It took 50 years, but the wait is now over for the Kansas City Chiefs after coming back from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to beat the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
The Chiefs, who last appeared in a Super Bowl in 1970, won their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in three NFL championship appearances and became the first team to win three postseason games after trailing by 10 points or more.
Behind by 20-10 at the end of the third quarter in Sunday night's game, the Chiefs rallied in the fourth to beat the 49ers 31-20. After being shut out in the third quarter, the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points in the final quarter.
The 49ers threw the first punch, with a 10-play, 57-yard drive, including receiver Deebo Samuel's 32-yard run, that resulted in a field goal.
The Chiefs responded, though. After their first drive ended in a punt, Kansas City put together a seven-minute, 15-play drive for 75 yards that was ended with quarterback Patrick Mahomes making a 1-yard touchdown run at the end of the first quarter.
Mahomes completed 26 of 42 passes, amassed 286 yards and scored two touchdowns, helping to gain a quarterback rating of 78.1 (He also threw two interceptions.) At 24, he became the youngest among 30 quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl MVP.
"I mean, it really is amazing," Mahomes told reporters. "Just to be here is surreal, finding a way to win in the end with these guys I have around me. We'll enjoy this for a long time. I mean it truly is historic to be here and to win this game."
The 49ers tied the score, 10-10, after quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found fullback Kyle Juszczyk for a 15-yard touchdown pass to end the first half. Garoppolo finished the first two quarters with a 92.8 quarterback rating after completing 9 of 11 passes for one touchdown and one interception.
After a neck-and-neck first half that ended in a tie, the big game became one of turnovers. San Francisco pulled ahead with a field goal in the third quarter that Kansas City was unable to match.
After recovering his own fumble in the third quarter, Mahomes looked for big gains but ended up throwing his first interception of the night. The 49ers capitalized on the play, turning it into a strong drive that ended in a touchdown. Mahomes followed that up with his second interception in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs' defense held San Francisco to limited gains and forced a punt. Starting the drive within their own 20-yard line, Kansas City marched up the field to be interrupted by a successful San Francisco challenge on a complete pass call, leading to an attempt on 3rd-and-15.
Mahomes launched the ball up the field for big gains that landed the Chiefs just within the red zone. A pass interference call placed the Chiefs on the 1-yard line where Mahomes threw a quick pass to Travis Kelce for a touchdown.
Another failed drive by the 49ers offense handed the ball to the Chiefs with just over five minutes left. After a few short plays to kick off the drive, Mahomes looked deep and connected with Sammy Watkins to enter the red zone. From there, it wasn't long until the Chiefs entered the end zone, taking a 24-20 lead with less than three minutes remaining
The 49ers had a chance in the end, but failed to convert a 4th-and-10 from Chiefs' 49-yard line.
Once the Chiefs got the ball back, they sealed the deal with a Damien Williams 38-yard touchdown run to give the Chiefs a commanding 11-point lead with 1:12 remaining. Williams finished the game with 17 carries for 104 rushing yards and one touchdown.
The NFL will return to Florida next year for Super Bowl LV, which is scheduled to be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. It will be the fifth time the city hosted the game. This year's game drew 62,417 fans to Hard Rock Stadium.