Chiefs Beat 49ers for 2nd straight Super Bowl Championship

Super Bowl LVII between the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49er started off pretty dull. There was no scoring in the 1st quarter, and the biggest highlight of the 2nd quarter was San Francisco QB Brock Purdy firing a backward pass to WR Jauan Jennings who threw his first NFL pass ever to Christian McCaffrey who ran it in 21 yards for the game’s first touchdown. The 49ers led 10-3 at halftime.

But Kansas City is used to being behind in the Super Bowl and coming back, as they did in the third quarter on a Harrison Butker field goal and a Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling touchdown pass. The Chiefs led 13-10 going into the 4th quarter.

It started getting interesting in the 4th. San Francisco retook the lead with 11:22 left on a 10 yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Jennings, who became only the second player to both throw and receive a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl (the other was Philadelphia’s Nick Foles six years ago). The point after was blocked, which would prove to be significant, as it often does. Score 16-13 49ers. The teams then began trading field goals. Butker booted a 24 yarder with 5:46 left to tie it at 16-16, and the 49ers Jake Moody kicked a 53 yarder with 1:53 left to make it 19-16 San Francisco. But that was plenty of time for Mahomes, who took the team down to the San Francisco 11 yard line on 11 plays. With three seconds left in regulation, Butker kicked his 4th field goal of the day, tying the score at 19-19.

With that, we had our second overtime Super Bowl. With the rules now assuring that each team would have the ball in overtime, San Francisco took the overtime opening kickoff at the 25. Purdy took the 49ers down to the Chiefs’ nine yard line, but the drive stalled. Moody kicked a 27 yard field goal to make it 22-19 San Francisco.

The subsequent kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, and Kansas City started at the 25 yard line. The Chiefs would need a tying field goal to continue the game, while a touchdown would win it. Mahomes was up for the task. He was eight for eight passing, and rushed twice for 27 yards, including a crucial 1st down on a fourth and one. Completion number eight was a three yarder to Mecole Hardman in the end zone for the winning touchdown, and a final score of 25-22.

Kansas City repeats as Super Bowl Champions, the first time this has happened since the 2003 and 2004 New England Patriots accomplished the feat. The Chiefs have played in four of the last five Super Bowls, and have won three of those four. Though there isn’t any official definition of a sports dynasty, the Chiefs would certainly qualify. And Patrick Mahomes has entered into the conversation as one of the all time great quarterbacks, now with three Super Bowl wins at age 28.

Link to Highlights

Now the conversation turns to winning three in a row. The team is young enough to make another run next season, but in this age of free agency, there will be some changes. We’re guessing a lot of players want to return—who wouldn’t with all this winning?—and be a part of history. No team has won three Super Bowls in a row. The closest thing to it was the 1965, ’66, and ‘’67 Green Bay Packers, who won the first two Super Bowls after the ’66 and ’67 seasons. The Packers also won the 1965 NFL Championship, which was the last one before the Super Bowl era.