Courtesy of RDNE Stock Project
After five months of grueling battles in the trenches, spectacular victories, and heartbreaking defeats, the most anticipated game of the NFL season was set to be underway in Las Vegas. The Kansas City Chiefs would take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58, a rematch of their electric duel in Super Bowl 54, leading to the most-watched program in the United States since the Moon Landing in 1969, according to Reuters. While many football fans tuned in to see the best teams in their respective conferences, others tuned in for the commercials and many more tuned in for the Halftime Show led by Usher. Outside the scheduled broadcast, the game had exciting narratives to build up expectations— primarily, the Taylor Swift saga, as she would once again be in attendance. Super Bowl 58 and the 2024 NFL season wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Swift, whose relationship with Chief’s Tight End, Travis Kelce, made national headlines. Swift’s attendance at Chiefs’ games all season brought millions of new eyes onto the sport and generated an expected $331.5m in revenue for the league, according to Al Jazeera.
The game had storylines galore. On one side, the 49ers sought revenge for their defeat four years prior. Led by the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, there were questions about whether he could deal with the two-time Super Bowl MVP, Patrick Mahomes, or if he would prove the doubters right and buckle under the pressure. On the other side, the Chiefs were trying to be the first repeat Super Bowl Champions since the 2003-2004 New England Patriots. However, the Chiefs dynasty crumbling before it got off the ground was a genuine possibility. They have looked different from years past. In the past, they were led by Mahomes and a unique high-flying passing attack. This year, while Mahomes was still the signal-caller, there was a greater emphasis on the run game, and the defense was a top-tier unit leading the Chiefs back to the big game. While the roster was mostly complete, the receiving corps was a severe weakness all season. They lead the league in dropped passes, and the narrative all season long was how the pass catchers were letting Mahomes down. On the brightest stage, would they clean their act up or fumble away a chance to make history?
Finally, the Super Bowl and 2024 NFL seasons wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Taylor Swift, who brought millions of new eyes onto the sport and generated an expected $331.5m in revenue for the league, according to Al Jazeera. Swift’s relationship with Chief’s Tight End, Travis Kelce, made national headlines once more as she would be in attendance at the game. All that attention came to a boiling point in the game’s 6:30 p.mn. EST kickoff and the official start.
Q1:
The first quarter started with a bang as the Chiefs won the coin toss and elected to defer their possession. The 49ers received the kickoff and, on their first drive, took the ball 46 yards and in striking distance of putting points on the board before an untimely fumble by All-Pro running back Christian McCaffery. The Chiefs were able to recover but were unable to put any points on the board, and the two teams traded punts, ending the first quarter scoreless.
Q2:
The second quarter is where the double goose egg would be sidelined by a 49ers field goal on their first possession of the quarter. The Chiefs would respond with a convincing six-play, 66-yard drive to the 49ers’ nine-yard line before running back Isiah Pacheco would have his fumble recovered by the defense. The two teams would exchange punts, and the 49ers got the ball back to lead a 52-yard drive capped off by a spectacular double-pass touchdown from receiver Jauan Jennings to McCaffery, becoming the sixth non-quarterback touchdown pass in Super Bowl History. The Chiefs responded with a 15-play, 70-yard drive, which ended the half with a field goal and the score of 10-3 in favor of the 49ers.
Q3:
After an exuberant Halftime Show, the Chiefs and 49ers were excited to get back onto the field to start the Chiefs’ offensive drive. That drive started with the Chiefs recovering another fumble by Pacheco. The Chiefs would end up pushing their luck as Mahomes threw an interception a few plays later. The subsequent three possessions ended in punts before the Chiefs amassed a drive ending in a field goal. The 49ers and Chiefs would each punt the ball. However, a muffed punt recovered by Kansas City led to a touchdown to end the quarter with a score of 10-13.
Q4:
With the pressure mounting, the 49ers led the longest drive of regulation with a touchdown pass to Jennings. However, the extra point was blocked, only giving San Francisco a three-point lead. A lead the Chiefs would close with their own drive, which concluded with a field goal. The 49ers would strike back with their own field goal to retake the lead, needing one stop to earn their first Super Bowl victory in almost 30 years. Nevertheless, Mahomes led the Kansas City offense on a 12-play, 64-yard drive in under two minutes to end regulation in a 19-19 tie. The 49ers and Chiefs would be entering overtime for only the second time in Super Bowl history.
Overtime:
Overtime began with a strange coin toss, with the 49ers electing to receive the kickoff. While in past seasons, that would have been the default decision, a rule change allows both teams to possess the ball on offense, barring a defensive score. The Chiefs were seemingly aware of the rule change, while multiple 49ers players admitted, after the game, they had no idea the new rules were implemented. The 49ers led the longest-lasting drive of the game but only ended it with a field goal and were forced to give the ball back to Mahomes with one last chance at victory. Able to capitalize on his opportunity, Mahomes diced the 49er defense slowly and meticulously down to the San Francisco three-yard line before throwing the game-sealing touchdown to receiver Mecole Hardman, who only rejoined the team three months prior.
Super Bowl 58 was a memorable game where two of the best defenses, head coaches, and quarterbacks dueled for supremacy over the entire sport of football. The game will be remembered for the heroics of Kansas City, the hiccups that cost San Francisco the game, and the broken records that will be forever cemented into the legacies of the players and the two coaching staffs that competed for months through the toughest competition the sport has to offer. As the 2023 NFL season ends, many questions are answered, but new ones continue to arise as the stages begin to set for September, where all 32 franchises will vie for their chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
