CHIEFS REPEAT AS CHAMPIONS, WIN ON WALK-OFF TOUCHDOWN
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
It's hard to repeat as champions. But the Chiefs needed just a little extra time in order to do it.
After the San Francisco 49ers leaned on its running back during its only drive of overtime, the Chiefs had multiple chances to throw the game away. But the reigning champions showed why they should have been crowned again.
With the clock winding down with just a few seconds left in the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes took a snap on the Niners' 3-yard line, ran to the right and casually tossed the game-winning pass to receiver Mecole Hardman.
“The motion was the exact same motion we ran in the Super Bowl last year. That’s a little risky as always, but coach (Andy) Reid knows when to call those plays at the right time,” Mahomes said in a postgame press conference.
The game-winning drive spanned 13 plays, 75 yards over 7:19. Mahomes was the star of the drive, completing all eight of his passes for 42 yards and ran for 27 yards on two attempts, including an eight-yard scamper on a fourth-and-1 on the Kansas City with about 6 minutes to go in overtime to save the drive.
The Chiefs' 25-22 victory at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas marked the first time in nearly 20 years a franchise has been able to repeat as champions, the last occurring for the New England Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. In reminiscence of the Patriots' dynasty, Kansas City became the second team to win the Super Bowl in overtime, the last being Tom Brady's Patriots in the 2016 season.
Kansas City owes a lot of this victory to its kicker Harrison Butker, who had the game-winning play in last year's championship against the Eagles.
Kansas City had some trouble finding the end zone for most of the night. The Chiefs found the end zone on just two of its six trips to the red zone. Butker made four field goals throughout the night, including a Super Bowl record 57-yarder in the third and two chip shots in the fourth to tie the game.
The champions weren't without their faults. The Chiefs tallied five fumbles on Sunday night, but lost just one and recovered both fumbles by the Niners. Both teams had six penalties apiece.
“We play hard, it’s not always pretty but we fight hard to the very end,” Mahomes said in the press conference.
Mahomes earned MVP honors with a game-high 355 yards on 34-of-46 passing, two touchdowns and an interception and also paced Kansas City in rushing with 66 yards on nine carries. The Chiefs totaled 455 yards. Tight end Travis Kelce led Kansas City's receivers with 96 yards on nine catches.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy ended up with 255 yards on 23-of-38 passing and a touchdown as the Niners totaled 382 yards. Christian McCaffrey came up with 80 yards rushing on 22 carries, and another 80 yards receiving on eight catches.
Moody makes another kick, Niners lead 22-19 in OT
Stop if you've heard this before, a field goal was made in this Super Bowl.
The Niners relied heavily on Christian McCaffrey on the opening drive of overtime. Jake Moody made his third field goal of the game -- a 27-yarder on a fourth-and-9 -- to take a 22-9 lead.
The Chiefs will get one more shot to either tie the game with a field goal... or win with a touchdown.
Butker makes another kick, game tied 19-all heading into overtime
Praise be to the kicker.
Harrison Butker made his fourth field goal of the night with 3 seconds left in regulation to tie the game again at 19-all.
The Chiefs looked like they were going to find the end zone for the second time after Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce for a 22-yard completion, on a third-and-7 on the Niners 33-yard line. But once again, they couldn't punch it in in time.
This is the second Super Bowl to head into overtime, the first being the New England Patriots' comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in 2017.
Niners come up with another field goal, take 19-16 lead
A kicking contest has been on full display Sunday night at the Super Bowl.
Niners kicker Jake Moody put through a 53-yard field goal with 1 minute, 53 seconds left in the game.
Five field goals have been made between the kickers for both teams.
Moody's kick ended a seven-play, 40-yard drive that lasted 3:53. The Chiefs get another shot at the lead.
Butker makes third field goal, ties game at 16-all
Kansas City kicked Harrison Butker is having quite the game.
The Chiefs kicker chipped in a 24-yard field goal to knot the game at 16-all with 5 minutes, 46 seconds to go.
The field goal -- Butker's third of the day, including a record-setting 57-yarder in the third -- capped off a 12-play, 69-yard drive. The Chiefs have been struggling to find the end zone today, with just getting one touchdown on four trips to the red zone.
Niners take back the lead in the fourth, go up 16-13
San Francisco struck back at Kansas City to seemingly erase its earlier fumble.
The Chiefs scored on the previous drive because of a special teams error by the Niners. San Francisco answered with a touchdown of its own.
On a fourth-and-3 at the Kansas City 15, San Francisco decided to go for it. Brock Purdy found tight end George Kittle for the first down. Two plays later, Purdy found receiver Jauan Jennings, who grabbed the pass and bounced off two defenders to find the end zone.
The Chiefs blocked the extra point to keep the score at 16-13 with 11 minutes, 22 seconds to go.
Chiefs capitalize on missed return, take 13-10 lead
The Chiefs made the most from a Niners error.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes found receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard score, just one play after recovering a fumble. Ray-Ray McCloud III, of the Niners, looked like he told his teammates to get away from a ball punted to him.
But instead of San Francisco starting a new drive, he touched the ball, making it live. The Chiefs easily recovered, setting up the scoring strike. Two minutes, 28 seconds remain in the third quarter.
The third quarter ends with the Chiefs leading 13-10.
Butker gets another field goal, sets Super Bowl record, Chiefs cut lead to 10-6
The hero of last year's Super Bowl set the Super Bowl record for the longest field goal with about 5 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker booted a 57-yard field goal to set the Super Bowl record, which was previously set in the first quarter by San Francisco kicker Jake Moody. The Chiefs trail 10-6.
The kick ended a nine-play, 47-yard drive for Kansas City, which was fueled by a 22-yard scramble by quarterback Patrick Mahomes on a first-and-10 on the Chiefs' 45-yard line.
Chiefs get on the board before the half, trail 10-3
The Kansas City offense has run into some issues today, but it was finally able to get a few points before the end of the first half.
The Chiefs got into the red zone, thanks to a couple of big passes from quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But they got stopped again, leading to a short 28-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with about 20 seconds left in the period. San Francisco let the clock run out when it got the ball back.
Mahomes ends the half with 123 yards on 11-of-13 passing. The 49ers have the halftime yardage advantage 189-137. Quarterback Brock Purdy also has 123 yards, but on 10-of-15 passing.
San Francisco receiver Jauan Jennings has the lone touchdown pass of the game, which was executed on a double pass earlier in the second quarter. Running back Christian McCaffrey has 33 yards on nine carriers, as well as 47 yards receiving with a score on five catches.
Both teams have turned the ball over once on a fumble. The Chiefs have been penalized five times for 50 yards, while the Niners have had three penalties for 20 yards.
Niners score on double pass, stretch lead to 10 points
The 49ers are starting to take control.
On a second-and-10 on the Kansas City 21-yard line, coach Kyle Shanahan called a double-pass. Quarterback Brock Purdy flipped it to receiver Jauan Jennings to the left side of the field, who then flung it to running back Christian McCaffrey on the right side.
McCaffrey ran through a screen and got to the end zone untouched. The Niners lead 10-0 with 4 minutes, 23 seconds to go in the first half.
Pacheco fumbles in red zone, Chiefs still trail 3-0 -- 6:27
The Chiefs were so close to getting on the board.
After allowing a field goal in the first 12 seconds of the second, quarterback Patrick Mahomes came up with a 59-yard pass on a first-and-10 from the Kansas City 39-yard line to put the Chiefs on the Niners 9-yard line
Running back Isiah Pacheco ran up the left side of the field and turned the ball over on a fumble.
Field goal puts Niners in lead in second quarter
San Francisco kicker Jake Moody drilled a 55-yard field goal within the first 12 seconds of the second quarter to give the Niners the first lead of the game.
The kick capped off an 11-play, 83-yard drive that spanned 4 minutes.
Super Bowl scoreless after first quarter
There wasn't much going on in the first quarter of the Super Bowl and no scores have been made.
Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis recovered a fumble in the opening drive, but Kansas City wasn't able to capitalize.
The San Francisco 49ers look like they have a chance to score, with the quarter ending on a drive inside Kansas City territory.
PREGRAME
5:36 p.m. The Chiefs have won the coin toss and will defer to receive until the second half. San Francisco will receive the kickoff.
The Kansas City Chiefs will be defending their Super Bowl title tonight against the San Francisco 49ers.
The NFC champion Niners come in as 1.5-point favorites. The game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. CST at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Check back here throughout the night for live updates.
