The Comeback Chiefs
Super Bowl 54 was a hard fought battle with a close scoreboard throughout, but in the end, the Kansas City Chiefs took home the trophy with a win of 31-20. The biggest football game of the year was filled with insane plays and key moments from both teams worth another look.
The first unbelievable play was quarterback Patrick Mahomes’s run-in touchdown. The run-in was the first touchdown for the Chiefs, and it got Mahomes and his team fired up for the rest of the game. When the ball was on the San Francisco 49ers’ one yard line late in the first quarter, something sparked in Mahomes that told him to keep the ball. After listening to the feeling, he found the end zone and secured the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl touchdown since Super Bowl IV.
The next incredible play was the first touchdown scored by the San Francisco 49ers. Jimmy Garoppolo, quarterback of the Niners, connected with fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 15-yard touchdown pass. With only five minutes left in the half, this touchdown gave the Niners the extra energy to strongly finish the first half of the biggest game of the year. On top of having the honor of being a Super Bowl touchdown, the play also created the first touchdown scored by a fullback since Super Bowl 37.
In the third quarter, defensive end Nick Bosa strip sacked Mahomes, taking away nine yards from the Chiefs. Bosa kept constant pressure on Mahomes and was a factor in his next pass, which ended in an interception to linebacker Fred Warner. This was Mahomes’s first postseason interception.
After the first interception, the Niners just kept coming. Mahomes threw his second interception of the day to cornerback Tarvarius Moore in the fourth quarter, but the Chiefs weren’t about to give up. On the third and goal from the five, Mahomes saw his chance for running back Damien Williams to score: throwing the short pass. Williams received the ball and barely stepped in before going out of bounds. After the play was under review, it was ruled that the touchdown called on the field stood. This play was a crucial part of pulling the Chiefs ahead.
With the ball back in the Niners’ hands and two minutes left in the game, they had to do something. Nothing was working, so at the fourth and ten defensive end Frank Clark got his chance to shine, sacking Garoppolo and giving the Chiefs the ball back. Mahomes then went to work, connecting yet again with Williams for a 38-yard run making the score 31-20.
With only one minute left in the game, the Niners were in a panic. Garoppolo threw one final pass, and the interception caught by cornerback Bashaud Breeland sealed the deal.
The Chiefs have had many comebacks this season, but none of them were close to the one Sunday night. Even with a shaky start by Patrick Mahomes and a good scare in the third quarter, the Chiefs pulled together and won their first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
Olivia Skiljan is a senior at St. Dominic. She is a libero on varsity volleyball and plays club outside of school. Olivia also enjoys hanging out with...