Super Bowl 58 took place Sunday night in Las Vegas. The defending champion Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes, went up against the gauntlet of playmakers that was the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl 54. Both teams had very different paths to the big game but had the same goal and needed one more win to make it a reality.
The game started with the 49ers getting the ball and driving down the field well. They did a good job of spreading the ball around nicely between their different superstars. However, when they were in Kansas City territory, Christian McCaffery had the ball punched out, and it was recovered by the Chiefs, stalling what was a great opening drive. Both teams would be held scoreless in the quarter. The 49ers struck first with a field goal to make it 3-0 before they scored a touchdown on a trick play where Juuan Jennings threw a 21-yard touchdown to Christian McCaffery to make it a 10-0 lead. The Chiefs would manage to get a field goal to finally get on the board before halftime but would need to score in the second half to make a comeback.
The second half started terribly for the Chiefs, as Isiah Pacheco fumbled a toss into the backfield. He was able to get back on it, but a few plays later, Mahomes threw an interception trying to force the ball down the field. The 49ers couldn’t capitalize on the mistake, however, so no points came of it. The Chiefs managed to get a field goal, before a muffed punt by San Francisco set Kansas City up with a short field, as they scored a touchdown on the first play as Mahomes found Marquez-Valdez Scantling in the end zone to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead, their first of the game. The 49ers however, drove right back down the field, as they started to figure out the defense and scored a touchdown on a Jauan Jennings catch, taking back the lead, but they would miss an extra point, which would keep the score 16-13, making it only within a field goal. The Chiefs would tie the game at 16-16, and both teams would trade field goals on nail-biting drives, as Super Bowl 58 went into overtime, tied at 19-19.
The 49ers won the toss and decided to get the ball first. They used all of their weapons, and got into the Kansas City red-zone. On a third down, Jauan Jennings was open to the right side, but immediate pressure on quarterback Brock Purdy forced him to get rid of the ball, forcing the 49ers into a field goal. Now it was Mahomes’ turn. After three offensive plays, down 22-19, the Chiefs needed one yard or the 49ers were champs. A fake run left Mahomes with two options. He would have thrown it to Kelce, or ran it himself, which is what he did, picking up the first down. Mahomes kept finding the open guy on third down, even calling his own number one time, finding his time with first and goal from the three with time running out. Andy Reid dialed up his best play. Mahomes snapped the ball, ran to the left, threw and Mecole Hardman caught it and walked into the end zone to win the Super Bowl for the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes won the Super Bowl again. He’s currently on pace to beat the many records currently held by Tom Brady. His third championship in six years of being a starter, and only at 28 years old. He’s the best player in the NFL right now and will continue to win as long as he’s in the league. The only question now is how many he can get.
