LAS VEGAS — The Kansas City Chiefs had failed to convert in the Red Zone drive after drive.
Four times during regulation play, the Chiefs had worked their way inside the 49ers’ 20-yard line but on those drives had scored just nine points. Their only touchdown had come after recovering a fumbled punt.
Then came overtime.
When they needed it most, the Chiefs marched down the field for a touchdown led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes Sunday night, defeating the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII in front of an Allegiant Stadium crowd of 61,629.
The winning score, on a three-yard pass from Mahomes to Mecole Hardman with seconds remaining in the first overtime, gave Kansas City its third Super Bowl title in five years and second in a row.
The victory Sunday made the Chiefs the first back-to-back Super Bowl champs since the New England Patriots in 2003-4.
“Defensively our guys came out, played their hearts out. They did that all year and kept us in the game,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “The offense just kind of persevered through it. Tough in the first half…and then they got a little better in the second half.”
For the Chiefs, it was a familiar script in a Super Bowl. In previous Super Bowl appearances with Mahomes at quarterback, Kansas City’s offense had struggled early. Sunday might have been the slowest start of all. There were many missed opportunities and a fumble deep in 49ers territory by Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco thwarted one promising first-half drive.
San Francisco opened the scoring in the second quarter with a Super Bowl record 55-yard field goal by Jake Moody (a mark that Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker broke in the third quarter with a 57-yarder).
The 49ers then built a 10-0 lead on a trick play. With under five minutes in the first half, quarterback Brock Purdy lateraled to wide receiver Jauan Jennings who passed across the field to running back Christian McCaffrey who raced to the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown.
The Chiefs responded with a drive that ended in a Butker field goal from 28 yards with 20 seconds left in the half.
It was just a seven-point deficit for the Chiefs at the half, but Reid said it felt like a deeper hole. “When you’re in the Super Bowl and you’re down seven points it feels like 20,” the Chiefs coach said. “You kind of just got to calm it down, we’re right there.”
The Chiefs started haltingly in the second half, too. But after a Mahomes interception, Kansas City recovered a 49ers fumble and Mahomes found Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the ensuing play for a 16-yard touchdown.
On the 49ers’ next possession, Jennings caught a Purdy pass for a score, becoming just the second player to throw and pass for a touchdown in a Super Bowl after Nick Foles did in 2018. Kansas City blocked San Francisco’s extra point to limit the 49ers lead to 16-13.
The blocked point-after proved crucial as it allowed the Chiefs to tie the game with a field goal. The two teams traded field goals in the final two minutes to take the Super Bowl to overtime for just the second time. San Francisco drove to the Kansas City nine-yard line, but the Chiefs defense held and the 49ers settled for a field goal.
Then it was time for Mahomes to take control leading the Chiefs on a methodical 13-play, 75-yard drive — their longest of the night — that ended with Hardman pulling in the winning touchdown pass.
“We’ve had a lot of great playoff runs,” Mahomes said. “But this is going to be up there, because just the way that we kind of continued to battle there when times weren’t great.”