By Matt McMullen – Chiefs.com Reporter
The Kansas City Chiefs successfully defended their Super Bowl title on Sunday, defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, to win the Lombardi Trophy for a second-straight season.
The game – which marked just the second Super Bowl in NFL history to go to overtime – all came down to one final drive for Kansas City. The 49ers had just taken the lead with a 27-yard field goal, providing the Chiefs with an opportunity to either tie or win the game on their ensuing series. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, no stranger to the moment, proceeded to engineer a possession that will echo throughout annals of league history.
Mahomes completed all seven of his passes on the Chiefs’ final series while also running the ball himself twice – accounting for 66 combined yards – before finding wide receiver Mecole Hardman for an eighth completion – a 3-yard toss to the flat – for the game-winning touchdown.
“I can’t even explain what was going through my mind. It was just extreme joy,” Mahomes said. “I didn’t even know where to go. Just so much excitement, man. I’m so proud of the team, and so proud of the guys to battle to the very end. That was the microcosm of our season. I said it, and then everybody came together, and we were able to get the win.”
Mahomes completed 34-of-46 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns to go along with a team-leading 66 rushing yards in the game, securing his third Super Bowl MVP award for his efforts. The 28-year-old Mahomes – whose 15 career postseason wins rank third all-time among all quarterbacks – recorded 269 of those combined yards in the second half and overtime, leading Kansas City back from an early 10-point deficit.
In fact, the Chiefs didn’t score until 20 seconds remained in the first half when kicker Harrison Butker connected on a 28-yard field goal. The kick brought the Chiefs within a touchdown despite managing just 79 yards from scrimmage on their first four drives due in large part to another outstanding showing by Kansas City’s defense. The Chiefs held San Francisco – the league’s No. 3 scoring offense during the regular season – to only 10 points across its first five possessions, keeping Kansas City within striking distance despite its offensive struggles.
“People [are] going to talk about the offense [because] we had those last few drives, [but] the defense is what kept us in that game,” Mahomes said. “That’s our entire season. They’re going to give us chances, and we’re going to make it happen when it counts.”
Indeed, the Chiefs went on to score 10 unanswered points to begin the second half, pulling ahead on the scoreboard for the first time all night. The latter score – a 16-yard connection between Mahomes and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling – came on the heels of a recovered muffed punt that set the Chiefs up with tremendous field position that they didn’t waste.
San Francisco answered right away, however, as quarterback Brock Purdy found wide receiver Jauan Jennings for a 10-yard, go-ahead touchdown on the 49ers’ ensuing possession. Linebacker Leo Chenal blocked the extra-point though, meaning that San Francisco’s lead was only three points. That play proved to be a critical one as the game progressed, too, as Kansas City tied the game with a 24-yard field goal on its next drive.
The 49ers then drove to the Chiefs’ 35-yard line on their ensuing series, leading to one of the most significant junctures of the game. It was 3rd-and-5 just after the two-minute warning, and while Kansas City still possessed two timeouts, a conversion would allow the 49ers to bleed precious time away prior to a go-ahead field goal attempt. Instead, cornerback Trent McDuffie – who crashed off the edge on a blitz – blew up Purdy’s pass-attempt, and while the 49ers went on to take the lead with a 53-yard field goal, there was plenty of time remaining for one final Kansas City possession in regulation.
Mahomes made sure to take advantage of it, too, leading the Chiefs to the 49ers’ 11-yard line to set up a game-tying, 29-yard kick by Butker that sent the game to overtime. The series included a 22-yard pass to tight end Travis Kelce that converted a long third down and avoided what would have been a significantly longer field goal, moving well into Butker’s range instead.
The 49ers went on to reclaim the lead with a field goal to begin the additional period, but what happened next will go down in Super Bowl history. Mahomes found Hardman for the game-winning score, and as pandemonium ensued on the field, the Chiefs secured their third Lombardi Trophy in five seasons. Additionally, Kansas City became the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the 2004 New England Patriots.
It was simply a game for the ages, and now for the third time in five years, Kansas City will host a parade.
