Kansas City defeat San Francisco to win Super Bowl 58
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas was the venue as the chiefs knocked off the 49ers to lift their second Lombardi trophy in a row on Sunday night. It was the first ever NFL championship game to take place in Sin City and the strip was absolutely buzzing, as fans flocked to the desert for the most anticipated Super Bowl in recent years. The stars were out in force as well, as Taylor Swift flew back from a tour in Japan just in time to cheer on Travis Kelce. No matter your stance on the whole Kelce/Swift scenario, you cannot deny the positive PR and awareness that it’s generated for the game, opening up the sport for new fans.
San Fransisco got the ball first, and initially moved the ball well but an uncharacteristic McCaffrey fumble recovered by George Karlaftis swung momentum back to the Chiefs, scuppering any scoring opportunity. Despite promising drives by each side, it would take until the second quarter for the first points to materialize, coming in the form of a Jake Moody field goal. This would be the first of 7 3 pointers throughout the fixture, and the boot’s of the respective kickers would prove to be critical. The usually powerful Kansas was off to a sluggish start until their signal caller uncorked a 52 yard bomb to Mecole Harman. Disaster struck immediately after though, as a forced fumble was scooped up by the opposing defense to give the ball right back.
Touchdowns were at a premium early on in this one and it wasn’t until 10 minutes to go in the first half did we see one. Jauan Jennings tossed a fantastic pass to Christian McCaffrey on a cleverly drawn trick play to put the designated away team up by double figures. A very cagy first half concluded with a Harrison Butker field goal to pull a score back, in what would become the overarching back and forth theme of this season finale.
Disaster seemingly struck again for Kansas City at the outset of the second half, as Patrick Mahomes tossed a pick to Ji’Ayir Brown. Their opposition however could not capitalise on the takeaway. In fact this one was remarkably lacking big plays and offensive fireworks early on, considering the amount of talent on each sideline. Travis Kelce in particular was unusually under utilized to the point of almost being a non factor up until this point. The Chiefs would draw blood next though, on the back of a 49ers muffed point – Mahomes hitting Valdes Scantling on a 16 yard strike.
Akin to two heavyweights trading blows, the Niners and Jauan Jennings hit paydirt again 2 players later, and this time the receiver was on the receiving end of a pass. The score gave the de facto away team a slim three point advantage. Jennings stood out as one of the best players on the field throughout, coming up big when it counted. There was a sense that this one was going to come right down to the wire, especially when the final points of regulation came from the boots of the opposing kickers in the dying moments.Jake Moody drained a 53 yarder before Kelce came alive with 90 seconds to go, slashing through the niners defense. It wasn’t enough though, and we were heading to overtime.
After conceding the first score of the additional period, the tandem of Mahomes and Kelce finally woke up and drove the ball down the field. The former then delivered a dagger to Mecole Hardman with under 5 seconds left to snatch victory for Kansas City .
While overall it wasn’t exactly a thrilling affair it certainly delivered an exciting finish, as Patrick Mahomes cemented his position as one of the best to ever do it. The Chiefs are now the first franchise to win back to back titles since the Patriots in 2003/2004. For Purdy and co it’s disappointing, but they will undoubtedly be back.
Final score in Las Vegas – Kansas City Chiefs 25 San Francisco 49ers 22.