The Kansas City Chiefs have won Super Bowl LIV, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. Kansas City rallied from a 20-10 fourth quarter deficit with less than nine minutes to play, scoring the final 21 points of the game to claim the franchise's first Super Bowl victory since 1970.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Most Valuable Player of the game, completing 26 of 42 passes for 286 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions as well as nine carries for 29 yards and a score. He became the youngest Super Bowl MVP in league history.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid finally won his long-awaited championship after 21 seasons as a head coach, 221 victories (seventh most in NFL history), 15 playoff appearances, 10 division titles, seven conference championship games and a berth in Super Bowl XXXIX.
Kansas City takes the early lead on Mahomes TD run
After forcing a punt on the first possession of the game, San Francisco struck on their opening drive. Jimmy Garoppolo (20-31, 219 yards, TD, 2 INT) found Deebo Samuel for 40 yards down to the Kansas City 32 and the 49ers receiver also scrambled for seven yards on a play that he was designed to throw on.
From there, the drive stalled despite an offsides penalty on Tanoh Kpassagnon and the NFC champions were forced to settle for a 38-yard field goal by Robbie Gould to take a 3-0 lead. The Chiefs offense can't be held down for long and they soon proved that on their next drive.
The Chiefs went to work, their running game doing some surprising damage. While Mahomes was finding his usual targets in Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, it was Damien Williams who picked up four first downs on the drive, including on fourth and one from the San Francisco five, picking up four yards.
The fourth down was only necessitated because of a big hit by 49ers safety Jimmie Ward on Mahomes, who had the ball jarred loose out of bounds short of the first down despite picking it up before the fumble. Two plays later, the 2018 NFL MVP ran off right end from a yard out to give Kansas City a 7-3 lead with Harrison Butker adding an extra point.
San Francisco ties game through unlikely target
The first turnover of Super Bowl LIV occurred 45 seconds into the second quarter as Garoppolo was intercepted by Chiefs cornerback Breshaun Breeland. Mahomes got Sammy Watkins involved on the first play of the drive, finding him for 28 yards and Williams converted on fourth down later on again, but the 49ers stiffened, holding the Chiefs to a 31-yard field goal by Butker, the lead now 10-3.
San Francisco responded with an eight-play drive that would tie the game. Samuel was the catalyst in the passing game again, catching two passes for 27 yards while Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman went to work on the ground. Eventually Garoppolo would hit fullback Kyle Juszczyk on first down from 15 yards out and Gould's extra point evened the score at 10-10, the way it would be at halftime.
49ers build double digit lead on back of solid defense
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan elected not to take a timeout before Kansas City punted and a possible score was negated by a George Kittle offensive pass interference negated a 42-yard reception. Nevertheless, San Francisco took command of the game in the third quarter.
Samuel and Juszczyk contributed on the opening drive of the third quarter as the 49ers methodically drove the ball behind their running game as Mostert and Coleman brought the ball to the Chiefs 24-yard line. Gould booted his second field goal of the night, this one from 42 yards out to give San Francisco a 13-10 lead.
Possessing one of the finest defenses in the league, San Francisco went about forcing a pair of turnovers. Faced with a third and 12 from their own 39, Fred Warner picked off Mahomes on a pass intended for Hill. The NFC champions took full advantage, a one-yard plunge by Mostert extending the lead to 20-10, set up by an 18-yard reception by Kendrick Bourne.
Kansas City embarked on a 12-play drive that covered 5:38, spilling over to the fourth quarter, but Mahomes was intercepted for the second straight drive, this one by Tarvarius Moore. Although they punted, the lead was still ten with 8:53 remaining, setting the stage for one final comeback for a team that has made a habit of coming back.
Mahomes, Williams rally Chiefs for three scores in final nine minutes to clinch second title in franchise history
Kansas City took over on their own 17-yard line with 8:53 left to play and promptly marched down the field. The first key play came after a 16-yard completion to Hill appeared to give the Chiefs a first down, but a challenge reversed the call. The next one was Moore being called for pass interference on Kelce in the end zone, placing the ball on the one-yard line and Mahomes found his All-Pro tight end on the next play to cut the 49ers lead to 20-17.
The Kansas City defense forced a three-and-out, giving the ball back to the suddenly hot offense. Mahomes completed his first four passes of the drive, the last of which went to Sammy Watkins, who had five catches for 98 yards, for 38 yards. Faced with third and goal from the five, Mahomes rolled to his right and found Williams, who just snuck the nose of the ball over the goal line before being pushed out of bounds.
Trailing 24-20, San Francisco regained possession with 2:44 left and was driving, but faced with fourth and ten from the Kansas City 49, Garoppolo was sacked by Frank Clark, giving the AFC champions the ball back. They clinched the game three plays later when Williams rumbled down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown to cap the scoring and Kendall Fuller intercepted Garoppolo to put the finishing touches on Kansas City's finest season in half a century.