The Kansas City Chiefs and Pat Mahomes establish their NFL dynasty after a brutal comeback against the San Francisco 49ers while Taylor Swift watches

With an epic comeback led by Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs reconfirmed the NFL title on Sunday by defeating the ferocious San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas, where singer Taylor Swift vibrated for the triumph of her partner, Travis Kelce, who she rewarded with a kiss that is already going around the world.

Kansas City overcame a 0-10 deficit on the brink of halftime and sealed the victory with a fabulous offensive series by Mahomes, MVP of the game, culminating with a touchdown by Mecole Hardman in overtime, which ensured that Swift and the other celebrities who accompanied her in a box at Allegiant Stadium.

The Chiefs, with three titles in the last five seasons, are establishing themselves as the new dynasty of the American football league and Mahomes, at 28, is still on track to match Tom Brady’s record of seven trophies.

Swift, the biggest celebrity in music today, experienced the game with passion from a luxury stage where numerous personalities paraded, such as singer Lana Del Rey but also Kelce’s parents and brother, Jason, also an NFL player . You also received a visit from Sir Paul McCartney, who did not want to miss the great celebration of world sport.

The singer, who arrived urgently on Saturday after her concert in Tokyo, received numerous ovations from the 61,629 fans when she appeared on the giant screens hugging actress Blake Lively or drinking for several seconds until she finished the glass.

The media romance of Swift, who wore a red Chiefs jacket, and Kelce transcended sports boundaries and drew new audiences to the NFL.

Kelce, one of the pillars of the Chiefs along with Mahomes and coach Andy Reid, had a nightmare start to the game but re-emerged in the second half, when the Chiefs used his experience and luck to take the title from the hands of the 49ers. he has resisted them since 1995.

Kansas City, on the other hand, lifted its fourth trophy and is the first franchise to retain the championship since Brady won it with the New England Patriots between 2003 and 2004.

A record-breaking final

The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas, a city that the NFL has long turned its back on so as not to be associated with the game, hoped to break both sports betting and television audience records, adding new audiences attracted by Swift’s media romance.

The CBS broadcast featured numerous shots of Swift jumping, dancing and biting her nails, as well as the usual million-dollar TV commercials, one of which starred Lionel Messi to promote a brand of beer.

For 90 seconds, one of the most coveted moments on American screens, the Argentine star dribbled past swimmers and even a dog onto a paradise beach where Ted Lasso’s character and NFL legend Dan Marino also appeared.

An estimated 67 million Americans – about a quarter of the country’s adult population – placed bets related to the Super Bowl, generating about $23.1 billion.

All these stimuli left the traditional halftime show a little in the background, in which the R&B figure Usher had a sober performance influenced by the symbols of Las Vegas which had surprise guests such as Alicia Keys.

An export match

The most anticipated Super Bowl of recent times had a game that lived up to the emotions.

After a defense-dominated first quarter, the 49ers struck first in the second quarter with a 55-yard field goal by kicker Jake Moody.

Mahomes responded with a bomb first pass that left the Chiefs just nine yards from the end zone but Isiah Pacheco, the Puerto Rican-born running back, lost the ball on his way to the red zone.

Kelce, who had ensured he was not bothered by the global attention due to his relationship with Swift, went berserk on the bench, screaming and grabbing the arm of his veteran coach Andy Reid.

The 49ers offense was also there with a fabulous strategic play that led to Christian McCaffrey’s first touchdown of the game to make it 0-10.

Mahomes, who has averaged double figures in the four Super Bowls he’s played in, held his nerve and saved the best for last.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs could only score points thanks to two Harrison Butker field goals, but shortly before the fourth quarter the game changed direction with several lucky plays for the Chiefs.

In one of those, a punt got out of Ray-Ray McCloud’s hand and facilitated a touchdown that gave Kansas City the lead for the first time and then Jake Moody missed a kick after a San Francisco touchdown.

Defenses prevented further touchdowns and the Chiefs forced overtime with a 29-yard field goal by Butker with just three seconds left.

In overtime, Purdy and McCaffrey ate up yards so much so that Moody advanced with another kick to the 49ers, but left Mahomes seven minutes for the final return.

The quarterback ran out the clock, made a run that shocked Swift, and took the ball three yards to make one final game-winning pass to Mecole Hardman.

Source: AFP