LAS VEGAS (AP) — Live updates from the Super Bowl in Las Vegas:
Despite a crushing Super Bowl loss, the 49ers are favorites to be next year’s NFL champions.
The Chiefs, seeking a three-peat, are next at +750, followed by the Ravens (+900), Lions (+1200) and Bills (+1200).
Mecole Hardman says he didn’t realize he’d won the Super Bowl after catching the game-ending touchdown in overtime.
“I blacked out man,” he said. “I forgot we actually won the game.”
Patrick Mahomes sprinted after him in the end zone and shared the good news.
“I threw a touchdown to this dude to end the game, and he looked at me,” Mahomes said. “He had no idea. I said, ‘Dude, we just won the Super Bowl.’ He had no idea. He didn’t even celebrate at the beginning.”
“It’s time to celebrate now,” Hardman said.
The San Francisco 49ers gave Patrick Mahomes two opportunities to drive for the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.
They should have known — who doesn’t at this point? — that it was one too many.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-49ers-chiefs-mahomes-d2878a311b13408ebc186638256e703e
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce shook off a frustrating first half and held up his end of the bargain for girlfriend Taylor Swift.
Kelce finished with nine receptions for 93 yards, including a crucial catch on the winning drive.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/super-bowl-travis-kelce-andy-reid-0906fba1661065186f7d9c51ae77e94b (edited)
With girlfriend Taylor Swift watching, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sang “Viva Las Vegas” from the awards stage.
He also led his teammates and the Chiefs fans to chant, “You’ve got to fight for your right to party,” a signature statement for him.
Kelce found Swift after the trophy ceremony for a kiss and a long hug.
Patrick Mahomes shared the name of the play Kansas City used for the winning TD in overtime.
“It’s just called Corn Dog. And we brought it back at the right time. ... Another Andy Reid special.”
The Chiefs moved into rarefied air with their third Super Bowl championship in five years and fourth overall.
That tied them with the Packers and Giants for fifth on the NFL’s all-time leaderboard.
The Steelers and Patriots hold the honors with six apiece, followed by the 49ers and Cowboys with five each.
Kansas City also became the first team to repeat since the Patriots in the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with 3 seconds left in overtime, and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday in the second overtime game in Super Bowl history, becoming the first repeat champs in 19 years and ninth overall.
With pop star Taylor Swift watching boyfriend Kelce from a suite, the Chiefs captured their third Super Bowl title in five years and firmly established themselves as a dynasty.
Read the AP’s breaking game story: https://apnews.com/49b5dca51c05ab0f259cef0d7da7
Taylor Swift was barely visible on the telecast when the Chiefs clinched the overtime win because she was smothered by a mob of her suite-mates when the winning touchdown was scored.
CBS immediately cut to her when Patrick Mahomes completed a touchdown pass to Mercole Hardman for the 25-22 victory, but only a wriggling mass of joyful humanity could be seen.
It was the second straight win for the Chiefs, but the first since she became fan-in-chief when she and Travis Kelce, who got a key first down before the touchdown, began dating shortly before the season started.
What a crushing loss for 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who again will be dogged with questions about not being able to win the big game.
He was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator that lost a 28-3 lead to the Patriots.
Four years ago, the 49ers under his command blew a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter to the Chiefs.
And then tonight, the 49ers took leads with 1:53 left in regulation and again in overtime and couldn’t hold on as Kansas City first forced OT and then won the game.
Shanahan is one of the NFL’s brilliant offensive minds, but until the Niners win a title with him on the sideline, the questions will remain.
The GOAT. The dynasty.
Don’t count out Patrick Mahomes, who won his third Super Bowl title with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Harman in overtime. He is chasing Tom Brady’s seven championships, the current greatest of all time. Mahomes is in the conversation as well.
This the Chiefs’ second Super Bowl championship in a row and third in five seasons.
The Chiefs had chances to get the 49ers off the field in overtime, but a dropped interception and a defensive holding penalty on third down extended their drive.
The Niners, though, blew their own opportunity by having to settle for a field goal in the red zone.
San Francisco leads 22-19. Kansas City will get a shot to tie or win.
Previously, overtime was sudden death if the first team to possess the ball scored a touchdown. That led to situations where the game ended before both teams had a chance to play offense. That’s what happened with New England against Atlanta in Super Bowl 51.
The first use of the NFL’s new playoff overtime rule comes in the Super Bowl.
No longer can the team that gets the ball first win it immediately with a touchdown. Both teams must posses the ball.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker forced overtime with a 29-yard field goal with 3 seconds left to make the score 19-19.
It’s familiar territory for Kyle Shanahan.
The 49ers coach was part of the only other OT game in Super Bowl history when he was the Falcons’ offensive coordinator seven years ago. That was the 28-3 blown lead to the Patriots.
Jake Moody became the first kicker to make two 50-plus field goals in a Super Bowl –- and this one might be enough to give the 49ers the Super Bowl.
His 53-yarder with 1:53 left gave San Francisco a 19-16 lead. Moody made up for a missed extra point.
But Patrick Mahomes will get the ball. He’s shown what he can do in 13 seconds. Mahomes will have a lot more time now.
Big stop for the 49ers.
They kept the Chiefs out of the end zone even though they had first-and-goal at the 4, forcing a tying field goal with 5:46 left.
Both teams have missed opportunities, so in that way, it’s kind of evened out.
Now Brock Purdy can shed the quarterback-manager label or Patrick Mahomes will add to his extraordinary legacy.
Stay tuned.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan went for it.
All Niners fans probably couldn’t believe it when he eschewed a field goal on fourth-and-3 early in the fourth quarter and converted it. San Francisco scored a touchdown to take a 16-13 lead.
16-13?
The extra point was blocked, keeping the Chiefs within three. Could be huge.
San Francisco’s Jauan Jennings joined Nick Foles as the only players to throw a touchdown pass and catch one in a Super Bowl. Foles did it six years ago for the Eagles against the Patriots.
49ers QB Brock Purdy is hoping to pull off his third playoff victory in a row while trailing in the second half.
He led the Niners on a late touchdown drive to beat the Packers and then erased a 24-7 halftime deficit to beat the Lions in the NFC championship.
The 49ers enter the fourth quarter against the Chiefs down 13-10, but are at Kansas City’s 42.
One play after the 49ers had a punt bounce off one of their players and get recovered by Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes lofted a 16-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone to give the Chiefs a 13-10 lead in the Super Bowl.
Valdes-Scantling was almost universally loathed by Chiefs fans for much of the season. He dropped several passes at crucial moments, including one that may have cost them a game. And considering he was the highest-paid wide receiver on a group that struggled all season, he became an easy target for failing to live up to his contract.
But he had a big catch against Baltimore to help put away the AFC title game, and now has an even bigger one in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers had their chances to put away the Chiefs.
They might soon really regret it.
A punt bounced off the Niners’ Darrell Luter’s leg, and Kansas City’s Jaylen Watson recovered at San Francisco’s 16.
One play later, the Chiefs took their first lead of the game.
You can’t hand any team, but especially a Super Bowl champion, those kinds of breaks.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are the headliners, but the Chiefs are in the Super Bowl largely because of their defense.
And did it show up in the third quarter.
They forced three 49ers three-and-outs, holding San Francisco to 3 yards.
Quarterback Brock Purdy is 4 for 12 for 17 yards since the start of the second quarter. Those game-management criticisms aren’t going away.
One bit of good news for SF: Deebo Samuel is back after limping earlier with a hamstring issue.
Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made a 57-yard field goal with 5:01 left in the third quarter, breaking a Super Bowl record from... two quarters ago.
Jake Moody’s 55-yarder to open the scoring had been the longest in Super Bowl history, topping a 54-yarder by Buffalo’s Steve Christie.
The kick came moments after a shirtless fan ran onto the field during a third-and-11.
Beyoncé is.... Back?
After a Verizon commercial starring Beyoncé aired during the Super Bowl ended with the superstar saying “They ready, drop the new music,” the question became -- was she serious?
Later, a cryptic Instagram video with country iconography appeared on her page, teasing “act ii” on March 29. Beyoncé’s 2022 album “Renassiance” is frequently referred to as “Act I: Renaissance.”
49ers receiver Deebo Samuel limped off the field early in the third quarter of the Super Bowl.
San Francisco said it was a left hamstring injury and his return is questionable.
The Niners’ do-everything receiver went down on a third-down pass on San Francisco’s second drive of the third quarter. Trainers came out to attend to him before walking off under his own power. He went briefly to the injury tent.
The 49ers have struggled this season when Samuel has been hurt. They lost three straight games in October when he hurt his shoulder and struggled for most of a divisional round win against Green Bay after he hurt his other shoulder on the opening drive.
Well, there was Usher. And Alicia Keys.
But not so much to see after halftime.
The Super Bowl is the NFL’s premier event, but the 49ers and Chiefs are playing like it’s the second game of the preseason. Penalties, punts and turnovers. Not exactly what the league wanted for the first big game in Las Vegas.
At least there were the multiple cutaways on the stadium screens to Taylor Swift.
Usher emerged at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium for the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show seated on a throne, joined by a marching band and a trove of Vegas performers — but stayed its center.
It was an immediate confirmation of his position as the ideal halftime performer: one with timeless, well-known hits, masterful choreography, and a devoted audience, AP’s Music Writer Maria Sherman writes in her review.
Suwasit Ritthiphon, clad in silver and black, was one of hundreds of people partying on the field during the halftime show. A longtime fan of Usher, Ritthiphon, 43, said he couldn’t believe his luck when his application for a spot on the field was accepted.
“My heart was beating. It was exciting,” he said, flashing a smile. He described the experience of running through the tunnel and onto the field as “an opportunity of a lifetime.”
A steady stream of stars joined Usher during his 13-minute halftime show. H.E.R. took the field with a guitar solo, and he made a costume change into a purple and black sparkling suit with roller skates, which he used to glide in circles around the stage.
Lil Jon joined, starting with a rousing snippet of his “Turn Down for What” before Usher’s biggest, hit, “Yeah,” began blaring on the stadium speakers.
Lil Jon and Ludacris – with shoulder pads and big afro – recreated their roles on Usher’s 2004 recording of the song from the midfield stage as the R&B star danced amid a bedazzled crowd to close the show.
Alicia Keys joined Usher as a surprise guest during his halftime show, singing her “If I Ain’t Got You” while standing at a midfield piano that looked like a red hunk of abstract sculpture.
She then stood up and entangled with Usher as they sang their duet “My Boo,” with her dressed in sparkling red and in contrast with his sparkling white. The singer shed his shirt soon after.
Usher was also joined by a marching band on the field as he raced through both dance and slow jams including “U Don’t Have to Call.”
Usher has kicked off his halftime show in Vegas style – surrounded by a field full of showgirls and other showy dancers, he shed an extravagant feather cape as he stepped from a stage onto the field while singing his 2004 hit “Caught.”
It’s the first song in a medley of many from the R&B star as he tries to squeeze highlights from a 30-year career into 13 minutes.
Be careful about betting against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
He is 7-1 in playoff games over the past five seasons after trailing by at least seven points.
All other QBs? They are 12-55.
One story of the first half was a nonstory.
Players didn’t slide around on the field as if it was ice like they did in last season’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.
Of course, that was before halftime when hundreds of fans danced on the turf as Usher performed.
This is why the Chiefs deferred after winning the coin toss.
KC trails 10-3 but will get the ball first to start the second half, giving them a chance to double up after finally getting on the scoreboard late in the second quarter with Harrison Butker’s 28-yarder.
The Chiefs are quite comfortable coming from behind. They have rallied from double-digit deficits to win two Super Bowls, including against San Francisco four years ago.
Patrick Mahomes has trailed in all four Super Bowls by double digits, yet he is 2-1.
The 49ers were the better team for most of the first half, but the combination of the Chiefs mounting a scoring drive and San Francisco blowing earlier opportunities to score has made this a game.
After Andra Day finished her Super Bowl pregame performance, the soul singer’s nerves are still getting the best of her.
The Grammy winner was all smiles after she performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing” ahead of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers championship game Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
“I’m excited but still feeling some nervousness,” said Day, who was a pregame performer along with Reba McEntire and Post Malone. McEntire sung the national anthem and Malone performed “America the Beautiful.”
Day said she’s happy with her performance, and relieved it’s over. She said her experience on the field was a “blur.”
“The trick is not to look at people's faces,” she said. "I just see this one big blur. If I was to see faces, I would flip out.”
The Chiefs are fortunate to be trailing 10-3 at halftime of the Super Bowl after making the same silly mistakes that caused them to lose five of eight games midway through the season.
The AFC champions were penalized five times for 50 yards. They fumbled three times but were lucky to lose only one of them. Justin Watson dropped a long pass for the team that led the NFL in drops this season. And there have been so many blown assignments up front that Patrick Mahomes, who is rarely sacked, has been brought down twice already.
The Chiefs get the ball to start the second half after winning the coin toss and deferring, and Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL at making halftime adjustments. But unless his players start to execute, nothing that Reid says or does in the locker room will matter.
The Chiefs are on the board with a 28-yard field goal from Harrison Butker with 20 seconds left before halftime.
The 49ers have done a nice job on Travis Kelce so far — even in the red zone, where he and the Chiefs are often so effective.
Kelce only has one catch for 1 yard on the day. On that last third down from the San Francisco 9, he lined up in the slot and was covered by safety Ji’Ayir Brown. Kelce appeared to swing an arm in frustration when Patrick Mahomes was taken down before being able to throw.
The San Francisco 49ers got tricky for the first touchdown of the Super Bowl.
Coach Kyle Shanahan dialed up a rare trick play that led to a TD pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to running back Christian McCaffrey.
Brock Purdy started the play with a lateral to the left side to Jennings, who immediately threw it back to the other side to McCaffrey, who had a convoy of blockers and ran in for a 21-yard TD to put San Francisco up 10-0.
McCaffrey has tied an NFL record with his seventh straight playoff game with at least 50 yards from scrimmage and a TD.
San Francisco has moved to a 7 1/2-point favorite on FanDuel’s live line after the spread was a good bit closer at the start of the game.
There has been plenty of Taylor Swift on the big screens of Allegiant Stadium, and during the last timeout, cameras caught her in a race to chug what appeared to be a beer in her suite.
Swift was the first to finish, and she triumphantly slammed the cup down as the video cut away to other fans. But not before an appreciative roar rippled through the stadium.
If only the Chiefs were able to move the ball as successfully as she downed her drink. Their offense has gone nowhere in the first half of their Super Bowl showdown with the 49ers.
“Bennifer” has teamed up with Dunkin for a second Super Bowl in a row.
In an ad for the Massachusetts-based chain, Ben Affleck enlists Matt Damon, Tom Brady and more to visit Jennifer Lopez at work and give a “DunKings” performance full of Boston pride. Rappers Jack Harlow and Fat Joe also make an appearance in the celebrity-filled commercial.
49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw was carted to the locker room midway through the second quarter after injuring his left Achilles tendon in a bizarre moment.
He began to sprint onto the field for the start of a defensive possession when he stumbled, fell and needed medical attention.
Greenlaw already had made an impact in this game with three tackles when he went out.
Travis Kelce bumped into coach Andy Reid and yelled at him after teammate Isiah Pacheco’s red-zone fumble in the second quarter. Frustration is clearly building for KC, which still trails 3-0.
In an ad for Hellmann’s, Kate McKinnon makes an unusual discovery: her cat can talk. Well, sort of. Her furry friend can say one word, “may-ow” — which skyrockets her to celebrity status and causes a mayonnaise-buying frenzy. The “Mayo Cat” becomes so famous that she even dates (and soon dumps) Pete Davidson.
For all the talk of stars Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and Travis Kelce, it’s defenses that have had the edge early in the Super Bowl. The teams have combined for one score on the first six drives.
Kansas City looked to be on the verge of a breakthrough when Mahomes connected on a 53-yard pass to Mecole Hardman to get the Chiefs to the 9. But Isiah Pacheco lost a fumble on the next play with Javon Hargrave recovering.
Kansas City had gained only 16 yards in the first quarter and now has gone nine straight possessions in the postseason without a point, dating to the AFC title game.
San Francisco has had its own issues with McCaffrey losing a fumble on the opening drive and Trent Williams committing two penalties to stall the second possession.
Jake Moody made a Super Bowl-record 55-yard field goal just 12 seconds into the second quarter to put the San Francisco 49ers on top 3-0.
Buffalo’s Steve Christie held the record with a 54-yarder against Dallas in Super Bowl 28.
This could be a confidence booster for Moody, who missed field goals in the past two playoff games.
The 49ers are their own worst enemies midway through the first quarter. Christian McCaffrey fumbled on their first drive, and then San Francisco lost yardage on three consecutive plays — two penalties and a run by Deebo Samuel.
Then as the 49ers were about to punt, they were penalized another 5 yards because of a false start.
That kept the game scoreless even though the Niners have outgained the Kansas City Chiefs 84-6 in yardage.
San Francisco opened the game with an impressive drive but wasted the opportunity to score when Christian McCaffrey fumbled at Kansas City’s 27-yard line.
Leo Chenal knocked the ball out of McCaffrey’s hands, and fellow Chief George Karlaftis recovered.
The Chiefs had a turnover ratio of minus-11 in the regular season, among the NFL’s worst.
This is the fourth time since 2000 that the game’s opening drive ended in a turnover.
The Chiefs didn't do anything with the turnover, going three-and-out. That ended a streak of eight straight playoff games in which Kansas City scored on its opening possession, an NFL record.
“He Gets Us” returned to the Super Bowl again this year. The campaign, which is backed by a group of wealthy Christian donors, aired an ad with the message, “Jesus didn’t teach hate. He washed feet,” in the first quarter of the game.
Other early ads:
Dove’s ad begins seemingly whimsically showing young girls having mishaps playing sports to the tune of “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” But the ad cuts starkly to a girl looking self-consciously in the mirror. The message: low body-confidence leads to girls quitting sports, not the mishaps.
Hall of Famers Dan Marino, Bruce Smith and Terrell Owens never got a Super Bowl ring, but M&M’s and Scarlett Johansson present them with “Almost Champions” rings in a Super Bowl ad.
In a pregame promotion for gambling site FanDuel, NFL legend Rob Gronkowski missed a 25-yard field goal for a second year in a row.
That means fans who bet against Gronkowski are set to win a share of $10 million in FanDuel Bonus Bets.
A huge roar went up when Kansas City won the toss. Either Chiefs fans felt that was unusually crucial in this game — or a lot of people had bet on heads.
KC deferred its choice to the second half, meaning the 49ers get the ball first.
Reba McEntire made quick but majestic work of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
The “Queen of Country” sang the national anthem moments before kickoff, backed by a recorded track of a country band with a horn section. Flag-bearing service members stood behind her, a huge U.S. flag covered most of the field, and military jets flew over Allegiant Stadium as she sang.
She got through the song in about 1 minute 40 seconds. That’s a good 10 seconds longer than the over-under from oddsmakers, but still the quickest version of the anthem at the Super Bowl since Kelly Clarkson sang it 12 years ago.
___
AP Super Bowl coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/super-bowl
