Patrick Mahomes led a thrilling late comeback as the Kansas City Chiefs ended their 50-year wait for a Super Bowl crown with a 31-20 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Chiefs quarterback Mahomes shrugged off an error-strewn start to overturn a 20-10 49ers fourth quarter lead in a gripping battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The Super Bowl win was Kansas City’s first NFL Championship since their triumph over the Minnesota Vikings in 1970, and only their second ever.
And it owed everything to the nerve of Mahomes, who for the third straight postseason game led the Chiefs back from a double-digit deficit to seal a dramatic win.
“We kept believing,” said Mahomes, who was later named Super Bowl MVP. “That’s what we’ve done all postseason. They guys really stepped up. They believed in me…We found a way to win it in the end.”
The Chiefs quarterback had looked out of sorts until early in the fourth quarter, throwing two interceptions in the face of fierce pressure from the magnificent San Francisco defense led by the marauding Nick Bosa.
But with the game on the line in the fourth quarter, Mahomes led his team on two long drives to set up touchdowns for tight end Travis Kelce and running back Damien Williams.
Those scores put the Chiefs into a 24-20 lead and Kansas City made the game safe when Williams danced up the sideline for a 38-yard rushing score with 1min 12sec remaining.
Mahomes finished with 286 passing yards and 26 completions from 42 attempts with two touchdowns. The Chiefs quarterback also rushed for a touchdown early in the first quarter.
But the defeat was desperately hard on the 49ers, who were chasing a record-equalling sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The 49ers had barely put a foot wrong through three quarters, with their defense shackling Mahomes superbly and their offense moving the ball confidently to put them in the driving seat late in the game…….read more
Source: AFP
