The Kansas City Chiefs obtained their fourth Super Bowl title in franchise history with an overtime thriller against the San Francisco 49ers.

Keys to the Game

In a rematch of Super Bowl 54, the Chiefs looked to secure yet another Super Bowl victory. One key player during the matchup was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who left his footprint on yet another big stage. 

Mahomes ended up gaining 399 all-purpose yards, 333 of which were through the air. His accuracy was scary, going 34-for-46, and also adding one interception. 

But yet again, the real difference makers were the members of the young defense who kept the Chiefs in the game, only allowing 22 points, including overtime to the second-ranked offense in the league during the regular season.

On the other side, San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy played a clean game. Purdy threw for 255 yards on 61% completion percentage and a touchdown. An overall solid performance that was just not enough to take down Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Defensive First Three Quarters

Until late in the third quarter, the game was a defensive showdown, with only 16 total points being scored in just over the first 42 minutes of the game. A big part of this was expectedly the Chiefs’ star-studded secondary, lead by cornerbacks L’Jarius Sneed and all-pro Trent McDuffie. They held wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuels under 85 yards in total, and all-pro tight end George Kittle to just 2 receptions for 4 yards all game. 

As for the 49ers’ defense, they held Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs’ offense to just 6 points through nearly three quarters of regulation. Mahomes and the rest of the offense combined for just a total of 247 yards despite a very unfortunate injury to linebacker Dre Greenlaw, which was a non-contact injury that occurred while running onto the field.

Special Teams, Turnovers, and a Turning Point

The real turning point in the game was late in the third quarter when the 49ers muffed a Chiefs’ punt, resulting in the Chiefs being set up at the 49ers’ 16-yard line. The very next play, Mahomes found receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling for a 16 yard touchdown to take the lead 13-10. The 49ers suffered another key special teams blunder when their extra point was blocked after taking the lead previously. They only had a three-point lead after this mistake. This would provide the Chiefs with the option to kick a game-tying field goal from the 49ers’ 11-yard line that would send the game into overtime. Both of these special team mistakes by the 49ers would help lead to the Chiefs ultimately getting the win. 

The muffed punt wasn’t the only turnover, as both teams saw their starting running backs fumble the ball away in scoring position. On the first drive, the 49ers were marching down the field when Christian McCaffrey fumbled the ball to the Chiefs at the Kansas City 27-yard line.

On the flip side, the Chiefs saw Isiah Pacheco fumble the ball to the 49ers at the San Francisco 8-yard line after a huge 52-yard bomb to receiver Mecole Hardman. Mahomes also had an interception early in the second half.

Top Performers

Besides the quarterbacks, there were a good amount of standout players in this game. One of these players was McCaffrey, who seemed to be the only 49er outside of Purdy who could really get any offensive production going.

McCaffrey had a total of 160 all-purpose yards, perfectly split with 80 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards —  the leading amount in both of those categories for the 49ers. For the Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce had yet another signature performance despite a rough first half.

In the first half, Kelce had just one reception for a single yard, but in the second he had 8 receptions for 92 yards. San Francisco receiver Jauan Jennings proved to be an unexpected standout, as was Hardman for the Chiefs.

Jennings ended up with 42 yards on four receptions, but his most shocking stat was in the passing category. The former high school quarterback threw one pass for 21 yards and a touchdown.

The Chiefs also had an unanticipated hero in Hardman. Hardman played his first four professional seasons with the Chiefs before leaving in this past offseason for the New York Jets. After only having 1 reception for 6 yards with the Jets through five games, he was traded back to Kansas City.

After still not being utilized a whole lot through the rest of the season, Hardman finally showed up when it mattered the most. Hardman ended the game with 3 receptions for 57 yards including a 52-yard reception and the game-winning touchdown reception in overtime.

Overtime

After a dramatic first four quarters, the game went into overtime. San Francisco elected to take the ball first in overtime after winning the coin toss, shocking many. 

Now, instead of a team being able to win the game altogether if they get a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, the other team will be able to get a chance unless the defense scores and wins the game for them.

Instead of taking the ball first in overtime, many believed that it would be better to differ, as you could then see if the other team would get a field goal, a touchdown (with a 1-point or 2-point conversion), or no points at all.

When the 49ers did get the ball first, they marched down the field and kicked a field goal. The Chiefs now knew exactly what they needed to either extend the ball game or win it outright. A field goal to extend and a touchdown to win, they ended up getting the touchdown, winning the ball game 25-22 on a 3-yard touchdown reception from Mahomes to Hardman.

Conclusion

With this win, the Chiefs became the first repeat champions since the New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004. The Chiefs now have their third Super Bowl title in the last five years and four total Super Bowl titles in franchise history.

Copy edited by Natalie Kientzy and Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com