LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Patrick Mahomes conjured another Super Bowl comeback on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs snatched a thrilling 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers to win their third National Football League championship in five seasons.
In a perfectly scripted finale before a celebrity-studded Las Vegas crowd including pop icon Taylor Swift, Mahomes found Mecole Hardman in the end zone with just three seconds remaining in overtime to seal a dramatic win in what was the longest Super Bowl in history.
The victory makes Kansas City the first team to win back-to-back Lombardi Trophies since the New England Patriots in 2003-2004, cementing the franchise’s right to be regarded as the NFL’s newest dynasty.
“It means a ton,” said Mahomes, who was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player for the third time after the win. “With the adversity we dealt with this year and to come through, the guys never faltered.”
Mahomes, meanwhile, warned the Chiefs’ rivals that their latest win was just the start of their reign of dominance.
“We’re not done,” he said. “We’ve got a young team. We’re going to keep this thing going.”
For long periods, however, it looked as if Kansas City would be denied by San Francisco’s ferocious defense.
Chiefs star Travis Kelce, whose romance with Swift has captivated the NFL this season, had a nightmare start to the game, at one stage blowing up on the sidelines at Kansas City head coach Andy Reid in an extraordinary outburst.
But with Mahomes pulling the strings, the Chiefs finally battled through a below-par performance to deliver when it mattered once more.
It marked the third time that Mahomes has led Kansas City back from double-digit deficits to win the Super Bowl, sealing his reputation as the heir apparent to the legendary Tom Brady.
It was also the third time that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has finished on the losing side in a Super Bowl after seeing his team go 10 or more points ahead.
“We all hurt,” a deflated Shanahan said after the defeat. “Everyone knows how it feels. Don’t have a lot of words for it. Obviously we’re hurting. Our team’s hurting. That’s how it goes when you put yourself out there.”
The Chiefs fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter after San Francisco struck first through a 55-yard Jake Moody field goal and a brilliantly worked trick play that ended with a touchdown for running back Christian McCaffrey.
Kansas City were left with just a Harrison Butker field goal to show for their first half efforts to make it 10-3 at the break.
Kelce went berserk on the Chiefs bench, with the tight end screaming at head coach Andy Reid in apparent frustration at being kept off the field for the play when an early Kansas City drive ended with an Isiah Pacheco fumble.
