Super Bowl LVIII: Kansas City Chiefs 25, San Francisco 49ers 22 (OT)

Just like Usher’s halftime performance, Super Bowl LVIII got off to a bit of a slow start, but then finished with a bang. Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes took home their third Lombardi Trophy in five years, beating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in an epic overtime classic.

With the rules changed allowing both teams possession of the ball in the extra session no matter what, many wondered why the 49ers chose to take the ball first. They probably should’ve treated it like the college game and deferred the football, so they knew what they had to do.

Instead, Jake Moody kicked his third field goal of the night and Mahomes knew his team needed a touchdown to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. He ran for a key fourth-down conversion with the game on the line and eventually found Mecole Hardman Jr. in the end zone to walk-off winners.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will have some tough questions to answer. He will surely have a lot of sleepless nights thinking about how the OT played out.

But Mahomes was spectacular again and that should be the main story. He won his third Super Bowl MVP, throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He also effectively used his legs, scrambling nine times for 66 yards including some big ones in overtime.

Tight end Travis Kelce was his usual awesome self, catching nine passes for 93 yards and the completion to set up first-and-goal to eventually win it. And for as much grief as the Kansas City wide receivers got all year, they came up big when it mattered most. Four of them had at least three catches, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling also found the end zone in the third quarter to go along with Hardman in OT.

The Chiefs special teams forced a turnover, as did the defense when the Niners were driving early, making enough plays in all three phases to capture the championship. Andy Reid continues to build his resume as one of the best NFL head coaches ever and K.C. is officially entering dynasty territory.

Odds to Win Super Bowl LIX…

A quick peek at next year has San Francisco as the favorites to win Super Bowl LIX at +600. Meanwhile, Kansas City checks in with the second-best odds at +800. It’s only fitting these two teams are favored, and there’s a chance they could play in their third Super Bowl in five years.

Kelce said on stage after the game that they’ll go for three Lombardi Trophies in a row, so it doesn’t sound like he has any plans to retire. As for the 49ers, almost all their offensive weapons are under contract for next season, so they’ll give it a go with Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk all back in the fold.

But it’s hard to bet against Mahomes, as he closes the gap on Tom Brady in the GOAT conversation seemingly every single day. Kansas City will get to host another parade, and as long as No. 15 is under center, there could be more and more to come.