At Super Bowl LVIII, football fans were treated to something they had never seen before.
The game went into overtime due to the new rules.
After the 2019 AFC Divisional Round game, kansas city chiefs And that buffalo bills, Patrick Mahomes and company needed just 13 seconds to force overtime and then won when they won the coin toss, the NFL changed the rules for playoff games. Under these new rules, both teams were guaranteed possession in extra time.
In less than 2 minutes. The remaining rookie kicker, Jake Moody, made a 53-yard field goal, marking his second kick of more than 50 yards in the game. san francisco 49ers Leading 19-16.
There was just one problem.
Mahomes had two timeouts and had a lot of free time.
Kansas City took advantage of this important third-down conversion from Mahomes to Travis Kelce to advance right down the field and expand their possession.
Kansas City had one shot for the winning touchdown, and Mahomes tried to connect with Kelce on a back-shoulder throw. However, the pass fell incomplete and Andy Reid called for a tying field goal from Harrison Butker, forcing overtime.
Butker converted, sending us into overtime for the second time in Super Bowl history and the first under the new rules.
San Francisco won the coin toss and chose to take it. Strategically, this makes sense even if possession is guaranteed for both teams. The first is because if the tie continues for two possessions, the game could go to sudden death, and you want to be the first team to win in that scenario.
It looked like the 49ers were going to go 3-and-out. But on third-and-13, Chiefs defensive back Trent McDuffie was flagged for defensive holding, giving San Francisco another down.
Brock Purdy and friends took advantage of that.
On the next third down, 3rd-and-2 situation, Kyle Shanahan puts his three receivers in a stack and throws Purdy as if the 49ers were a basketball team making an inbounds play. connected with Brandon Aiyuk to move the chain and get it. 49ers out near midfield:
The Chiefs then applied pressure after a short run by Christian McCaffrey on first down, but Purdy escaped and found McCaffrey in space for a big gain.
But the Chiefs eventually pushed themselves toward their own goal line, forcing Purdy to throw the ball away on a third-down blitz. Moody came off the bench and made a short field goal to give San Francisco a 22-19 lead.
Still, Mahomes had another chance. A field goal forced the game into sudden death, but if they scored a touchdown, the Chiefs would win the Super Bowl for the second year in a row, becoming the first team since the war. new england patriots They won back-to-back titles in Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX.
First business course?
Converts No. 4 and No. 1 in his own half.
Isaiah Pacheco was stopped on a third-down run, making it a 4-and-1 situation. Kansas City took a timeout to get everyone on the same page, then broke the huddle and put Mahomes in shotgun.
And trusted their QB:
A few plays later, the Chiefs had a third-and-6. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilkes had to make a decision. Should he pressure Mahomes and force him to make mistakes, or should he play in coverage?
He brought pressure, and Mahomes made him pay for it.
Mahomes stays in the pocket long enough to target Laci Rice on a crossing route and the Chiefs get another down.
So to speak, the script asked Mahomes to convert another third to keep the drive alive.
And he did just that, again using his legs.
And this is how it ended.
Mahomes came off a run fake, rolled to his right, and hit Mecole Hardman in the right flat for a walk-off touchdown.
Fire a confetti cannon.
No doubt there will be second-guessing for many months to come. Also, a blocked PAT in regulation cost the 49ers a potential point.
But one thing is clear.
The Chiefs have their own dynasty.
