After two years of fantasy football, I was recently converted to a full-blown football fan. So naturally, I was very excited to tune into this year’s Super Bowl, despite not being a major fan of either the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers. But, I am a fan of George Kittle, tight end for the 49ers, since he has been on both of my fantasy teams and rarely lets me down.
Super Bowl LVIII was truly one for the books and has been nonstop on my mind since Sunday night. It was the first time the Super Bowl was held in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium. It was also a rematch of Super Bowl LIV in 2020, where the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20. The Chiefs are chasing a back-to-back titles, which has not happened since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots did it in 2004 and 2005. This is also their 6th Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and they are looking for their third win in five years.
Another exciting first for this Super Bowl goes to Brock Purdy, the 49ers starting quarterback. This is his first appearance in the biggest game of the season and all eyes are on him to see if he’ll crack under the pressure. Needless to say, I was expecting a very exciting game and I got exactly that. Before we get into the recap, my pre-game prediction was a 49ers win. Again, I don’t know much but I know I love George Kittle, Brock Purdy has been fun to watch all season, and I still haven’t forgiven Travis Kelce for getting hurt the day before my fantasy draft and ruining my plans. (Sorry Swifties, please don’t come after me.)
First Half
If I’m being completely honest, the first quarter was pretty uneventful and a little boring. This was the first time the Chiefs had not scored on the first possession in eight games. The Chiefs have a very strong offense, but the 49ers defense showed up and showed out. Both teams struggled to make any major plays, and the first quarter ended scoreless.
The second quarter is where the game started to pick up as both teams started making plays and grabbing points. The 49ers were first to put up some points after rookie kicker, Jake Moody, set the record for the longest field goal made in a Super Bowl game at 55 yards. Not too long after, Christian McCaffrey scored the first touchdown of the game for the Niners, improving their lead to 10-0. With only 20 seconds left, the Chiefs closed the first half with a field goal of their own to add three points of their own to the scoreboard.
Second Half
While me and 123.4 million other viewers were still recovering from Usher’s incredible halftime performance, the 49ers got straight to business with an interception of Patrick Mahomes’ pass to Travis Kelce. Many of you are probably wondering why I have yet to mention Kelce’s performance in the game, and that’s because at this point, he only had one catch and one yard. However, he put on quite the show at the half when he yelled in head coach, Andy Reid’s face and nearly knocked him over on the sideline.
Remember the record-breaking field goal the Niners’ kicker had earlier in the game? Well, Harrison Butker, the Chiefs’ kicker, responded with a 57-yard field goal, setting a new Super Bowl record. This is where the game starts getting interesting. The Chiefs recovered a 49ers fumble and Patrick Mahomes threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, giving them their first lead of the game.
The Niners started the fourth quarter off strong with another touchdown, but the kick to score an extra point was blocked by the Chiefs’ defense. The rest of the quarter was back-and-forth between the two teams, until the Niners scored a field goal, leading the game with a score of 19-16. Feeling the pressure, the Chiefs kicked into high gear and managed to score a field goal and tie up the game with only three seconds left.
Overtime
Super Bowl 58 continues to make history as it is only the second Super Bowl to go into overtime, and the first to be played under the new overtime rules. With these new rules, both teams have at least one chance to score. The 49ers won the coin toss and chose to have first possession of the ball, which came back to bite them after their 13-play drive ended without a touchdown. They did, however, settle for a 3-point field goal before the ball went to the Chiefs. Kansas City struggled down the field, and Niners fans held onto hope that they had won the Super Bowl. Until, with only three seconds left, Patrick Mahomes threw a short pass to wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who skipped into the endzone and scored the game-winning touchdown.
The Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowl 58 was the final step in establishing the franchise as a dynasty. Like I said before, this Super Bowl was one of many firsts and it didn’t stop with the end of the game. The Niners’ own Christian McCaffrey is the first player to have 80 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards in a Super Bowl. Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is the first Black starting quarterback to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Mahomes is also only one of five quarterbacks to win three or more Super Bowls. The Chiefs are already looking to clinch a third win next year, which would be yet another first for the new dynasty.