Super Bowl LVIII Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. was a clencher from the beginning to the end. The football game between the Kansas City Chiefs (KC Chiefs) and the San Francisco 49ers (49ers) was an upset for some, but a vainglorious moment for the winning team who took the meaning of "overtime" to a new level to win 25 to 22 in the last few minutes of the game. The game lasted for 74 minutes and 57 seconds of game time, making it the longest Super Bowl and 7th-longest NFL postseason game ever.
The game was televised nationally by CBS, streamed on Paramount+, alternatively broadcast on youth-oriented sister network Nickelodeon, and televised on the Spanish-language network Univision. Super Bowl LVIII became the most watched program in American television history, with a total of 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms, which broke the average record of 115.1 million viewers set by the previous year's Super Bowl. The game saw the highest unduplicated total audience in history with more than 200 million viewers watching all or part of the game. It was the most-watched United States broadcast since the Apollo 11 moon.
After entertainment icon Reba McEntire sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem, in recognition of Black History Month, Grammy-winning recording artist Andra Day sang an incredible, uplifting rendition of the Black national hymn, Lift Every Voice and Sing; a continued tradition in the NFL since 2020; 57.5% of NFL players are Black and the song was played before all 16 of the Week 1 games, according to the NFL. At the time, the league said it was working to "amplify work done by its players and the families who are trying to address social justice issues" according to CBS News. Song writer, James Weldon Johnson originally wrote the song in 1899, and the music was composed by his brother, John Rosamond Johnson.
It was first publicly performed 123 years ago on February 12, 1900; Day was singing a rendition of this historical hymn on February 12, 2024 at this year's Super Bowl 58.
Thereafter, the game enthralled all audiences: even for the non-football fan, this game was worth watching just to see how the Patrick Mahomes factor would pull through after two, full quarters of not being able to penetrate the 49er's iron-clad defense. The first quarter of no scoring from either team was a futile start, each team wading out each other's offense.
In quarter 2, with 7:49 remaining in the second quarter, the 49ers began an eight-play, 67-yard touchdown drive that culminated in a 21-yard touchdown pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings to running back McCaffrey. After the extra point was converted, the 49ers had extended their lead over the Chiefs to 10–0 with 4:23 remaining in the first half.
By halftime, the KC Chiefs looked defeated, as the 49ers were still ahead 10-3; it was the 28-yard field goal by Harrison Butker that kept the KC Chiefs in the game. With 20 seconds remaining in the half. The 49ers took a knee to run the clock out.
But the halftime show gave the audience a break from the vigorous competition on the football field: the 45-year-old R&B and pop singer Usher headlined the halftime show, with real singing and intensely choregraphed dancing, all at the same time--he succeeded. He is also commended for hiring most of his crew from the Atlanta, GA area. Usher's performance included the songs "Caught Up", "U Don't Have to Call", "Love in This Club", "Confessions Part II", "Nice & Slow", "Burn", "U Got It Bad", "OMG", and "Yeah!" (with interpolations of "Freek-a-Leek" by Petey Pablo and "Get Low" by Lil Jon.)
With 9:02 remaining in the third quarter, the Chiefs had the ball at their own 14-yard line. Beginning with an 11-yard pass by Mahomes to tight-end Travis Kelce, Kansas City went on a nine-play, 47-yard drive that culminated in a 57-yard field goal by Butker. This field goal, which cut the Chiefs' deficit to four points, broke the record for the longest field goal completed in a Super Bowl set by Moody earlier in the game. On the following play, the Chiefs scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. After Butker converted the extra point, the Chiefs had a 13–10 lead with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Finally, the Chiefs scored on a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. After Butker converted the extra point, the Chiefs had a 13–10 lead with 2:28 remaining in the third quarter.
The 49ers began their next drive at their own 25-yard line. After San Francisco converted a 3rd and 5 on their own 30 on a 17-yard pass to Jennings, and 2nd and 1 on a two-yard run by fullback Kyle Juszczyk, the 49ers had advanced to the Chiefs' 42-yard line to close the third quarter. The drive continued, eventually resulting in a ten-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Jennings after a total of 12 plays for 75 yards, which gave the 49ers a 16–13 lead with eleven minutes and twenty-seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The extra point attempt following the touchdown was blocked by Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal.
By the fourth quarter, Butker kicked a 24-yard field goal, tying the game at 16–16 with 5:49 seconds remaining in the quarter. Later, Moody converted a 53-yard field goal try, giving San Francisco a 19–16 lead with 1:53 remaining in the game. After an incomplete pass from Mahomes intended for Kelce, with six seconds remaining, Butker kicked a game-tying 29-yard field goal to top off the 11-play, 64-yard drive, bringing the score to 19–19 with three seconds remaining. The 49ers took a knee to send the game to overtime.
But the Patrick Mahomes factor proved to be the secret sauce in the end; for sure this is why the-three-Super Bowl-title champ in a five-season span received a third Super Bowl MVP trophy: Mahomes completed 34 of his 46 pass attempts for 333 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, which is why he was named the MVP. He also ran for 66 yards.
The KC Chiefs' monumental win after a tiresome overtime was worth it: in overtime, the 49ers possessed the ball first, driving down the field before stalling at the Chiefs' 9-yard line and kicking a field goal. Mahomes and the Chiefs responded by driving 75 yards in 13 plays, converting two third downs and a fourth down to set up first-and-goal on the San Francisco 3-yard line. Mahomes then passed to Mecole Hardman for the game-winning score.