The Kansas City Chiefs are once again champions of the NFL, winning Super Bowl 58 by defeating the San Francisco 49ers in what was actually a rematch from four seasons ago. Super Bowl 58 ended up being just the second time in history the game went to overtime. The major difference between Sunday night's game between the 49ers and Chiefs and Super Bowl 51, the first game to go to overtime, between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons was the change in overtime rules since then.
Back then, it was the first to score a touchdown who won the game, even if it was the team that won the coin toss to receive the ball. The current overtime rules state that even if the team that receives the overtime kickoff scores a touchdown, they will then have to kick off to the other team, giving them a chance to score.
Even with the difference in rules, there was a glaring and major similarity in both Super Bowls, though: Kyle Shanahan.
At the end of regulation, it was 19-19, where the Chiefs were able to tie the game up leaving just three seconds left on the clock. With the 49ers winning the overtime coin toss, they elected to receive. The 49ers eventually had to settle for a field goal to make it 22-19 thanks to another successful Jake Moody kick on their only possession.
The Chiefs did one better on their one and only possession in overtime. Mahomes took Kansas City 75 yards in 13 plays, hitting Mecole Hardman on a 3-yard touchdown pass to win Super Bowl 58, the Chiefs' second-consecutive Super Bowl title and third overall in five years. It made the dynasty official but left the 49ers once again void of a championship this century.
But in comparison to the last time these two teams played back in Super Bowl 54, though the result ended the same, it was a lot more difficult to cast blame on many 49ers this time around, as overall, San Francisco played about as well as could be asked.
Nonetheless, we still have to dissect this as much as possible with who is the most to blame in the 49ers' Super Bowl 58 overtime loss to the Chiefs.
Darrell Luter Jr. causes Ray-Ray McCloud muffed punt late in the third quarter
The 49ers had done about everything possible to stop the Chiefs late in the third quarter, to where it was starting to look dim the dynasty would be a real possibility. With under three minutes left to go in the third, down 10-6, after going three-and-out, Kansas City was forced to punt. A 40-yard punt to 49ers kick returner Ray-Ray McCloud ended up resulting in a muffed punt after it initially struck Darrell Luter Jr., putting the ball in play and causing McCloud to try to recover the ball.
The result was that the Chiefs got the ball back at the 49ers' 16. Then one play later, the Chiefs took their first lead of the evening when Mahomes found Marquez Valdes-Scantling for the touchdown to make it 13-10. This was definitely a momentum shift in the game, not to mention the Chiefs outscored the 49ers 10-0 in the third quarter.
Muffed punt! Chiefs catch a HUGE break pic.twitter.com/w6MQ7jr1x5
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) February 12, 2024
The 49ers' defense can't stop Patrick Mahomes late in the game
For those who have watched enough of Mahomes over the years or watched Tom Brady in his prime, you likely saw the end result or highly expected it. Mahomes yet again had another fourth-quarter comeback, this time that went into overtime with him sealing the game then.
While you can point fingers all day long at the 49ers and that their defense wasn't able to stop him and the Chiefs, the question everyone should be asking is who can stop him in those moments?
At the half, Mahomes was at 123 yards and no touchdowns and just 7 yards rushing with just two sacks. But then to start the second half, Mahomes threw an interception in their own territory in just three plays. The problem for the 49ers was that they couldn't capitalize on the mistake and eventually had to punt.
But Mahomes did eventually do his usual and turned it on when it mattered the most and led the Chiefs on two long scoring drives on their final two possessions in regulation that was good enough to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Sure, the 49ers defense deserves its criticisms, but the person to blame is Mahomes, who is just unstoppable in these situations.
Kyle Shanahan's lack of use of Christian McCaffrey in the third quarter
During the broadcast, it was said that Shanahan wanted to get as close to 30 carries as he could for his offense during Super Bowl 58. The 49ers finished with 31 carries for 110 yards in a game that went to overtime. After the first half, Christian McCaffrey, who had been a large majority of the 49ers offense all season long, already had nine carries for 33 yards and five receptions for 47 yards and the only touchdown of the game at that point.
After Mahomes' interception to start the third quarter that put the 49ers at the Kansas City 44, it gave the Niners a prime opportunity to put up a substantial lead in what was a defensively stout game throughout. The 49ers went three-and-out with McCaffrey not getting a single carry or target on the drive. At the end of the third, McCaffrey had just two more carries for 5 more yards rushing and one more reception for 7 yards.
Being that close to scoring territory and not using your best player once was an odd choice by Shanahan, who was already an easy target for blame. Shanahan seemed to learn later on, especially in overtime that McCaffrey was crucial to their success. It was just too late by then.
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