LAS VEGAS — The Kansas City Chiefs are the Super Bowl champions.
Sunday in Las Vegas, Nev., the Chiefs overcame a double-digit deficit to win Super Bowl LVIII, 25-22, over the San Francisco 49ers. The game was the first with the new postseason overtime rules.
The Chiefs are the first team to repeat as champions in 19 seasons. The New England Patriots won back-to-back titles.
In the Chiefs’ run of three titles in five seasons, the team has overcome a double-digit deficit in each game.
Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes hit Mecole Hardman with a four yard pass with 14:57 left in the second period of overtime to give the Chiefs the victory.
The new overtime rules states that each team gets at least one possession in overtime. The teams must match what the other team has produced on offense to continue the game.
San Francisco won the overtime coin toss and selected to take the ball first. The 49ers were driving and were faced with a third-and-goal from the Kansas City 4.
The Chiefs held forcing the 49ers to kick a field goal to move ahead, 22-19.
Kansas City moved the ball down the field converting two third-down plays and one fourth-down play.
Mahomes hit Travis Kelce on a long play that moved the ball to the 11 yard-line. That was before team headed to the end zone to win the ballgame.
San Francisco took a 3-0 lead in the second period on a field goal. The 49ers scored on a halfback pass to take a 10-0 lead.
Kansas City’s Harrison Butker kicked a Super Bowl record 55-yard field goal to make it a 10-3 score at halftime.
The Chiefs got the ball to start the second half. They didn’t convert on their first two possessions and on the third possession they depended on Butker to kick another field goal.
Trailing, 10-6, the Chiefs caught a break when a punt hit a 49er player. The Chiefs recovered the ball and on the first play from scrimmage Mahomes hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That gave Kansas City its first lead of the game at 13-10 when Butker hit the PAT.
San Francisco answered with a touchdown of their own, but the PAT was blocked making it a 16-13 contest.
Butker finished the game with four field goals. The last one coming with 3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
Mahomes finished the game hitting 34-of-46 passes for 333 yards. He was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
The announced attendance at the game was 61,629. It was the smallest crowd in Super Bowl history except for the pandemic game three years ago.
