The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 25-22 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to bag the Vince Lombardi trophy and win their third Super Bowl and second consecutive prize in five seasons.
Patrick Mahomes connected with wide receiver Mecole Hardman for a wide-open touchdown to win the game.
In the overtime period with the first possession, the 49ers couldn’t make it into the end zone and had to settle for a short-field goal. But it wasn’t enough with the Chiefs getting a touchdown on their possession.
In a Super Bowl where both teams’ defenses dominated the majority of the game, first downs were hard to come by and points even harder early on.
Kansas City, down 10-3 at the half, came back in the third quarter to score on a field goal, and then a touchdown after recovering the ball when the 49ers fumbled a punt.
Mahomes connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a 16-yard pass to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead.
Early in the fourth, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy connected with wide receiver Jauan Jennings for a touchdown but kicker Jake Moody’s extra point was blocked, making the score 16-13.
Kansas City then kicked a field goal, tying the game at 16 with less than 5 minutes left.
With less than 2 minutes to go, Moody kicked a 53-yard field goal to give the 49ers the edge at 19-16.
But the Chiefs came back to make a field goal in the waning seconds of regulation to tie the game at 19 and send it to overtime.
At times, both two-time Super Bowl MVP Mahomes and second-year signal-caller Purdy struggled against fierce defenses.
Sunday’s game was a rematch of the 2020 Super Bowl, which the Chiefs won 31-20 at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The Chiefs went into Sunday’s game as reigning champions having claimed victory over the Philadelphia Eagles with a score of 38-35 at last year’s Super Bowl. The Super Bowl LVII victory was the second in quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ career, and the third for head coach Andy Reid.
The road to Vegas was paved with impressive wins for both teams. While the Chiefs beat the Ravens in Baltimore, the 49ers defeated the Detroit Lions in San Francisco.
As always, the event was a star-studded affair and saw Usher headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show. The performance marked the 44-year-old singer’s second Super Bowl appearance, having previously performed alongside the Black Eyed Peas when the group headlined the halftime show back in 2011.
Meanwhile, country music icon Reba McEntire sang the national anthem, and rapper Post Malone performed before kickoff.
