Feeling any FOMO that you missed the big game? No worries, attached is our own play-by-play of the biggest and most monumental moments that ultimately decided the winner of the 58th Superbowl.
First Half:
With the Kansas City Chiefs’ amazing kicker, Harrison Butker, blasting the ball into the endzone made for a powerful opening statement and a touchback. The star-studded San Francisco 49er’s offense took the field and began moving the ball systemically down the field as they normally do to all opponents. What they didn’t bargain for was the pure power of the Chiefs defensive line, which forced the superstar running back Cristian McCaffrey to fumble his third time in the entire season. After this, the teams went head to head in an even matchup, both coming short of the first down, being forced to punt. The group that broke this cycle was the powerhouse 49er’s offense. Getting within 55 yards of the field goal, their kicker Jake Moody nailed a 55 yard field goal to get his team up by 3. The Chiefs responded with…nothing. They were struggling to find a groove in the game, and shortly had a fumble of their own. The 49er’s shortly took advantage of this, and within their next 2 drives scored a touchdown on a mesmerizing trick play. A wide receiver (Juan Jennings) threw a pass to Cristian McCaffrey, who would then run for 14 yards for a touchdown. With the ball being given to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense with little left in the half, nothing was expected of them due to the rigor of the 49er’s stifling defense. However, Mahomes was able to retaliate this time around, getting the ball far enough down the field for a field goal to be kicked (and scored)
Second Half:
The disastrous game for the Chiefs continued right into the second half. On the first play they have a failed pitch resulting in a fumble. Two plays later Patrick overthrows Kelce on a 15 yard pass, leading to a pick by San Fran. The 49ers at this point had a 77% chance of winning and with all the momentum it seemed that they could put the game nearly out of reach off the turnover. However, the Chiefs defense held up causing them to have to punt after a 3 and out. The Chiefs stayed in their slump leading to another 3 and out. They stayed on fire though forcing another punt, which resulted in negative yards. Kansas City finally responded and was able to drive 47 yards and set the record for the longest field goal in superbowl history. However, this offset as the Chiefs couldn’t keep their offense going and had to punt it off. However, this punt would change the game as by some luck spell, the ball would hit off a 49er player’s foot unknowingly to him causing it to be a live ball for both the teams to recover. Despite Ray Ray McCloud III’s best efforts of recovering it, the chiefs players pounced on the ball giving them a new drive at the 14 yards line. Patrick and Marquez Valdes-Scantling capitalized on this gift with a 14 yard one play touchdown, 10-6. The 49ers would pick up their offense with a methodical drive of 75 yards and 12 plays for a touchdown, 16-13. The Chiefs would try to respond with a 69 yards 12 play drive. This didn’t lead to a touchdown like expected with them at the 3 yard line, but still were able to put up 3. The updated score was a tight 16-16. The 49ers then drove 40 yards in 7 plays to put up a 53 yard field goal, changing the score yet again to 19-16. The Chiefs in order to send the game to overtime drove down the field 64 yards in 11 plays in order to make a 34 yard field goal to send it to overtime.
Overtime:
The 49ers started overtime by starting with the ball on the first possession. This drive started off ugly with an incomplete pass to Deebo then a false start from Brandon Aiyuk. Then, Purdy completed a 2 yard pass to make it 3rd in 13. An incomplete pass from Purdy made it seem that it was now the Chiefs game to lose… until there was a flag. The rising superstar Trent McDuffie who had locked down the 49ers receivers all game had held Juan Jennings. This resulted in a 10 yard penalty and an automatic first down. The 49ers then gained the firepower to push the ball down the field. An 11 yard pass to Ayuik, 24 yard catch and run from Christian McCaffrey, and another catch from Ayuik for 13 yards led the 49ers to the 15 yard line. However, despite a 6 yard run from CMC, the Chiefs defense locked in and forced 2 straight no gain plays. This, in turn, led to the 49ers kicking a field goal to make it 22-19. The Chiefs now got the ball back with a chance to win the game. The two scenarios that were yet to unfold: The Chiefs scoring a touchdown on this drive, then claiming the title of the Super Bowl or the Chiefs scoring a field goal, then the 49ers are able to have a chance to get either a walk off field goal or touchdown for the win. If the Chiefs cannot gain any points, then they lose the game leaving the 49ers superbowl champions. Looking at the play, the The Chiefs got the ball on the 25 yard line. The momentum from the Chiefs offense seemed to be drained as they found themselves in a 4th &1. This was a monumental moment in the game as a 49ers defensive stand could result in them winning the game. No one will know what could’ve come from a turnover on downs in this moment as it could have stopped what looks to be a future of the NFL run by the new Chiefs dynasty. With the magic of Mahomes, they were able to convert the 4th down with an incredible escape from the pocket and rush for 8 yards and the first down by the quarterback. They were able to keep the drive going and subsequently gained 30 yards until they found themselves in another nail-biting spot. 3rd & 1 arrived without a conversion, which they feared either having to kick a field goal to give the 49ers the ball back, or a turnover on downs ending the game. Once again, the greatest of Mahomes showed up when the team needed it the most as he scrambled up the middle for nearly 20 yards putting the Chiefs offense at the 13 yard line with the chance of Mahomes winning his 3rd superbowl. Isaiah Pacheco runs up the middle for 3 yards making it 2nd in 7 at the 10 yard line. Mahomes passes a shallow route to Kelce on the left outside the hashes and incredibly breaks a tackle to run for a first down, 1st in goal. On the 3 yard line the Chiefs were primed to win the game. Mecole Hardman, a player who returned to the Chiefs nearly half way through the season after being traded from the Jets ran a zig route to make a walk off touchdown reception to win the Chiefs their 3rd superbowl in 5 years!
Why was it a bad decision for the 49er’s to receive the ball first in Overtime?
The new playoff overtime rules ensure that each team has a chance to have the ball, no matter what. Even if the team who has the first offensive drive of overtime scores a touchdown, the second team has a chance to match it to send the game into double overtime. However, if the first team scores a field goal, the next team to have the ball can either match their field goal or score a touchdown of their own to win the game. This was the exact predicament that the 49er’s faced, as they elected to receive the ball first and only scored a field goal. This allowed the Chiefs to win the game by scoring a touchdown or sending it to double overtime by matching their field goal. It is advantageous to have an offensive drive after the other team because it allows you to strategize. If the other team only scores a field goal then you know that you can either score one of your own or close the game with a touchdown. This is information that the team going first does not have, and this is why they are disadvantaged.
