SAN FRANCISCO, CA — The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to win Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, mounting a fourth-quarter comeback after trailing the 49ers for much of the game.
It marked a triumphant cap to a 12-4 season by the Chiefs, led by phenom quarterback Patrick Mahomes. For the 49ers, it was a disappointing end to a stellar 13-3 season of their own.
Chiefs running back Damian Williams scored the final touchdown with 1:12 left in the fourth quarter, sneaking past the 49er defense for his sixth touchdown of the playoffs.
Here are five things to know: The Chiefs’ victory marks Kansas City’s second-ever championship, and its first since Super Bowl IV, back in 1970. To reach the Super Bowl, the Chiefs had to first mount a comeback, 51-31 victory over the Houston Texans in the divisional round, followed by a 35-24 victory against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game.Patrick Mahomes, crowned Super Bowl MVP, came out on top in the quarterback battle against San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo. Mahomes, 24, who won the NFL MVP for the 2018 season, becomes the youngest player to win both an MVP award and a Super Bowl title.It was a relatively low-scoring game for the two offensive firepowers. The 49ers led the NFC in rushing yards, while the Chiefs led the AFC in passing, but defense was on display for much of Sunday’s game.Andy Reid of the Chiefs wins his first title as a head coach, having previously lost Super Bowl XXXIX as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. “How ’bout those Chiefs!” Reid bellowed to the crowd during the trophy ceremony following the game.The halftime show featured a performance by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, featuring a mix of current hits and older classics, like “Jenny from the Block” and “Hips Don’t Lie.”
The 49ers were the first team on the board, notching a field goal with about eight minutes left in the first quarter, several plays after a 32-yard gain by Deebo Samuel. The Chiefs responded with a touchdown on a Patrick Mahomes run at the very end of the first. Kansas City added a field goal midway through the second quarter, and the 49ers got back in the mix with a touchdown on a pass by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to Kyle Juszczyk, leveling the score at 10-10.
The first half was light on theatrics, with both teams showing glimpses of their typical energetic offenses without much to show for it. One of the half’s highlights came in the form of an interception by Kansas City’s Bashaud Breeland of a pass by Garoppolo, but the Chiefs managed only a field goal to show for it.
The second half featured a more constant back-and-forth. The 49ers kicked things off, scoring 10 unanswered points with a field goal followed by a Raheem Mostert touchdown run.
But the Chiefs mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, starting with a Travis Kelce touchdown that narrowed the score to 20-17. Damien Williams’ two subsequent touchdowns only widened the Chiefs’ lead, and the Niners were unable to muster a comeback.