By Eddie Lopez
On Sunday, Feb. 11 the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas for the biggest game of the season and looked to go back-to-back for the first time since the Patriots did it in 2003 and 2004.
After great performances of America the Beautiful by Post Malone, and the national anthem sung by Reba McIntyre, the coin toss for the 58th Super Bowl commenced and the Chiefs won the coin toss and elected to defer.Â
Quarter 1
The first quarter was an uneventful and sloppy one with a total of five punts and two fumbles between the two teams resulting in 0 points. The scoreless first quarter between the two marked the 10th time this has happened and the first since the 2019 Super Bowl between the Patriots and Rams.Â
Quarter 2
The scoreless drought would end in the second quarter after Jake Moody kicked a record-breaking 55-yard field goal to put the 49ers on the board. The Chiefs put up a promising drive until Isaiah Pacheco got the ball stripped giving the 49ers the ball back. Both teams traded punts before the 49ers were able to score on a 21-yard pass and from Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey giving them a 10-0 lead. The Chiefs got some points on the board with a field goal of their own making the score 10-3 going into halftime.Â
Halftime Show
The halftime show headlined by Usher featured an all-time mix of artists which included Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Will.I.am and H.E.R.. The group performed My Way, Caught Up U, Don't Have to Call, Superstar, Love in this Club, I Ain't Got You, My Boo, Confessions Pt. II, Nice & Slow / Burn, U Got It Bad, Bad Girl, OMG (will.i.am) Turn Down for What, and Yeah!, Get Low.
Quarter 3Â
The third quarter is when the game really took off. After an interception from Patrick Mahomes intended for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Chiefs bounced back and hit a field goal and scored a 16-yard touchdown on a pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling making the score 13-10 Chiefs now lead.
Quarter 4
The 4th quarter was the most action-packed quarter of the game. The 49ers opened up the scoring with a touchdown of their own taking the lead back. Kicker Jake Moody got blocked in the PAT attempt for the first time in his career. Both teams traded field goals to send the game into overtime for the second time in Super Bowl history.Â
Overtime
Overtime started off with controversy after 49ers head coach Kyle Shannahan elected to receive rather than defer which resulted in a field goal. The Chiefs took advantage and drove the ball down for 72 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown to Mecole Hardman.Â
Post Game Notes
The Kansas City Chiefs have now won their 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years and have proved they are a championship-caliber team year in and year out and could even begin to be called a dynasty.Â
Even with the lackluster receiving core Mahomes was able to bring his team to the Super Bowl and win it all along with winning the honor of Super Bowl MVP. The team is very reminiscent of the Brady era in New England.Â
The difference makers in this game was the amount of turnovers between the two teams along with the great performance from kickers Jake Moody and Harrison Butker who in total went 7/7 on field goals and made every extra point except Moody’s blocked field goal. Travis Kelce exploded in the second half and ended up with 93 yards with 9 receptions making a huge impact for the Chiefs offense who was slacking in the first half.Â
Controversy:Â
The big game was filled with controversial moments. The first instance was when Chief’s star tight end Travis Kelce shoved Head coach Andy Reid after the fumble in the first quarter.Â
Then, came the controversy in the overtime coin toss when Kyle Shannahan decided to receive the ball. When asked about the decision Shannahan said
“We wanted the ball third. If both teams matched and scored, we wanted to be the ones who had the chance to go win. Got that field goal, so I knew we had to hold them to at least a field goal, and if we did, then we thought it was in our hands after that." (Via NFL.com).
Teams Outlook
This is now the 49ers 4th trip to the playoffs in Kyle Shanahan’s seven-year stint with the team and their 2nd trip to the Super Bowl. Even with the strongest team they have had in about a decade they failed to win it all and it may call for some changes in the coaching staff. Going into 2024 the 49ers have to decide whether to bring back star defensive end Chase Young as well as outside linebacker Randy Gregory. The 49ers rank 12th in strength of schedule next season with their opponents averaging a .505 winning percentage the previous season.
The Chiefs now go into next season looking to become the first-ever team to three-peat. They now have to decide on bringing back star defensive tackle Chris Jones along with running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Kansas City’s biggest need is a strong receiving group and could look at free-agent wide receivers such as Tee Higgins, Mike Evans and Michael Pittman as potential options. The Chiefs have the 16th hardest schedule with their opponents averaging a .502 winning percentage the previous season.