Patrick Mahomes produced a staggering fourth-quarter performance to guide Kansas City Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win in 50 years as they came from 10 points behind to stun the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in Miami.
Quarterback Mahomes, 24, had endured a difficult evening under the pounding pressure of the 49ers and looked set to miss out on the big prize.
But then, with his side 20-10 down heading into the fourth quarter, last year’s MVP found two superb throws on third down to continue a season of comebacks as the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered points in four minutes and 57 seconds to take home the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Damien Williams’ second touchdown of the final quarter put the gloss on the scoreline as the Chiefs capped their wonderful late rally before celebrating a famous win in emotional scenes.
“We never lost faith. Everybody on this team, no one had their head down and we found a way to win in the end,” Mahomes, who was named Most Valuable Player, said in a TV interview as his team-mates celebrated under a cloud of confetti.
“The defence got some big stops for us and we found a way to win. Coach [Andy] Reid told me ‘keep firing, keep believing’ and he gave me a lot of confidence to go out there no matter what.
“The 49ers have an amazing defence, one of the best defences I’ve played against so far and I’m just glad our guys kept fighting. This team has heart, coach pushes us to be the best we can be. We did it baby!”
Niners crumble at the clutch moment
The 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was a ballboy at this very stadium when San Francisco won their fifth Super Bowl trophy back in 1995.
His father Mike was on the coaching staff, and went on to win two Super Bowls as a head coach with the Denver Broncos.
His son seemed set to join him after a fine defensive display and a neat performance at quarterback from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Touchdowns from Kyle Juszczyk and Raheem Mostert looked like sending the 49ers home with the trophy once again, but Mahomes’ MVP-winning final 15 minutes knocked the stuffing out of them.
It was to be big night deja vu for Shanahan, who was offensive co-ordinator at Super Bowl 51 when his Atlanta Falcons blew a 28-3 lead to lose to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.
“It was a tough loss and it hurts everybody in that room,” said Shanahan. “We had opportunities to win and came up short. They were better than us, we can deal with that but we’re obviously disappointed.
“I felt real good at 10-10 at half time, especially with us having the ball for the start of the second half.
“Kansas can score very fast, they are hot and cold, that’s how that team is.
“They’re just hurting, the guys put it all out there. Guys put their heart into the season and came up one game short.”
