LAS VEGAS, NV (WTKR)- The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas turned out to be one that will go down as one of the best in history. From big pregame performances to a thrilling ending, Super Bowl LVIII kept fans on the edge of their seats.
For the first time in history, the big game had an in-game DJ, as Kaskade kept the crowd entertained before kickoff and during breaks in the contest. Andra Day performed "Life Every Voice and Sing," Post Malone sang a fantastic acoustic version of "American the Beautiful" and country star Reba McEntire was the singer of the national anthem. That set the stage for a Super Bowl to remember.
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Both defenses were on display in the early stages of the game. The 49ers were moving the ball on their opening drive before the Chiefs forced Christian McCaffrey to fumble in the red zone. The first quarter ended with the two squads deadlocked in a scoreless tie.
Jake Moody got the scoring started early in the second quarter with a 57-yard field goal, the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. San Francisco's defense continued to hold strong, forcing an Isiah Pacheco fumble in the red zone and pressuring Patrick Mahomes on a regular basis. Kyle Shanahan would go deep into the playbook to give the 49ers a 10-0 lead, as a double pass from Brock Purdy to Jauan Jennigs to McCaffrey resulted in a touchdown. Harrison Butker would get the Chiefs on the board with a field goal in the final seconds of the half.
Butker added another field goal after halftime to trim the lead to 10-6 and then the Kansas City special teams unit came up with a big play. With 2:42 remaining in the third, San Francisco was set to receive a punt, but the ball made contact with Darrell Luter Jr. and Jaylen Watson recovered the muff at the 49er 16-yard line. Mahomes found Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown on the next play to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game at 13-10.
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San Francisco wasn't done, as Purdy found Jennings for a 10-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth to take the lead back, though Moody's point-after attempt was blocked, putting the 49ers lead at 16-13. Moody and Butker would exchange field goals down the stretch, with Butker's 29-yard drill with three seconds left tying the game and sending it to overtime.
The Niners won the toss and opted to take the ball first, moving the ball down the field, but had to settle for Moody 27-yard field goal to put them in front, 22-19.
That set the stage for more heroics from Mahomes, who orchestrated a 13-play, 75-yard game-winning drive, capped off by a three-yard pass to Mecole Hardman for the title-clinching touchdown, giving the Chiefs their second consecutive Lombardi Trophy.
The Kansas City quarterback claimed MVP honors, throwing for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 66 rushing yards. Travis Kelce led the Chiefs with 93 receiving yards on nine catches.
Fans were also treated to a thrilling halftime performance by Usher, who also welcomed Alicia Keys, Ludacris and Lil' Jon to the stage with him.
Andy Reid and Mahomes will address the media Monday morning to close out the Super Bowl festivities Las Vegas will also pass the torch to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX.
