Finally, the Kansas City Chiefs made it back to the Big Game: the Super Bowl. It was their first Super Bowl since 1970 and they made their presence felt. San Francisco came back to the Big Game for the first time since they lost to the Ravens back in Super Bowl 47. Both teams looked great going into this game and they both had a great chance to win. Here’s a recap of the game. 

1st Quarter

By the end of the first quarter it was 7-3, with the Chiefs on top. The San Francisco 49ers struck first with a 38 yard field goal from former Chicago Bears kicker Robbie Gould. Both teams charged down the field with strong drives. The 49ers rookie wide receiver, Deebo Samuel ran for plenty of yards off of screen passes and wildcat formations, although their offense was not able to do anything but hit a field goal in the first quarter. On the other hand, Patrick Mahomes and his team were able to go down the field, capping off the drive with a Mahomes TD run by the end of the quarter. Safe to say it looked like a good defensive game up to this point.

2nd Quarter

Within the first plays of the second quarter, the 49ers run heavy offense shied away from the run and their quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo made a poor throw to a locked up receiver, resulting in an interception. The Chiefs quickly capitalized on their mistakes as Mahomes chucked up a big time throw to Sammy Watkins, one of the many fast and talented receivers the Chiefs have on their roster. The Chiefs then continued to run the option and converted for a first down for the second time in the game, although the Chiefs would eventually be stopped again on third down and take their field goal, extending their lead to 10-3.

The 49ers finally got their third possession about halfway through the second quarter and leaned heavily on the run game, this time using all of their threats: Tevin Coleman, Raheem Mostert and Samuel. As soon as they got the Chiefs committing too hard to the run, Garoppolo pulled the ball back out of a play action set and dished the ball out to fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a touchdown. By the two minute warning, the Chiefs couldn’t get anything going, so they ended up punting the ball. Once the 49ers got the ball, they refrained from using their timeouts until third down. They then got a large gain from a run and then heaved it to around the 15 yard line to tight end George Kittle, just for it to get called back. They left halftime tied 10-10.

3rd Quarter

The 49ers got the ball after half and quickly got their offense moving with several Samuel touches, leading to a 42 yard field goal from Gould. The Chiefs got their offense rolling until Defensive Rookie of the Year Nick Bosa forced a Mahomes fumble, which the Chiefs recovered. Mahomes threw a pick on the very next play. On the 49ers’ next possession, Garoppolo delivered some strikes and Mostert ran the ball from the one yard line for a score. 

4th Quarter

The Chiefs held onto the ball for the start of the 4th quarter after a lackluster 3rd quarter. Chiefs running back Damien Williams came out with a shifty reception for the first down helping the Chiefs offense continue a crucial drive. Mahomes scrambled to gain back the yards he lost on the previous play to help save the drive just for him to throw a tipped interception. 

The 49ers punted for the first time about 5 minutes into the fourth quarter. The Chiefs looked a little shaky during what could be considered the most important drive of the game, getting a catch called back. But as soon as everyone started doubting Mahomes, he delivered an absolute bullet to Tyreek Hill for a 44 yard gain bringing them to the 21. Mahomes then attempted to chuck one up to Travis Kelce, who almost caught the ball behind the back of 49ers cornerback Tarvarius Moore, but instead got a pass interference call which put the Chiefs at the one. Mahomes found Kelce for a touchdown to bring the game to 20-17. 

On the 49ers’ next possession, Garoppolo didn’t seem to get anything going and the Chiefs defense held them up to force a four-and-out. Mahomes clutched up and rallied his Chiefs team quickly, airing it out to Sammy Watkins for another big gain. The Chiefs then jumped on top with a short TD pass to Williams. 

Kansas City was now up 24-20 with 2:44 left, and the 49ers would need something shy of a miracle to win the game. Garoppolo began the possession pretty hot, gaining some momentum and making some pretty great throws, but Kansas City’s defense stepped up and held up on fourth down. Kansas City’s Williams broke loose off the edge and scored to put the Chiefs up 31-20 and putting the game out of reach with 1:12 left. 

The Chiefs in the fourth quarter had three straight touchdown drives and Mahomes proved again how lethal and dangerous he is in the fourth quarter. Mahomes, the MVP of the last NFL season displayed his leadership and skills as the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl 54. Mahomes left with Super Bowl MVP honors.

All together the 49ers defense just couldn’t quite stop the explosiveness of the Chiefs offense. The 49ers offense on the other hand, played a lackluster game on offense that no one expected to see out of their above average offense. Garoppolo had a decent game, completing over 60 percent of his attempts and throwing for over 200 yards and the team had major contributions from their run game. All in all, this was one of the better super bowls since Super Bowl 51, where the Patriots came back from 28-3 to beat the Atlanta Falcons, considering the comeback the Chiefs had in the fourth. Kansas City tops San Francisco 31-20.