Professional Sports Commentary: The Chiefs build their dynasty with 2nd consecutive Super Bowl win
March 4, 2024
By Ariston Nishevci
Staff Writer
The Kansas City Chiefs faced the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in America’s biggest sporting event of the year, the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were down 10-3 at halftime but made a miraculous comeback, sending the game to overtime. With 10 seconds left on the clock in overtime, the Chiefs scored the game-winning touchdown, winning 25-22. This is the Chief’s third Super Bowl win in the last four years, which reflects their unparalleled talent in the National Football League.
The 49ers’ had an advantage in the playoffs due to a buy they received in the regular season due to their strong record. Leading up to the Super Bowl, the 49ers finished first in the National Football Conference – Western Division with a 12-5 record. In the divisional round of the playoffs, the 49ers’ first game against the Green Bay Packers resulted in a 24-21 victory. Then, they played the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship and also beat them 34-31.
The Chiefs had a harder route to the Super Bowl but finished first in the American Football Conference – Western Division with an 11-6 record. In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they played against the Miami Dolphins and beat them 24-7. Next up for the Chiefs was the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round, which resulted in a 27-24 win. The Chiefs played the Baltimore Ravens next in the AFC championship and beat them 17-10 in a controversial game in which the officials made some questionable decisions favoring the Chiefs.
The game intensified as the Chiefs got higher up the field and finally, with nine seconds to go, quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed the ball to wide receiver Mecole Hardman for the winning touchdown.
Super Bowl LVIII, which took place at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, was a rematch between the 49ers and the Chiefs, who faced off in Super Bowl LIV, in 2020 with the Chiefs coming out on top. The game was, to say the least, hyped up to be a great one.
The 49ers started the game with possession of the ball, but on the first down, they turned the ball over by fumbling it. This was the only interesting thing that happened in the first quarter as it ended 0-0.
In the second quarter, the 49ers took the lead and scored a field goal to make the score 3-0. Then, they scored a touchdown and made the extra point to bring the score to 10-0. Towards the end of the second quarter, the Chiefs finally scored a field goal, ending the first half 10-3.
In the third quarter, the Chiefs began by scoring a field goal to bring the score to 10-6. Right after the return, the 49ers fumbled the ball. The Chiefs recovered it, and on the next down, they scored a touchdown and made the extra point to bring the score to 13-10.
The 49ers started off the fourth quarter by scoring a touchdown but couldn’t score the extra point as the Chiefs’ defense blocked it. The Chiefs went up the other end to score a field goal and tie the game up 16-16. Next, the 49ers scored a field goal as did the Chiefs. Regular time ended 19-19.
At the start of overtime, the 49ers had possession of the ball and scored a field goal. The game intensified as the Chiefs got higher up the field and finally, with nine seconds to go, quarterback Patrick Mahomes passed the ball to wide receiver Mecole Hardman for the winning touchdown.
Despite the 49ers’ loss, quarterback Brock Purdy had a relatively good game. He went for 255 yards and threw one touchdown pass, which is respectable for the Super Bowl.
Mahomes went for 333 yards and threw two touchdown passes. However, he also threw an interception.
This game was Mahomes’ third Super Bowl which opened up the conversation about whether he would overtake Tom Brady, who played on the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the greatest quarterback of all time. I don’t think he will because Mahomes has a good team around him. In contrast, Brady was not only around legends, but he created legends just by playing with them. That’s the type of aura Mahomes needs to develop.
As for the final result of the game, I was a bit disappointed that the 49ers lost because I wanted to see them win after losing in 2020. I also wanted them to win because the sport is more interesting when the Super Bowl does not have the same winner in consecutive years.
Nonetheless, the game was enjoyable to watch because each team had its fair share of clutch moments, and both teams played their hearts out, making it a very entertaining Super Bowl.
