Super Bowl LIV was a heavyweight bout for four quarters, just as everyone anticipated, but there could only be one victor. That honor goes to the Kansas City Chiefs, who defeated the San Francisco 49ers with a 31-20 final score -- in a game that lived up to the hype in every possible way. The 49ers defense did a great job limiting Patrick Mahomes and his high-flying offense to only 10 points in the first half, and that included overcoming an interception by Jimmy Garoppolo that put them back on the field after a long drive wherein they allowed the only touchdown by the Chiefs. Outside of the error by Garoppolo, the 49ers offense matched serve, getting things going with the ground attack in the second quarter to even the score going into halftime.
Garoppolo started to cook in the third quarter, helping lift his club to a 20-10 lead going into the fourth quarter, but everyone knew Mahomes wouldn't lay down. Time and again, he's proven why he's the reigning NFL MVP, and he did it yet again in Miami. The Chiefs defense clamped down and forced consecutive three-and-outs that allowed Mahomes time to orchestrate a comeback that gave Kansas City a 24-20 lead with less than three minutes left to play, including at least on big play to Tyreek Hill, who the 49ers decided to not key in on as the game wore on.
Fatal error, that was.
The Chiefs used an epic fourth-quarter comeback to win their first Super Bowl title in 50 years, and there's a lot to go over. Will Brinson and the Pick Six Podcast Superfriends break down everything about Chiefs-49ers in Super Bowl LIV; listen below and be sure to subscribe for daily NFL goodness fired into your eardrums.
With the entire planet watching, Garoppolo and Co. needed one last gasp to avoid a gut-wrenching loss, and they nearly made it happen. Emmanuel Sanders burned two defenders to get behind the Chiefs coverage on third-and-10 for what would've been a game-breaking touchdown, but the pass sailed far over his head -- leading to a fourth-and-10 that ended unceremoniously with a sack. The Chiefs went on to nail the coffin WITH A 38-yard rushing touchdown from running back Damien Williams, who finished with 104 yards on 17 carries.
And with that, head coach Andy Reid lands his first-ever Super Bowl win as a head coach, and the Chiefs snap a 50-year drought.
Let the celebration in Kansas City begin.
The 2019 NFL season is officially over. The San Francisco 49ers reached this stage in only three seasons of rebuilding, and while this loss will sting forever, they have a lot to look forward to. Consider them contenders for the foreseeable future, but the Chiefs were simply too much in the end.
Hats off to both. Thanks for tuning in, folks!
On to 2020!!
INT.
Ball game.
The Chiefs are world champions.
The one thing the Niners couldn't allow is what they allowed, and then some. They needed a three-and-out, and not only gave up the first down -- they gave up the touchdown. With the score now 31-20 with only 1:12 left to play, SF needs a miracle blessed by the Pope to get this victory.
Sanders cooked both in coverage and the throw wasn't there. Jimmy G sailed it or that was a touchdown. Brutal...
Mostert bursts forward for a strong start to the drive. They need to tear off chunks here, but also can't leave any time for Mahomes to work after a potential score. This is where you prove you deserve a Lombardi trophy, folks.
Let's watch.
Patrick Mahomes.
That's it. That's the post.
Niners have no choice but to answer this TD, or they're going home without a trophy. Garoppolo and Kittle showed in New Orleans they can do it and now, with it all on the line and the entire planet watching, they have to do it again.
Niners let Watkins leak on and pay for it with a 38-yard gain. Sherman is resurgent, but he doesn't even remotely have the speed of Watkins, and the Chiefs exploited that one-on-one matchup. They tried to earlier, but pressure on Mahomes prevented it.
Bad play call there. Pressure came (six rushers) and Garoppolo had no emergency release valve in the flat, and that would've been a sure first down because it was open to his right (rush was heavy from the left).
Give your QB a chance.
Missed opps and poor execution by the Niners in the fourth quarter have their lead diminished to only a field goal, which means scoring a FG on this next drive -- assuming they can -- only makes it a six-point game and potentially puts the ball back in Mahomes' capable hands.
Goal: A drive that eats the remaining six minutes of the game, regardless of how it ends -- field goal or TD.
Good coverage by Moore but you have to turn your head. You can't just jump in the air. Easy call of DPI for the official. First and goal from the one-yard line. Rules are the rules.
Pass rush does its job and nearly takes down Mahomes, but coverage on the back end is horrible. Hill on a safety is a mismatch, and the result is a 44-yard completion.
It's Tyreek Hill. Respect him or pay for it.
Great challenge by Shanahan. Call on the field of a catch by Hill for 16 yards is reversed. Chiefs now in a third-and-15 situation, and the Niners pass rush thrives on third-and-long.
Chiefs are picking up the pace with the hopes of saving clock AND fatiguing the Niners defense. Softer coverage being played by Niners as well, and Mahomes is taking advantage of it. Careful not to get away from what worked -- fatigue or not. Last few minutes of the season. Dig deep and rest later... as Super Bowl winners.
Missed opportunity to place the nail above the coffin on that drive by the Niners offense, and the officials didn't help their case by not calling that obvious offsides on third down. Defense must now step up again to keep Mahomes in the bottle -- something they've mostly done well, but not without mistakes here and there.
How was that not a penalty for offsides? That was clearly a premature jump, and it helped the Chiefs get pressure on Garoppolo to force him out of the pocket and into a dead play.
Can the Niners get a TD on this drive? If they can, the nail begins touching the lid on the coffin. Huge drive here.
Huge.
Buckner with the sack for a loss of nine. This Niners defensive front four is not of this world. Mahomes leaks out every once in a while, but more often than not, they get the job done. He got some of that yardage back on second down (13-yard gain), but guess what happened next?
More pressure and another INT.
BRAVO.
Williams just put two defenders on skates and turned a short gain into a 13-yard play. Alexander has to make that first tackle. Can't let the Chiefs extend drives with gifts.
Three quarters in the books and the Niners couldn't have asked for a much better situation to be in with only 15 minutes left to play, against a Chiefs team that can usually rack up points whenever they feel like it. The Niners defense is playing lights out, mostly. If they can eliminate the random errors, i.e., Mahomes escaping the pocket, they have a chance to start nailing the coffin.
How this drive ends for the Chiefs and how the Niners respond may end up being what determines the game.
Mahomes escapes the pocket and gets the key first down.
Echo.
The Chiefs were only able to get three points off of the Garoppolo interception in the first half. The Niners got seven off of Mahomes. With a 10-point lead, that four point differential looms large in favor of SF. Mahomes and Co. are still quite lethal, so the worst thing the Niners can do is celebrate early.
They'll pay for it later if they do.
Garoppolo is cooking with Crisco now.
Having now established the run -- with the help of Samuel -- Shanahan is asking Jimmy G to go get the job done and he's doing it. There isn't much the Niners offense is doing that the Chiefs were ready for. When the opposing fullback (Juszczyk) has 39 receiving yards and your rookie WR (Samuel) has 53 rushing yards, what can you do?
Nothing. The answer is nothing.
Niners take a 20-10 lead in the waning minutes of the third quarter.
