And so it was. After the coin toss was won by the Kansas City Chiefs, they deferred and so the San Francisco 49ers will received the kickoff. On the drive, CMC had some great runs, but ended up fumbling the ball around the 15 yard line, but the Niners were able to have Patrick Mahommes and the Chiefs go three and out, so no damage done from the fumble. KC punts back to the Niners at the 25 yard line. Chiefs were able to stop the 49ers due to two penalties by RG Trent Williams, and were forced to punt the ball back to KC. The 49er defense shut KC down for a three and out after Chase Young got to Mahommes for a sack. Niners take over and drive down the field as the first quarter comes to an end with no score.
Second quarter starts with a bomb to Deebo Samuel that was well-defended by the Chiefs defense, so the 49ers went for a 55 yard field goal by rookie kicker Jake Moody, which he made it! Turns out this field goal by Moody is an NFL Super Bowl record for a rookie.
The Chiefs then threw a 52 yard bomb, and were ready to score when running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled at around the eight yard line, but another three and out for the Niners. KC had the ball next, and as the 49er defense headed to the field, Dre Greenlaw pulled up short with an injury to his left leg, and had to leave the game via the cart. It was later learned that Greenlaw had torn his Achilles tendon, a very serious injury that could see Greenlaw missing playing time next season. The Niners then got the ball back and drove down the field on a couple of great runs by Elijah Mitchell, plus there was a personal foul penalty on the Chiefs as a Chiefs player SLAPPED Brandon Aiyuk after the play was whistled dead, setting up for an astounding flea-flicker of a play as Purdy passed to Jauan Jennings, and Jennings threw to CMC who ran it into the end-zone for a 49er touchdown to take the lead, 10-0. Next the Chiefs marched down the field , but had to settle for a field goal to make the score 10-3 at halftime....otherwise known as Usher-time!
After a great Usher show, KC opened the third quarter by driving down the field until Mahommes over-threw Travis Kelce and rookie Ja'ir Brown intercepted for a Niners turnover possession! Niners ended up having to punt, but so did KC after the Niners stuffed KC on a 3rd and one. So that is both teams with two possessions each and neither has a first down. Deebo went down for a bit, but came back into the game. The Chiefs finally broke the streak, but didn't score, and had to punt to the Niners, where Ray-Ray McCloud fumbled the punt, KC recovered and then on the next play scored on a 16 yard TD throw by Mahommes, leaving the score at 13-10 late in the third quarter.
(I'll insert here that CBS has now shown Taylor Swift seven times, beating the over/under I had at six! Turns out it was 12 times! But we also saw that Lady Gaga was wearing 49er gear!).
In the fourth quarter, the 49ers took the ball and marched downfield, at one point converting a 4th and 3, with Purdy zipping a quick pass to Kittle to get the first down. A few plays later, Purdy found Jennings at the two yard line, where he pirouetted around a defender to walk into the end zone! Moody's extra point kick was blocked, so the score is 16-13. KC and Mahommes marched down the field and was inside the five yard line, but the 49er defense held their ground, and forced KC to kick a field goal, to tie the score at 16 all with about six minutes to go! Purdy marches the Niners down the field, and after being stopped on 3rd down, Jake Moody comes in and makes a 53 yard field goal as Niners take the lead, 19-16, with 1: 53 to go! Mahommes led the Chiefs down the field, and the Niners were able to prevent a game-winning touchdown, by forcing another field goal to send this game into overtime! The 49ers marched down the field to the five yard line, but Chiefs defense held them to a Moody 27 yard field goal to make it the score 22-19! Mahommes then marched the Chiefs down the field as well, and with six seconds left, found a receiver in the end zone to win the game, and Super Bowl XXVIII, 25-22.
For me, the dagger for the 49ers loss was the McCloud fumbled punt that KC recovered, and then immediately scored a touchdown. That gave the Chiefs life, and the rest as they say, is now history.
A very bitter loss for this 49ers team, who actually played better than the Chiefs until the 3rd quarter, where the Niners offense had nothing to contribute. The defense gave a valiant effort, but one cannot give Patrick Mahommes the last chance with the ball. Kansas City is now the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots did it back then. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan still has not won the Super Bowl, despite several appearances, and that will be one of the big stories in the off-season.
Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Andy Reid, MVP Patrick Mahommes and especially Travis Kelce, who now has another Super Bowl ring, and is dating the most popular female on the planet- life is good for Travis. The next two Super Bowl locations will be in New Orleans in 2025, and Levi's Stadium in 2026. And so that concludes the 2023/24 NFL season. See ya in April for the NFL draft, and grab bag nuggets on trades or free agent signings.
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