It was a frustrating game much of the night for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Instant takeaways from Super Bowl 58 …
1. He did it again: Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t be denied his third Super Bowl title. He earned it with a heroic touchdown drive in overtime, clinching a 25-22 win with a 3-yard pass to Mecole Hardman with :03 left in the extra session. On the 75-yard winning drive, Mahomes converted a fourth down and two third downs to overcome Brock Purdy’s field-goal drive on the first possession of overtime. Mahomes, frustrated most of the night, finished with 333 yards on 34 of 46 passing and earned his third Super Bowl MVP award. The Chiefs became the first team to win Super Bowls in back-to-back seasons since the New England Patriots in 2003-04. The Chiefs have won three Super Bowls in the six-year partnership of Mahomes and coach Andy Reid. They have a chance now to become the first team to win three in a row next season. “We’re not done yet,” Mahomes said. It was another disappointing finish for Kyle Shanahan. He lost the Super Bowl for the second time as 49ers coach and third time counting one defeat as offensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons.
2. Let’s play more: Both quarterbacks engineered field goal drives in the last two minutes of regulation to force overtime. Purdy moved the 49ers 40 yards in seven plays and Jake Moody nailed his kick from 53 yards with 1:53 left to go up, 19-16. Mahomes took the Chiefs 64 yards in 11 plays to set up Harrison Butker’s 29-yard field goal with :03 on the clock to tie it at 19-19.
3. Never good: The 49ers regained the lead when Purdy hit Jauan Jennings on a 10-yard slant with 11:27 to go. But Jake Moody’s PAT was blocked – the second special teams mistake by the 49ers in the second half. The 49ers lead was 16-13.
4. Double whammy: The Chiefs took their first lead with 2:28 left in the third quarter after a huge San Francisco blunder on special teams. A Kansas City punt grazed the foot of 49ers rookie Darrell Luter. Returner Ray-Ray McLeod tried to recover the loose ball, but couldn’t, and Kansas City fell on it at the 49ers’ 16-yard line. Mahomes went for the throat on first down and connected with Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone. After dominating the game, San Francisco was behind for the first time, 13-10.
5. Big leg: Mahomes’ biggest play through three quarters – a 22-yard scramble – set up Kansas City’s second field goal. Harrison Butker connected from 57 yards to surpass the Super Bowl record for longest field goal set in the first quarter by San Francisco’s Moody. It cut the 49ers’ lead to 10-6.
6. Discombobulation: Kansas City’s misery and frustration continued on its first possession of the second half. On its first play, running back Isaiah Pacheco mishandled a Mahomes toss back for a 12-yard loss. On its third, Mahomes was intercepted by safety Ji’Ayir Brown when linebacker Fred Warner took Travis Kelce off his route and Mahomes forced a throw for Marques Valdes-Scantling. Mahomes had gone six post-season games without an interception. The 49ers couldn’t capitalize, but still.
7. In the trenches: The Chiefs settled for a 28-yard field goal with :23 remaining in the second quarter to avoid an ignominious footnote. No team had won a Super Bowl after being shut out in the first half. The 49ers dominated both lines of scrimmage to build a 10-3 lead and frustrate the Chiefs. They pressured Mahomes nine times. Travis Kelce had only 1 catch for 1 yard in the first half and got in the face of coach Andy Reid earlier in the game for not being on the field on a play when running back Isaiah Pacheco fumbled.
8. Razzle dazzle: The 49ers extended their lead to 10-0 on a gadget play late in the second quarter. Purdy threw a backwards pass to his left to slot receiver Jennings behind the line of scrimmage. Jennings then lofted the ball across the field to Christian McCaffrey, who sauntered into the end zone from 21 yards through a thoroughly befuddled Chiefs defense. After the PAT Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones laid into his teammates on the bench.
9. An unfortunate occurrence: 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw suffered a non-contact injury to his left Achilles when attempting to jog onto the field after a San Francisco punt with 9:16 to go in the second quarter. He stumbled to the ground in pain. Greenlaw was transported to the locker room on a cart. What a big loss for the 49ers. Greenlaw was the team’s second-leading tackler this season.
10. Chiefs frustrated: Mahomes took out frustration with a 52-yard connection with Mecole Hardman at 13:01 of the second quarter. But on a first-down carry from the 49ers’ 9, Pacheco was stripped of the ball and Javon Hargrave recovered. Kelce went beserk on the sideline and had to be separated from Reid after jawing at and bumping into his coach. The Chiefs’ faces were as red as their helmets.
11. Ice-breaker: Moody’s 55-yard field goal early in the second quarter was the first score of the game. Temporarily the longest field goal ever in a Super Bowl, it was a good ice-breaker for the rookie kicker, who had misses in each of the 49ers’ three post-season games. Moody, of course, missed a 40-yard game-winning attempt against the Browns in Game 5. The kick came after Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie made a great breakup of a Purdy dime for Deebo Samuel in the end zone.
12. Didn’t matter: The Chiefs won the coin toss and deferred. It looked like a brilliant move by Reid when McCaffrey lost a fumble on the 49ers’ fifth play with San Francisco on the move. McCaffrey had only three lost fumbles all year. But the Chiefs were held to a three-and-out and had to punt. So the mystery of which team would score first dragged into the second quarter.
13. Shake off the nerves: Both offenses engaged in ineffectual sparring in a scoreless first quarter. Most of the pass attempts were short throws until Purdy connected for 18 yards and 19 on consecutive completions to Chris Conley and Ray-Ray McLeod in the final 2 minutes of the first quarter. Mahomes was 3 for 3 for 9 yards and the Chiefs had 1 first down in the quarter. It was the first scoreless first quarter in a Super Bowl since Patriots v. Rams five years ago.