Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won his third Super Bowl ring following a thrilling encounter against the San Francisco 49ers.
Mahomes recorded 333 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in a heroic performance, despite a dominant display from the San Francisco 49ers’ defence.
Moreover, the 28-year-old successfully pulled off 34 of 46 pass attempts, giving him a completion rate of 73.9%.
It was the second time these teams had met each other in a Super Bowl, as they faced off in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.
The Chiefs emerged as victors on both occasions.
Super Bowl LVIII created history as it became the most-watched NFL championship in history with 123 million people tuning in across multiple broadcasters.
First Half:
The first quarter was all about the defences, as they certainly came out on top.
It got off to a dramatic start as Brock Purdy and his offensive weapons were stringing together some clean first downs, but the first drive momentum came to an abrupt stop when star running back Christian McCaffrey fumbled the ball on a rush, which was recovered by the opposition.
49ers defensive lineman Chase Young's sack was a crucial play in denying the Chiefs to record the first points of the game.
However, the second quarter is when the game started to pick up a little bit.
Inside the opening minutes, Purdy unleashed a deep ball on 3rd and 14 from the 40-yard line, which nearly landed in the hands of wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
But, some brilliant coverage from 2022 first-round pick cornerback Trent McDuffie denied what seemed a certain touchdown.
Jake Moody proceeded to break the deadlock with a 55-yard field goal to put San Francisco 3-0 up, which was a record-breaking kick at the time, but it didn't last long.
Mahomes replied in excellent fashion as he let loose a cannon of a pass down the field before it was caught by receiver Mecole Hardman.
With a first and goal to play, some points looked inevitable for Andy Reid's side on that drive.
However, on the next play, Mahomes handed the ball off to running back Isiah Pacheco, who proceeded to fumble and lose the ball to the opposition's defence.
The 24-year-old struggled to get into the groove as he racked up just 59 yards from 18 rushing attempts, and wasn't able to score a touchdown.
The play was back and forth between the 49ers and Chiefs in the second quarter, as both offences were struggling to breach the defences, which were simply on fire.
Turnover after turnover, both teams sought a bit of inspiration when in possession of the ball.
However, some very smart play calling, mixed with some perseverance finally saw the 49ers claim the first touchdown of the game.
The ball was snapped to Purdy, who proceeded to throw the ball backwards to wide receiver Jauan Jennings before he threw the ball to the other side of the pitch to McCaffrey.
McCaffrey then carried the ball with soaring speed and agile footwork to the end zone for six points, providing redemption for his earlier fumble.
Moody executed the extra point to give Kyle Shanahan's side.
The Chiefs managed to post some points on the scoreboard before the end of the half as Harrison Butker's field goal was good for three points.
The 49ers went into the break with a 10-3 lead.
Second Half:
It was a nightmare start for Mahomes and the Chiefs as his pass attempt was picked off by rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown.
On the other hand, San Francisco was unable to capitalise on the interception as Purdy's rush on a 3rd&15 was brought to a premature halt by linebacker Willie Gay Jr.
At that time the 49ers only managed one successful third-down conversion of five attempts, whereas the Chiefs successfully recorded three successful conversions from eight attempts.
The Chiefs were still struggling to find some rhythm, however, Butker etched his name into Super Bowl history books with a converted 57-yard kick to make it SF 10-6 KC.
Andy Reid's team took the lead for the first time in the matchup in the final minutes of the third quarter as Marquez Valdes-Scantling connected with Mahomes' short pass in the end zone for their first touchdown of the game.
The following extra point was converted by Butker.
The 49ers reclaimed their lead early in the last quarter of regular time as Jennings caught Purdy's short pass before he expertly eluded a couple of tackles to bulldoze his way into the end zone for a touchdown.
The kick for the extra point from Moody was blocked and recovered from Kansas City.
The game was pulled level with six minutes of regular time left on the clock after Butker scored a short-range field goal to make it 16 points a piece.
The field goal frenzy did not end there.
The 49ers reclaimed the lead with a successful field goal, which provided them with a three-point cushion.
Although the Chiefs could not capitalise to win the game with just a touchdown, their kicker kept his cool to send the game to overtime in the dying seconds of regular time.
Overtime:
Overtime showcased the new rules that state that both teams must have possession of the football rather than just one team typically having the chance to score points and win the game.
The 49ers were first up to try and snatch the victory in overtime.
San Francisco managed to build some solid momentum as they charged their way down the field.
However, another failed third-down conversion saw them elect for a field goal, which was converted by Moody for three points.
Moody boasted a 100% success rate for field goals in the match, including two breathtaking attempts from over 50 yards out.
Mahomes displayed some personal excellence at a time when it mattered the most as he rushed on a fourth and one, executing the risky fourth-down conversion.
The quarterback orchestrated some short passes to lead his team down the field in the final minutes.
With seconds left on the clock, in signature style, Mahomes kept his cool to thread a pass into the hands of Hardman in the endzone to secure the Kansas City Chiefs the Super Bowl title for the second consecutive year.
Hardman ended the game with 57 receiving yards, three receptions and one receiving touchdown.
However, dangerous tight end Travis Kelce recorded 93 receiving yards from nine receptions but was not able to score a single touchdown.
On the other hand, the 49ers' safety Brown recorded 11 tackles along with his interception.
Moreover, Young and Arik Armstead tallied a sack each.
Running back McCaffrey rushed for 80 yards from 22 rush attempts, averaging 3.6 yards per time.
The Chiefs' defence did very well to keep George Kittle very quiet as he only racked up four receiving yards from two pass receptions.
'Mr Irrelevant' tallied 255 passing yards and scored just one passing touchdown in San Francisco's game of heartbreak.