As the Houston Texans sadly learned, you can’t be comfortable with any lead over the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a lesson that the San Francisco 49ers found out the hard way at Super Bowl LIV, as the Chiefs stormed back from a 10-point fourth quarter deficit to win the NFL championship, 31-20.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was not having a good game before the fourth quarter, suddenly woke up. He hit Tyreek Hill on a 44-yard bomb, then took advantage of an interference call in the end zone to hit tight end Travis Kelce for a short touchdown.
Mahomes then got the ball back with five minutes left and marched the Chiefs down the field, hitting a big pass to receiver Sammy Watkins and then getting the winner to Damien Williams, who barely broke the plain of the end zone, but was officially ruled in-bounds. Mahomes wound up 5 for 5 with 60 yards on the winning drive, finishing the day with 286 yards passing and 44 yards on the ground.
The Chiefs victory meant that veteran coach Andy Reid wins his first Super Bowl, perhaps cementing a Hall of Fame bid when his career finally ends. Reid, who went to John Marshall High School in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, has long been acknowledged as one of the finest offensive minds in the game, but never managed to win the big one. He has now.
Running back Damien Williams put the cherry on the cake for the Chiefs, sprinting down the left sideline on a 38-yard run to stick the fork in the 49ers. A last-gasp 49ers pass was picked off by Kendall Fuller to seal things.
The Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to be down double digits in three different games, but came back to win.
Mahomes was named the MVP of Super Bowl 54. Disney Parks will donate $1 million to Make-a-Wish on behalf of Mahomes, who will go to Disney World on Monday to continue his celebration. He is the youngest MVP in Super Bowl history.
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