The Chiefs are enjoying another Super Bowl victory. But the road to glory wasn't a straightforward one.
Genius moment for McCaffrey's touchdown
Especially in the first half, the Niners were the better team, thanks in part to an action pulled from the bottom of his coaching bag by young coach Kyle Shanahan. The best running back in the league, Christian McCaffrey, was picking up relatively successful passes through the middle of the defence until an unexpected and brilliant move by San Francisco came before the end of the second quarter.
Quarterback Brock Purdy did not choose to pass forward this time but unexpectedly sent a pass to the left side of the field where a ready Jauan Jennings was lurking. It was this wild receiver who lured a swarm of defenders onto him and, with a masterful pass across the width of the field, created an alleyway for McCaffrey to score a touchdown. At that point, the 49ers led by 10 points.
Kelce attacking his own coach
Shortly after the 49ers took the lead, Isiah Pacheco was close to scoring a touchdown, only to have the ball fall out of his hands under pressure from the defence and the Chiefs lost their opportunity to score. That set off the star Travis Kelce, who bluntly took it to his coach, yelling in his face. Kelce was clearly upset that he wasn't on the field at that moment. Reid, however, kept his cool, put on a stoic face and kept coaching.
After the game, however, the two players were already exchanging compliments. "It's going to stay between us. I'm playing under the best coach this sport has ever had," Kelce, who was cheered on from the stands by girlfriend and singer Taylor Swift, recounted.
And coach Andy Reid? "He was just telling me: Put me out there, I'm gonna score! That's what I love about him," he maintained the decorum.
A torn Achilles
In a moment when the 49ers were riding a positive wave, they were hit with a major setback off the field. One of the most important pillars of the defense, Dre Greenlaw, was just about to run onto the turf to attack the Chiefs' quarterback again, only instead of a sprint came a fall and a sad end. He tore his Achilles.
Up until that point, San Francisco's defence had been flawless, and who knows how the game would have turned out if the 49ers hadn't lost one of their big mainstays.
Kicking records broken
As is the way in big games, a lot of things are decided by kickoffs. This time it was an exceptional battle between Jake Moody and Harrison Butker. San Francisco began proceedings thanks to Moody. He opened the game's scoring with an accurate 55-yard long kick, bettering the 30-year-old record set by Steve Christie of the Buffalo Bills (54 yards in the 1994 Super Bowl). But Butker was able to counter. In the second half, with great effort, he even scored from 57 yards out! The new Super Bowl record helped the Chiefs turn the game around.
Last-minute magic
It's never over until it's really over. With just three seconds left in the second half, the Chiefs set up a very good position for the aforementioned Butker, who kept his nerve and tied the game at 19-19, setting up only the second overtime in Super Bowl history. He had a 100% success rate in the game, nailing all of his four kicks.
And once again, the Chiefs hit the hearts of San Francisco fans with three seconds to go. This time it was overtime and the winning touchdown. But once again, it was preceded by honest work. The Kansas players handled the key moments flawlessly. Before the decisive action, Mahomes, Pacheco and Kelce got the ball within three yards of the baseline and a final seven-yard pass from Mahomes to Hardman decided the game. There was no answer.
The Chiefs continue to rule the NFL. They have been to the finals four times in the last five years and have won three titles in the Andy Reid era. They were also the first team in 19 years to defend their Super Bowl crown.
