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5 takeaways from Super Bowl LVIII: Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs cement NFL’s new dynasty
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have now won three Super Bowls in five seasons.
There’s a new dynasty in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25-22, in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday — with KC standing as the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowl titles since Tom Brady and the Patriots accomplished the feat in Feb. 2004-05.
Behind another dominant performance from Super Bowl LVIII MVP Patrick Mahomes (34-of-46, 333 passing yards, 66 rushing yards, two touchdowns), the Chiefs rallied back from a 10-3 halftime deficit — trading leads with the 49ers throughout the second half en route to an overtime showdown.
San Francisco opened the extra frame with a 27-yard field goal from Jake Moody, but Mahomes and the Chiefs responded with a 13-play drive that ended with a three-yard, title-clinching catch from Mecole Hardman to end the game.
Here are five takeaways from Super Bowl LVIII:
1. Mahomes, Chiefs solidify their spot among top dynasties in the NFL
Yes, we know the discourse in the next few days might be arduous — at least for most Patriots fans.
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And yes, Mahomes and the Chiefs still have another three titles to go if they want to equal what Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots accomplished over a two-decade run.
But it’s time to give Mahomes and this Chiefs team their flowers after their third title in five seasons. Not only is there a new dynasty etched into the NFL record books, it doesn’t seem to be ending any time soon.
“It’s the start of one,” the 28-year-old Mahomes said of Sunday’s win establishing a dynasty. “But we’re not done. I know we’re going to celebrate tonight. … But we’re not done. We’ve got a young team, we’re going to keep this thing going.”
That should terrify a lot of other contenders across the NFL looking to hoist the Lombardi Trophy over the next few years — and might cause some worry among fans in Foxborough who thought New England’s reign was going to be unchallenged for quite some time.
2. 49ers controlled the first half
It wasn’t an ideal start for the 49ers, with Christian McCaffrey (160 total yards) fumbling on an opening drive that saw San Francisco gain 46 yards on just four plays.
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But a stout showing from the Niners’ defense made life miserable for Mahomes and the Chiefs throughout the first 30 minutes of play. Kansas City didn’t land on the scoreboard until Harrison Butker connected on a 28-yard field goal with 23 seconds left in the half.
KC had a prime chance to score after Mahomes connected on a 53-yard bomb to Hardman, but Isiah Pacheco fumbled within the 10-yard line to negate the quality drive in the second quarter.
While Mahomes and Travis Kelce (one reception, one yard in the first half) were kept in check, the Niners built themselves a lead going into halftime.
Jake Moody drilled a 55-yard field goal early in the second quarter to put San Francisco ahead, while a trick play drawn up by coach Kyle Shanahan helped McCaffrey find the end zone with 4:32 left in the half.
In an intricate double-pass play, Purdy lateraled the ball to wide receiver Jauan Jennings. Jennings then tossed it over to the right side of the field to McCaffrey — who ran into the end zone to give San Francisco a 10-0 lead.
Even with Butker’s late kick, San Francisco largely controlled play in all three phases of the game going into the second half.
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Still, a seven-point lead doesn’t offer a whole lot of breathing room — especially against a QB like Mahomes.
3. A frantic second half
Sure enough, the Chiefs finally woke up in the second half — even though Mahomes opened the third quarter with a drive that ended in an interception by San Francisco’s Ji’Ayir Brown.
San Francisco was unable to capitalize on Mahomes’ miscue, with the Niners punting on three straight drives coming out of the half.
Butker made it a 10-6 game with 4:01 to go in the third, with the veteran booting the longest field goal in Super Bowl history (57 yards).
A costly special-teams miscue by the 49ers gave Mahomes and the Chiefs new life in the final minute of the third quarter.
After forcing a KC punt, the ball bounced off the foot of San Francisco’s Darrell Luter and was pounced on by the Chiefs — giving Kansas City a new start in the red zone. Just one play after that momentum-shifting gaffe, Mahomes hit Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead.
But Jennings once again came up clutch for San Francisco. Right after Valdes-Scantling scored, the Niners orchestrated a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended when Jennings fought through tackles and pushed his way into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. However, Moody’s extra point was blocked, keeping it a three-point game.
Kansas City’s next drive made it all the way to the Niners’ 3-yard line, but they eventually had to settle for another Butker field goal, leading to a 16-16 deadlock.
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In what became a theme all night, a long field goal led to a lead change — with Moody’s 53-yard kick giving the Niners a 19-16 lead with under two minutes left in regulation.
But Mahomes and the Chiefs would not be denied, with KC marching down the field and tying the game off of a 29-yard Butker field goal with six seconds to go.
For just the second time in Super Bowl history, overtime was needed to decide who was going to lift the Lombardi Trophy — with Mahomes answering the Niners’ opening field goal and securing the win with his three-yard pass to Hardman.
It was a clutch, 13-play, 76-yard drive by Mahomes — who converted on a fourth-down play and two other third-down sequences en route to back-to-back titles.
4. Usher brought out a stacked supporting cast during Halftime Show
Beyond a riveting finish on the gridiron between the Chiefs and 49ers, fans across the globe were also treated to an entertaining halftime show led by Usher and a loaded cast of other A-list performers.
In a 13-minute performance spanning decades of his career, the R&B superstar opened with hits like “Caught Up,” “You Don’t Have To Call,” and “Love In This Club.”
The first surprise guest of the show was Alicia Keys, who led off with her hit “If I Ain’t Got You” before joining Usher for a duet performance of “My Boo”.
After performing “Burn” and “U Got It Bad” (featuring an appearance by pop star H.E.R.), Usher brought out will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas for their hit “OMG”.
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As expected, Usher closed out the festivities with his mega-hit “Yeah!” — with Lil Jon and Ludacris joining him on stage.
As is the case every year with the Super Bowl Halftime Show, musicians are handed the tough task of cramming a career’s worth of hits into such a short time slot. But Usher managed to keep the show fresh with different set pieces, plenty of classic hits and a lot of noteworthy guests.
What did you think of Usher’s halftime show? Give your thoughts in the comment section below.
5. Super Bowl ad slots featured plenty of Patriots, local celebs
Yes, the Patriots have not made it to the Super Bowl in five years.
But this latest batch of Super Bowl commercials on Sunday featured plenty of Foxborough legends — along with several celebrities from Massachusetts.
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski were featured early on in Sunday’s ad reel with commercials for BetMGM and FanDuel, respectively.
But the top hit of the night (at least in this market) had to be Dunkin’s spot — which featured Brady, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon teaming up and trying to showcase their musical talents in front of Affleck’s singer-actress partner, Jennifer Lopez.
I don’t know about you, but I need to get me one of those “DunKings” tracksuits.
———
Starting at 5:45 p.m., we’ll have this live blog up and running — detailing the top plays and moments from Super Bowl LVIII.
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Follow along throughout the night — and check back later for some of our top takeaways from the big game after the Lombardi Trophy is handed out.
LIVE UPDATES:
10:53: The Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Mahomes is not denied, as he hits Mecole Hardman for a championship-winning touchdown from 3 yards out to end a 25-22 win for Kansas City.
There’s a new dynasty in place in the NFL.
10:35: Huge play by Chris Jones of KC to force a hurried throw by Purdy.
Moody connects on a short field goal to give San Francisco a 22-19 lead.
Mahomes and the Chiefs have a chance to win it with a touchdown — or they can kick a field goal and keep OT going.
10:29: Shoulder injury for Kittle. Bad break for the Niners there.
10:26: Ooof, that’s a brutal flag against McDuffie. And who else but Jennings as the guy who draws the flag.
10:20: 49ers will get the ball first in overtime.
10:17: A reminder of overtime rules:
10:16: All tied up, again. Butker puts us on the brink of overtime.
10:07: Jake Moody connects on a 53-yard field goal. San Francisco takes a 19-16 lead.
Chiefs get the ball with 1:53 to go, down 3. Here we go.
9:54: Chiefs drive all the way into the end zone, but have to settle for another field goal.
16-16 game with under six minutes to go.
9:42: This game is starting to ramp up — as we expected going into this one.
Jauan Jennings fights his way for 10 yards and ends up in the end zone for a Niners touchdown.
16-13 Niners after they don’t convert on the point after.
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9:24: Special-teams play has been huge in this game. That miscue leads to a red-zone chance for the Chiefs — with Mahomes hitting Valdes-Scantling in the end zone.
Chiefs lead, 13-10.
9:14: The Chiefs secured the first first downs of the second half — and Butker than sets a new record with a 57-yard field goal.
9:08: What a great special-teams play by Chris Conley.
9:07: Samuel to the medical tent.
9:05: Oh man, Deebo Samuel is down on the field.
8:48: Patrick Mahomes is picked off. Bad overthrow and awful decision making.
8:35: Thoughts on Usher’s halftime performance?
8:16: Not a bad replay of McCaffrey’s TD.
8:11: Chiefs manage to get on the board with a field goal — but man, the 49ers defense made things miserable for KC’s offense for most of that half.
10-3 Niners at the break.
7:53: Good lord that Dunkin ad.
7:50: Quite the way to score the first touchdown of the night. Sweet trick play.
7:48: Bold move to slap a player right in front of the ref.
7:44: An achilles injury for Greenlaw.
7:38: Oh man, that’s brutal for Greenlaw.
7:34: Ooof.
7:27: Ooooof. KC then fumbles the ball to kill that drive. Niners take over.
7:25: Patrick Mahomes and KC have arrived. 53-yard pickup from Mecole Hardman Jr..
7:23: Meanwhile, on the Nickelodeon broadcast:
7:19: Jake Moody connects on the longest field goal in SB history.
3-0 Niners.
7:08: A reminder that it’s a travesty that Rodney Harrison isn’t a Hall of Famer yet.
7:04: Man, this 49ers defense is swarming out of the gate. Two sacks on that drive.
7:00: Ah yes, Tim Birdie.
6:51: Didn’t end up costing the 49ers all that much.
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6:45: A great start for the 49ers on offense, but that McCaffrey fumble is brutal. Just the third fumble lost by McCaffrey in over 400 touches this season.
6:41: Super Bowl LVIII is underway.
6:38: Gronk misses the “Kick of Destiny” once again. What is he? Chad Ryland?
6:35: Can’t beat the flyover.
6:34: Reba McEntire performs the National Anthem:
6:32: Post Malone leads things off with “America The Beautiful”
6:24: Here come the Chiefs:
6:21: Quite the entrance from the Niners:
6:08: The CBS crew gives their predictions. Chiefs might be the betting underdogs, but this crew doesn’t seem to be overlooking Mahomes.
5:53: Plenty of celebrities on hand in Las Vegas.
5:52: This is a weak take from Elmo.
5:45: Usher has also arrived.
5:37: Also, in case you need to find out how to tune into tonight’s game.
- Super Bowl LVIII kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
- CBS is broadcasting the game. (Ch. 4 in the Boston area).
- CBS’s own streaming platform, Paramount+, is available for a subscription and will alsocarry the game. Other streaming services that carry CBS include Fubo, YouTube TV, and Hulu.
5:35: Yes, Taylor made it.
5:31: Patrick Mahomes vs. Mr. Irrelevant. Quite the storyline.
5:30: Happy Super Bowl Sunday! My official prediction? 27-24 Niners.
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