For the first time in 50 years, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions. After a slow start, Patrick Mahomes and company pulled off yet another double-digit comeback during his fantastic postseason run. The 24-year old Super Bowl champion ended the game with 286 passing yards, three combined touchdowns, and two interceptions in the instant-classic.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Win Super Bowl LIV
First Quarter
The Kansas City Chiefs started the game with the ball but couldn’t get anything going. After a seven-yard gain to start the drive, Patrick Mahomes missed on his next two targets. The Chiefs had to punt and Jimmy Garoppolo and company took over at their own 19. The 49ers found immediate success on the ground, making it all the way to Kansas City’s 20. However, the drive stalled after Garoppolo couldn’t find George Kittle 3rd and 5. San Francisco settled for a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead.
The Chiefs, for the third straight postseason game, finally came to life after their opponent took the lead. Starting off on their own 25, Mahomes and company drove all the way to the San Francisco 15 before facing a 3rd and 11. Mahomes scrambled for a first down, but fumbled the ball backwards behind the sticks, making it a 4th and 1. Rather than going for the field goal, Andy Reid kept his offense on the field to go for the first down. The plan worked, and Damien Williams took the direct snap down to the 1-yard line. Two plays later, Mahomes took it in to make it a 7-3 game.
Second Quarter
The 49ers got the ball back looking to match Kansas City’s touchdown. Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. On 2nd and 12 from his own 41, Garoppolo threw a terrible pass to nobody in particular. Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Breshad Breeland hauled in the errant pass, giving Kansas City the ball at their own 44. The Chiefs made it back into San Francisco’s red zone, but this time they had to settle for a field goal to make it a 10-3 game.
San Francisco refused to go quietly into the night and answered with a scoring drive of their own. After Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman demolished the Kansas City Chiefs on the ground, Kyle Shanahan turned to the air. Garoppolo found Deebo Samuel for a first down before connecting with Kyle Juszczyk for a 15-yard touchdown. Just like that, the 49ers tied the game up at 10 with just over five minutes left in the half.
The Chiefs got the ball back but weren’t able to capitalize on one last scoring opportunity before the half. The 49ers had a chance to get the ball back with roughly 1:30 on the clock, but Shanahan opted not to take a timeout. Instead, San Francisco received the ball at their own 20 with 1:08 and all three timeouts. Shanahan, seemingly content with the tie, called two runs and tried to go into halftime with a tie. Andy Reid was having none of it and called timeout on 3rd and 5 with 24 seconds left in the half. The 49ers proceeded to turn to the air, connecting with Jeff Wilson for a gain of 20. Garoppolo connected with George Kittle for what appeared to be a 42-yard gain, but pass inference wiped away the play. Instead of getting a last-second field goal, San Francisco took a knee and entered the half with a 10-10 tie.
Second Half
The 49ers got the ball to start the second half and immediately moved down the field. Garoppolo started the drive off with two short completions before Deebo Samuel took an end-around for a 14-yard gain. The drive continued down to the Kansas City 24 before the Chiefs forced a 4th and 2. Rather than go for the first down, Shanahan sent on the field goal unit to take a 13-10 lead.
The 49ers had the best defense in football, and they came to play on the ensuing drive. On 2nd and 5, Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa forced a Patrick Mahomes fumble. Mahomes recovered said fumble but proceeded to throw an interception on the very next play. Just like that, the 49ers had a chance to take a commanding lead with solid field position.
San Francisco capitalized on Mahomes’ uncharacteristic mistake. In what was the best drive of the night, Jimmy Garoppolo led a six-play, 55-yard touchdown drive to take a 20-10 lead. Raheem Mostert capped the drive off with a one-yard touchdown, but Garoppolo completed three of his four pass attempts for 52 yards.
Patrick Mahomes’ nightmare game continued on the ensuing possession. Desperately needing to put points on the board, the Chiefs marched all the way down into San Francisco territory. However, Mahomes missed Tyreek Hill on a routine pass, and the ball ended up in the hands of Tarvarius Moore.
San Francisco couldn’t add any more points and hardly took any time off the clock on the ensuing possession. This gave Patrick Mahomes just under nine minutes to try and erase a 10-point deficit. All hope appeared lost when the Chiefs faced a 3rd and 15 from their own 35. However, Tyreek Hill somehow got behind the defense and Mahomes unleashed a 44-yard bomb to speedster. Three plays later, Travis Kelce drew a defensive pass interference penalty to give Kansas City the ball at the one-yard line. Kelce capped off the drive with a wide-open one-yard touchdown to make it a 20-17 game.
The Chiefs were finally in striking distance, but they still needed to get the ball back. A long, time-killing drive could have won the game, but Kansas City’s defense stepped up to the task. The unit forced their first three-and-out of the game, and Mahomes got the ball back with 5:11 left in the game.
Patrick Mahomes saved his best for last and conducted one of the finest drives of his career. Starting at his own his own 35, Mahomes connected all four of his passes and added three more carries to account for all 65 of the drives’ yards. Mahomes found connected with Damien Williams for what appeared to be the go-ahead score, although the play had to go under review. The ruling on the field stood, and Kansas City took an unexpected lead with 2:44 left in the game.
Garoppolo did his best, but he didn’t do enough to pull out the victory. Kansas City’s defense held strong and secured their first Super Bowl win in 50 years. Jimmy Garoppolo missed what could have been the go-ahead touchdown on 3rd and 10 and took a sack on 4th and 10. Damien Williams added a game-clinching touchdown on the ensuing possession to officially end the game.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
