Super Bowl LIV(ed) Up to Expectations

Super Bowl LIV Video Highlights Courtesy of Highlight Heaven

Every year, American football fans around the world look forward to the Super Bowl, and this year was no exception. If anything, the 2019-2020 football season was more entertaining than many of the seasons before its time, leaving viewers yearning for more great games to watch. During the playoffs—including the wild card round which ended with two overtime games—each match was close, intense, and action-packed. With so many talented teams and players, all real football fans knew that the upcoming Super Bowl was going to be spectacular. 

Neither the Kansas City Chiefs nor the San Francisco 49ers, the two Super Bowl competitors, had appeared in the NFL championships recently, adding to the excitement of the game. While the Chiefs have been playing excellently in the past five years (advancing to the playoffs since 2015), their last shot at the Lombardi trophy was in 1969. The Niners, on the other hand, played and lost against the Ravens in the New Orleans Super Bowl in 2012, but since then have been struggling to put together a winning season. For both teams, there was a lot at stake. 

Coming into the game, many believed that the Kansas City Chiefs would take the win. Under QB Patrick Mahomes, 2019 NFL MVP award recipient, the Chief’s offense was a powerhouse. As freshman Kyler Zhou explains perfectly, “Mahomes is GOAT!” The Chiefs were explosive, but more importantly, they always rise to the occasion when they are down. Earlier this postseason, while losing to the Houston Texans 24 – 0 in the 2nd quarter, they turned things around completely, putting up 51 points to win the game with a 20 point lead. With fast and physical receivers like Tyrek Hill and Travis Kelce, their offense is nearly impossible to contain. Unlike the Chiefs, the Niners relied on their ruthless defense throughout the season. Since they have accumulated Cornerback Richard Sherman and Defensive End Nick Bosa within the last two years, the 49ers have built one of the league’s best defenses. This iron curtain, alongside a well- performing offense carried by Quarterback Jimmy Garrapolo, Tight End George Kittle, and Wide Receiver Deebo Samuel, made the 49ers unstoppable for most of the football season. Predicting who will come out victorious between two top-tier teams is difficult, but some in the PDS community, including senior football enthusiast Tommy “Buff” Bocian, “thought [the Kansas City Chief’s Defense was] underrated” and that “KC was going to win.” 

The Super Bowl started with a surprise: Kansas City’s usually fire offense was forced to a 3 and out on their first possession. During this return, San Francisco’s momentum was almost stopped completely after their punt returner dropped the football with two Chiefs players in the vicinity. Luckily for all San Francisco fans out there, not only did the Niners regain possession of the ball but they also drove it down the field, resulting in a field goal. 3 – 0 Niners. As a response, in the Chiefs’ next drive, Kansas City began to rely more on their running game, and with plays such as a first down run for 11+ yards by the goat Mahomes, the Chiefs put themselves on the scoreboard with a touchdown. 7-3 Chiefs. However, this lead did not last for long as the 49ers defense continued to do its magic, holding the Chiefs to only 10 points during the first half. Even after the half, San Francisco continued increasing its lead until there were 9 minutes left to go in the game. At this point, Kansas City was down two possessions (10 points). According to senior football expert Charlotte Haggerty, “Mahomes got off to a rough start, with 2 interceptions. Many were doubting the Chiefs could win, but as per usual, Patrick Mahomes and the offense were able to find a way to come back.” While the 49ers played a great game, they came up just short against Mahome’s clutch, overpowering offense. 

Football fans have been anticipating this game for months, and they got exactly what they wanted: a crazy close game filled with surprises and awesome plays that kept everyone at the edge of their seats.