ANKARA — The Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 10-point deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 Sunday in Super Bowl LIV, securing their first National Football League (NFL) title in 50 years.
The Chiefs’ explosive offense started the game fast at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida and Kansas City led the first quarter 7-3 thanks to their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who scored a rushing touchdown with less than a minute remaining on the clock.
At the beginning of the second quarter, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo made an interception under pressure, turning the ball to Kansas City, who ended their drive with a field goal, taking the score to 10-3.
But San Francisco responded quickly with a drive that included passing and running plays to tie the game. The first half ended 10-10 — only the fourth time in history that a Super Bowl ended the first half with a tie score.
The second half started with the 49ers receiving the ball, ending their drive with a field goal and taking the score to 13-10. In the next drive, San Francisco’s tough defense forced Kansas City to an interception which led to a 49ers drive with a touchdown, extending their lead to 20-10.
Although Mahomes made a second interception that led to a drive by the 49ers without a score, he managed to carry the Chiefs from an unanswered 17 points to a touchdown with 6:13 remaining in the fourth quarter to close the deficit at 20-17.
After the 49ers failed to get a first down in their possession, the Chiefs gained momentum and scored another touchdown to take the lead 24-20 with 2:44 remaining in the game.
San Francisco failed yet again to gain yards in the final two minutes of the last quarter and the Chiefs scored a running touchdown with 1:12 remaining to seal the win with 31-20.
The victory marked the first Super Bowl title for Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, 61, who had 221 wins in the NFL prior to Sunday’s game without a Lombardi trophy.
“Nobody deserves this trophy more than Andy Reid,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Knobel Hunt said during the Vince Lombardi trophy presentation.
“Hey, how about those Chiefs?” Reid said, adding “this is a beautiful thing” after receiving the trophy.
Mahomes, who became the third youngest MVP in a Super Bowl, said “we never gave up” about the great comeback. (Anadolu)
