How did 49ers lose the last time they were in the Super Bowl? Recapping loss to Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid combined to get their first rings when they won Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers. Reid has long been considered one of the greatest head coaches in NFL history, but his failure to win a Super Bowl was his one major knock. He erased that narrative when Mahomes, in his second season as a starter, helped him get there.
The victory was also the second ring in Kansas City Chiefs history, the first one in 50 years. Their first victory came all the way back in Super Bowl IV for the 1969 NFL season when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings. It took five decades to win another one, and it almost didn't happen as they had to earn it in epic fashion.
The 49ers opened the scoring with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Chiefs then answered by scoring ten consecutive points, including a rushing touchdown for Patrick Mahomes. The 49ers evened things up at 10-10 going into halftime as a result of a Jimmy Garoppolo touchdown pass.
After an even first half that saw both teams take control of the game at different times, the second half opened with the 49ers gaining all of the momentum. They scored the first ten points of the half to take a 20-10 lead and, combined with their first-half touchdown, scored 17 consecutive points. They appeared to be in control of the outcome of the game, but the Chiefs came storming back.
Patrick Mahomes' Super Bowl MVP comeback victory
Patrick Mahomes stepped up to the challenge of overcoming a second-half deficit by throwing touchdown passes on his next two drives and taking an unexpected 24-20 lead. On the following drive, the 49ers were marching right down the field and appeared to have a chance to win the game with less than two minutes remaining on the clock when Garoppolo made a costly error.
The 49ers got into Chiefs territory and were working the clock to set up what could have been a game-winning touchdown. On a third down play, Garoppolo had Emmanuel Sanders wide open for a deep pass, but he notoriously overthrew him. He was then sacked on the next play to give the ball back to the Chiefs, essentially ending the 49ers' attempt to make a comeback of their own.
Mahomes' heroic efforts earned him his first of two Super Bowl MVP awards in his career so far. He also won another ring for the franchise three years later, giving the Kansas City Chiefs three total Super Bowl wins. He is already just one of six players in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards, and he will be looking for another one this year in a rematch with the San Francisco 49ers.