Current:Home > InvestWe knew what was coming from Mahomes, Chiefs. How did San Francisco 49ers not? -FundConnect
We knew what was coming from Mahomes, Chiefs. How did San Francisco 49ers not?
View
Date:2025-04-25 20:42:19
We knew what was going to happen because we’ve seen it before. Several times. So how in the world did the San Francisco 49ers not know what was coming?
It might as well be in the Kansas City Chiefs’ playbook for Super Bowls: Play poorly, fall behind by double digits and, almost always, come back and win. It happened the first time the Chiefs and the Niners played. It happened last year against the Philadelphia Eagles.
And it happened again Sunday night, with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs erasing a 10-point, first-half deficit, tying the game twice in the last 5:49 to force overtime and then winning it with a cold-blooded drive that snatched the very souls out of San Francisco and its fans. It's the second consecutive Super Bowl title for the Chiefs, the first team to repeat in 20 years, and their third since 2020.
And the 49ers have nobody to blame for the loss but themselves.
Not because it was scripted or Travis Kelce’s girlfriend is a psyops or any of the other nonsensical conspiracy theories floated by right-wing provocateurs who are terrified of powerful women and happy people. It’s because San Francisco didn’t learn a darned thing from the last time these teams met in the Super Bowl, a whopping four years ago.
SUPER BOWL CENTRAL: Latest Super Bowl 58 news, stats, odds, matchups and more.
CHIEFS FANS:Here’s where you can buy the Super Bowl 58 commemorative cover
The Niners had the Chiefs on the ropes for almost the entire first half. Mahomes looked mortal, Kelce looked as if he was melting down and the normally stout offensive line looked porous. Their first four drives went punt-punt-fumble-punt, and they gained a combined 79 yards on them — most of which came on the series that ended with a red-zone fumble.
San Francisco, meanwhile, was shredding the Kansas City defense. Christian McCaffrey was doing Christian McCaffrey things, and Brock Purdy had what seemed like hours to throw.
The one thing the Niners weren’t doing was scoring points, stopping themselves repeatedly with silly penalties. At halftime, the 49ers were up 10-3 but it easily could have been 30-3.
And it should have been, given who they were playing.
“It wakes us up a little bit. Gives us that spark we need,” Mahomes said of facing a double-digit deficit yet again in the Super Bowl.
“We could make it easier,” he added, “but what’s the fun in that?”
MORE:Patrick Mahomes wins Super Bowl MVP for third time after pushing Chiefs to thrilling OT win
Fun for Mahomes and the Chiefs, a nightmare for their opponents. If anyone should have been ready for this fever dream, however, it was San Francisco.
When the teams played four years ago, they were tied at halftime. Then Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners came out cooking with gas in the third quarter, hanging 10 unanswered points on the Chiefs. Kansas City, meanwhile, was a mess, with Mahomes throwing interceptions on the Chiefs’ first two possessions of the second half.
You know the rest of the story. Mahomes threw for one touchdown and then another. Damien Williams ran in for a third score, the defense picked Garoppolo off and the Chiefs had the first of what is now three Super Bowl titles in five seasons.
And now Mahomes has done it to the Niners again.
Mahomes and the Chiefs outgained San Francisco by almost 100 yards in the second half and overtime. Though Mahomes didn’t throw his first touchdown until late in the third quarter — 2:32 to go, to be exact — he kept the Chiefs close to the Niners, never allowing them to pull away.
OPINION:Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs leave no doubt in Super Bowl: They're an all-time NFL dynasty
“The offense came through with plays when we needed them,” Mahomes said.
When San Francisco was forced to kick a field goal on the first possession of OT, everyone at Allegiant Stadium or watching at home knew how this was going to end. No, we weren't peeking at some non-existent script. We just know Mahomes is going to do what Mahomes always does in these situations.
Sure enough, facing a fourth-and-1, Mahomes converted with an 8-yard run. Six plays later, he broke free for a 19-yard gain and all that was left was to engrave the Lombardi Trophy.
Mahomes' second-half dominance earned him Super Bowl MVP honors. He joins Tom Brady and Joe Montana as the only players to win the award three times.
“We never stopped believing,” Mahomes said. “We never stopped believing.”
Of course they didn’t. When Mahomes and the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl, everybody knows no lead is safe.
And if the Niners didn't, well, that's on them.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
veryGood! (38822)
Related
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- 'Organs of Little Importance' explores the curious ephemera that fill our minds
- Battle against hate: Violence, bigotry toward Palestinian Americans spiking across US
- DIARY: Under siege by Hamas militants, a hometown and the lives within it are scarred forever
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- US Navy warship in Red Sea intercepts three missiles heading north out of Yemen
- Investigators respond to report of possible pipe bombs in Newburyport, Massachusetts
- ‘Drop in the ocean': UN-backed aid could soon enter Gaza from Egypt, but only at a trickle for now
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- Iran opens final registration for candidates in next year’s parliament election
Ranking
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Dutch court convicts man who projected antisemitic message on Anne Frank museum
- The US Supreme Court notched big conservative wins. It’s a key issue in Pennsylvania’s fall election
- Canada removes 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi threatens to revoke their immunity
- 'Most Whopper
- Corn Harvests in the Yukon? Study Finds That Climate Change Will Boost Likelihood That Wilderness Gives Way to Agriculture
- New shark species discovered in Mammoth Cave National Park fossils, researchers say
- Desperate and disaffected, Argentines to vote whether upstart Milei leads them into the unknown
Recommendation
Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
The US Supreme Court notched big conservative wins. It’s a key issue in Pennsylvania’s fall election
The New Hampshire-Canada border is small, but patrols are about to increase in a big way
Major water main break impacts thousands, prompts state of emergency in a northern New York county
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
Jordan will continue to bleed votes with every ballot, says Rep. Ken Buck — The Takeout
As Israel-Hamas war rages, Israelis can now travel to US for 90 days without getting a visa
Michael Penix headlines the USA TODAY Sports midseason college football All-America team