It could not be otherwise. In the city of entertainment and in front of the biggest pop star in the world. Taylor Swift may have turned spite into a million-dollar industry, but no one breaks hearts like Patrick Mahomes. He quarterback of Kansas City has won its third championship in five years in an epic final with overtime and comeback. At 28 years old, the player strengthens his legend and repeats to San Francisco the dose that he administered four years ago. The Chiefs have become the first team in 19 years to win two consecutive championships tonight in Las Vegas. The last to do so was Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's Patriots. Mahomes and Andy Reid close the gap for those who measure them against those from New England.
“The Chiefs can never be the underdogs, Let them know,” said Mahomes, tonight with the Vince Lombardi trophy in hand. The player used a term on the podium that does not have a literal translation in Spanish, but means for which no one gives anything. It is difficult to think that the Chiefs, turned into a dynasty that will mark a generation, have not started the night as favorites. In the gaming capital of the world, the forecasts slightly favored the 49ers, who had had a solid season led by Brock Purdy. He quarterback is known as Mister Irrelevant, because he was signed in 2022 in the last position, 262 of the seventh round of the draft. If anyone came from below to take glory this Sunday it was Purdy, who showed coldness when facing the best in the NFL. Mahomes won his third MVP in a final tonight.
Kansas City has repeated the same dose to the 49ers as when they faced each other in Super Bowl 54. Mahomes was then playing in his first final and reached the last quarter trailing by 10. In a memorable closing, he led the Chiefs to score 21 points to come back and win the franchise's first title since 1970. This Sunday's performance surpasses that performance in epic proportions. It was against an opponent that was superior in several moments and in a game full of errors, including six turnovers. Mahomes reminded everyone that he is most motivated when he least believes in himself. In overtime, the second in Super Bowl history and the first that gave both teams the opportunity to have an offense, he ran 19 yards to bring his team closer to the red zone on the final play. Seconds later he caused a shower of yellow confetti with a pass from touchdown three yards to Mecole Hardman. He closed the night converting 34 passes out of 46 attempts.
The Chiefs beat San Francisco on the ground and through the air with 130 yards and 330, respectively. With tonight's victory they conclude a playoffs in which they beat the best teams in the conference and the league, including the Buffalo Bills, the Baltimore Ravens and Purdy's team.
CAROLINE BREHMAN (EFE)
When the Super Bowl started, only San Francisco seemed to have taken the field hungry for victory. The 49ers' first few minutes with the ball proved why the team's offense had brought them to Las Vegas. Coach Kyle Shanahan showed off a versatile offensive catalog. Purdy connected through the air and on the ground with Kyle Juszczy, Deebo Samuel, who was about to leave due to injury, and Christian McCaffrey, who began to gain yards from the first minutes. Only a McCaffrey fumble near the end zone tainted a potent opening drive. It was the third fumble all season for a running back who is generally very confident running the ball. McCaffrey had 22 carries for 80 yards.
One of the oldest sayings in the sport says that it's defenses that win championships. “What do you think of that D?” shouted Andy Reid, the Chiefs coach, to his team's fans after winning the title. The defenders were the protagonists of the final. Chase Young and Randy Gregory pressured and overwhelmed Mahomes on several occasions. He was sacked three times and threw an interception. The wall deployed by San Francisco proved effective in defusing Isaiah Pacheco and his explosive runs.
The defenses and special teams marked a tedious first half of few points. It was the first Super Bowl in five years, and the tenth in history, in which no one scored in the first quarter. The last time it happened in edition 53, between Brady's Patriots and Jared Goff's Rams, in a game that had 16 points.
The 61,000 fans in Allegiant Stadium thought this Super Bowl would have a similar outcome. The score began to add up thanks to Jake Moody, San Francisco's kicker, with a 55-yard score. Minutes later, Coach Shanahan showed his creativity by sending a trick play up the field. Purdy gave the ball to receiver Jauaun Jennings, who threw into the end zone to find McCaffrey. Jennings had the night of his life. He threw a touchdown pass and scored a touchdown later, something only one other player has done in a Super Bowl.
Not even the celebrities who came to the stadium could hide their boredom at the start of the Super Bowl. A thousand private planes landed in Nevada these days. Many of those passengers were here tonight. Actor Jeff Goldblum was caught on camera looking at his phone, Ariana Grande was curled up on a friend's shoulder, Leonardo Dicaprio was distracted, and Taylor Swift preferred to end the boredom by drinking all at once. The singer crossed the Pacific from Japan to see her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. He had a weak start, having caught only one pass and advanced one yard into the third quarter. Usher's show alone made the stadium shake off its boredom with a vibrant musical number that featured several guests, including Alicia Keys, HER, Ludacris and Lil Jon.
The story of this Super Bowl changed in the fourth quarter. Pacheco had struggled to beat San Francisco's wall at the start, but found new ways at the end of the game. He was the most active on the ground with 18 carries for 59 yards all night, second only to Mahomes, who rushed for 66. Kelce, another key player for the Kansas City offense, seemed to have left his lethargy in the locker room during the break. . In the end he was key in reaching the first downs that extended the offensive drives and prevented San Francisco from having the ball. At the end of the night, Kelce had 93 yards on nine receptions. The most important, however, was made by Marques Valdez-Scanting, who scored the touchdown which gave the Chiefs a chance to reach overtime. Only Valdez-Scanting and Hardman scored. The rest of the points came from kicker Harrison Butker, who had 13 points. One of his field goals, a 57-yarder, set a record as the longest in Finals history.
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