams to get possession if the team who gets possession first is held to a field goal or no score.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made the most of his opportunity as he led his team on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that he finished off with a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. to win Super Bowl LVIII.
Kansas City has now won back-to-back Super Bowls. They’re the first back-to-back champions since the New England Patriots won in 2004 and 2005. Mahomes now has three Super Bowl rings and has been named Super Bowl MVP in all three games.
While the drama unfolded in overtime, these teams slugged it out in regulation.
The second quarter is where the scoring began as 49ers kicker Jake Moody hit a 55-yard field goal to give the 49ers a 3-0 lead. The second quarter also gave us another fumble, although this time from Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. That turnover was huge as the Chiefs were at the 49ers nine-yard line.
That fumble proved huge as two possessions later, the 49ers took the ball 53 yards down the field for a touchdown. They didn’t get it the conventional way as it came on a double pass play. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy threw it out wide to wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who then threw it back across the field to McCaffrey, who took it 21 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs found themselves down by two possessions for the first time this postseason.
Kansas City responded with a field goal late in the half to cut into the 49ers lead, 10-3 at halftime. The Chiefs struggled to protect Patrick Mahomes as the 49ers racked up two sacks and three quarterback hits in the first half.
The halftime show picked up from the action of the first half as Usher put on a great performance. He hit on all the classics like “My Way, Yeah!, and My Boo,” among others. He was also joined by stars Alicia Keys, Ludacris and Lil Jon.
The second half started with an interception by 49ers defensive back Jy’Ayir Brown as he jumped a pass from Mahomes on their first drive. The Chiefs were able to force back-to-back punts after the turnover which the offense would eventually repay with a field goal. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butler was able to hit a 57-yard field goal breaking the NFL record for longest-made field goal in a Super Bowl, which was set earlier in the game by 49ers kicker Eric Moody.
Kansas City’s good fortune continued as they forced San Francisco into a muffed punt which Kansas City recovered. Mahomes didn’t take long to capitalize on the great field position as he would find Marquez Valdez-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown. That score gave Kansas City their first lead of the game with a 13-10 lead.
The fourth quarter began with yet another gamble from 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco’s offense drove down the field to get inside Kansas City’s 20-yard line. The 49ers were faced with a fourth-and-three. Instead of taking the field goal and tying the game they elected to go for it. They converted on a 4-yard pass to tight end George Kittle for the first down.
The drive paid off with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Jennings giving San Francisco a 16-13 lead. Kicker Jake Moody had his extra point blocked so it remained a three-point game.
The Chiefs answered with a field goal to tie the game before Jake Moody took the lead on a 53-yard field goal with 1:57 remaining in the game.
There’s no quarterback that you want more than Mahomes in this situation. Mahomes led his team down the field in 11 plays, setting up a 29-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with three seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
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