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| Date | February 2, 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Kickoff time | 6:30 p.m.EST (UTC-5) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Hard Rock Stadium Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Patrick Mahomes,quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Chiefs by 1.5 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Bill Vinovich | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 62,417 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Demi Lovato | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Colonel Charles E. McGee (Ret.) with Bill Vinovich | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Jennifer Lopez andShakira, featuringBad Bunny andJ Balvin | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Fox Fox Deportes | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Joe Buck (play-by-play) Troy Aikman (analyst) Erin Andrews andChris Myers (sideline reporters) Mike Pereira (rules analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 41.6 (national) 55.7 (Kansas City) 48.6 (San Francisco) U.S. viewership: 102.1 million viewers[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $5.6 million | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Westwood One | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) Kurt Warner (color commentator) Laura Okmin andTony Boselli (sideline reporters) Gene Steratore (rules analyst) | ||||||||||||||||||
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Super Bowl LIV was anAmerican football game played between theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championKansas City Chiefs and theNational Football Conference (NFC) championSan Francisco 49ers to determine the champion of theNational Football League (NFL) for the2019 season. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31–20. The game was played on February 2, 2020, atHard Rock Stadium inMiami Gardens, Florida, which is the home of theDolphins. This was the eleventh Super Bowl hosted by the South Florida region and the sixth Super Bowl hosted at Hard Rock Stadium. Kansas City quarterbackPatrick Mahomes was namedSuper Bowl MVP for the first time in his career, having completed 26 of 42 pass attempts for 286 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, as well as rushing for 29 yards and one touchdown.[2]
Mahomes led Kansas City to a 12–4 regular season record and the team's third Super Bowl appearance overall. With the emergence of quarterbackJimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers finished the regular season with a 13–3 record and advanced to their seventh Super Bowl appearance overall.
The first half of the game was back and forth between both teams, with the game tied 10-10 at halftime. In the third, the 49ers took advantage of aRobbie Gouldfield goal and a touchdown run byRaheem Mostert, putting San Francisco ahead 20-10 leading into the fourth. However, in the game's final seven minutes, the Chiefs quickly overcame their 10-point deficit, with Mahomes completing two touchdown drives toTravis Kelce andDamien Williams, in addition to a late touchdown byDamien Williams and late interception byKendall Fuller, to seal their victory.
This was the Chiefs' first Super Bowl victory sinceSuper Bowl IV in 1970, their first NFL championship since joining the league in the 1970AFL–NFL merger, and also subsequently ended their 50-year championship drought.[3][4]Andy Reid also won his first NFL championship as a head coach.[5] The 49ers were handed their second Super Bowl loss in franchise history afterSuper Bowl XLVII.
The game has been positively received in retrospect with several outlets praising the Chiefs' late comeback.[6][7] However, the officiating in Super Bowl LIV was met with criticism,[8] with many questionable calls in favor of the Chiefs.[9][10][11][12] The game's broadcast in the United States byFox, along with thehalftime show headlined byJennifer Lopez andShakira, was seen by an estimated 103 million viewers—a slight increase overSuper Bowl LIII in 2019 (which had seen the smallest audience for the game in 10 years). Due to the seating capacity of Hard Rock Stadium, this game also had the fourth lowest attendance in Super Bowl history (behindSuper Bowl I,Super Bowl LVIII, andSuper Bowl LV the following year). This was the first timein four years that the Super Bowl did not feature the New England Patriots since they were eliminated in the wild-card round by the Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs would make Super Bowl LV the following year, but ultimately lost to the Buccaneers, 9-31. The 49ers and the Chiefs once again met inSuper Bowl LVIII four years later in 2024, with the Chiefs again defeating the 49ers inovertime, 25–22.[13]
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On May 19, 2015, the league announced the four finalists that would compete to host eitherSuper Bowl LIII in 2019 or Super Bowl LIV. NFL owners voted on these cities in May 2016, with the first round of voting determining who would host Super Bowl LIII and the second round deciding the venue for Super Bowl LIV. The league had also originally announced in 2015 that Los Angeles would be eligible as a potential Super Bowl LIV site if there were a stadium in place and a team moved there by the start of the 2018 season.[14][15][16]
The league opened the relocation window in January 2016, selecting the formerSt. Louis Rams to return to Los Angeles; theirnew stadium in Inglewood, California was, at the time of the vote, not scheduled to open until August 2019 (it began construction in November 2016, giving nearly three years to construct the stadium). This meant the new stadium was scheduled to be open in time for the game (and the league selected the relocating team just in time to be considered for Super Bowl LIV), but, under the current construction timetable, would require a waiver of league policy to host Super Bowl LIV, as the league does not allow stadiums in their first year of existence to host the Super Bowl to ensure stadium construction delays and unforeseen problems do not jeopardize the game. In May 2016, the league granted this waiver and confirmed that Los Angeles was still in consideration for Super Bowl LIV.[17]
The two remaining finalists for Super Bowl LIV wereHard Rock Stadium inMiami Gardens, Florida, which last hostedSuper Bowl XLIV in 2010; andRaymond James Stadium inTampa, Florida, which last hostedSuper Bowl XLIII in 2009.[18][14] Miami was selected as the host site at the NFL owners meeting on May 24, 2016.[19][20]
David Grutman—founder of the popular nightclubLIV atFontainebleau Miami Beach—stated that he had no issues with the coincidence of Miami hosting Super Bowl LIV, embracing it as free publicity. The club—which first opened in 2008, has regularly hosted professional athletes, and also operates a club and luxury seating section at Hard Rock Stadium—had been named in honor of the hotel first opening in 1954, and as an homage to New York City'sStudio 54. Of the NFL's onerous enforcement of venues using league trademarks (such as "Super Bowl") for promotional purposes, Grutman stated that "we don't write the words Super Bowl LIV on anything. This is their mark and their weekend, and we're just so happy that they're doing it in Miami."[21][22]
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The San Francisco 49ers finished the 2019 season with an NFC-best13–3 record under third-year head coachKyle Shanahan. San Francisco's rise to the top came as a surprise to the league.[23] They had finished the previous season4–12 and had not recorded a winning record since2013.[24]
One big reason for the 49ers' success was the emergence of quarterbackJimmy Garoppolo.[25] Garoppolo began his career in 2014 as a backup toNew England Patriots quarterbackTom Brady, winning Super BowlsXLIX andLI. After two uneventful seasons, Garoppolo's playing time increased substantially in 2016, due to Brady's suspension and because of several large late-game leads.[26] Garoppolo showed potential, with a 113.3 passer rating over a span of six games.[27] The following season, with San Francisco struggling at0–8, they traded a second-round draft pick for Garoppolo, who led the 49ers to five straight wins to finish the season.[28] Although he missed most of the2018 season with a tornanterior cruciate ligament sustained vs. theChiefs atArrowhead Stadium, Garoppolo recovered in time for the 2019 season, starting all 16 games.[24]
San Francisco's offense finished second in the NFL in points scored (479) and fourth in yards (6,079). Garoppolo completed 69.1% of his passes (fourth in the NFL) for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns (fifth), with 13 interceptions. His top pass-catcher was tight endGeorge Kittle, who caught 85 passes for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns. Other key targets included rookieDeebo Samuel (57 receptions, 807 yards, 159 rushing yards, six total touchdowns) and veteranEmmanuel Sanders (36 receptions, 502 yards, three touchdowns). The 49ers ground game was led byrunning backRaheem Mostert, who had bounced around five different teams in his first two seasons before settling into San Francisco in 2017. Although Mostert did not start any games in 2019, he led the team in rushing with 772 yards and eight touchdowns, with an average of 5.6 yards per carry, while also catching 14 passes for 180 yards and two more touchdowns. Running backsMatt Breida (623 rushing yards, 19 receptions) andTevin Coleman (544 rushing yards, 21 receptions, 180 receiving yards, seven total touchdowns) also made big impacts on offense, while fullbackKyle Juszczyk made the Pro Bowl, catching 20 passes for 239 yards. San Francisco's offensive line was led by 13-year veteran tackleJoe Staley, a six-time Pro Bowl selection.[29]
The 49ers defense ranked second in the NFL in fewest yards allowed (4,509) and first in fewest passing yards (2,707).[30] The team had an outstanding defensive line, featuring linemenDeForest Buckner (61 tackles, 7.5 sacks, four fumble recoveries),Arik Armstead (54 tackles, 10 sacks),Dee Ford (6.5 sacks), an off-season pickup from the Chiefs, and rookieNick Bosa (47 tackles, nine sacks, two fumble recoveries). The linebackers were led byFred Warner (team leading 118 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles) andDre Greenlaw (64 tackles, one sack). Defensive backRichard Sherman led the team in interceptions with three, earning his fifth career Pro Bowl selection before adding two more interceptions in the playoffs.[24]
This was the 49ers' seventh Super Bowl appearance and their first sinceSuper Bowl XLVII in2013, when they lost to theBaltimore Ravens 34–31. The 49ers had a5–1 record in their previous six appearances. A sixth Super Bowl victory would have tied theNew England Patriots and thePittsburgh Steelers with the most Super Bowl championships in the league.[31]
The Kansas City Chiefs finished the 2019 season with a12–4 record underAndy Reid, who was serving in his 21st consecutive season as an NFL head coach. The 2019 season marked the Chiefs' fourth straightAFC West title and sixth playoff appearance in seven seasons under Reid.[32]
Patrick Mahomes, their first round draft pick from 2017, quarterbacked the team. Mahomes had previously won the NFL Most Valuable Player award in the2018 season, when he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns as he led the Chiefs to a12–4 record, along with a trip to the AFC championship game.[33] In 2019, the team had to overcome some important personnel losses. Two of their top players from 2018, running backKareem Hunt and linebackerDee Ford, played elsewhere in 2019, while Mahomes and wide receiverTyreek Hill both missed several games with injuries. Still, the team was able to repeat a12–4 record and earn the No. 2 seed.[33]
Mahomes was selected for the2020 Pro Bowl, despite missing two games due to a dislocatedpatella; he threw passes for 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns with only five interceptions, and rushed for 218 yards and two touchdowns. In the two games Mahomes missed, backupMatt Moore filled in and threw for 659 yards and six touchdowns, with no interceptions. The Chiefs' passing attack was ranked second in the NFL. Mahomes' top receiver was Pro Bowl tight endTravis Kelce, who caught 97 passes for 1,229 yards and five touchdowns, making him the first NFL tight end to have four consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards in pass receptions.[34] His other targets included Hill, who earned his fourth Pro Bowl selection despite missing four games, catching 58 passes for 860 yards and seven touchdowns,Sammy Watkins with 52 catches for 673 yards and three touchdowns, andDemarcus Robinson with 32 catches for 449 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie receiverMecole Hardman added 26 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns. On special teams, Hardman ranked third in the NFL in kickoff return yards (704) and fifth in return average (26.1 yards), while also returning 18 punts for 167 yards, earning him a Pro Bowl selection as a special teams returner. The Chiefs' running game was ranked 23rd in the league, led byDamien Williams, who was their leading rusher with 498 yards and five touchdowns, while also catching 30 passes for 213 yards and two more scores.LeSean McCoy also contributed 465 yards and four touchdowns, along with 28 receptions. KickerHarrison Butker led the NFL in scoring (147 points) and field goals (34), while ranking sixth in field goal percentage (89.4%). The Chiefs' offense was ranked fifth in the NFL in points scored (451) and sixth in yards gained (6,067).[35]
Kansas City's defense ranked seventh in league in points allowed (308). Their defensive line featured two Pro Bowl selections,Chris Jones, who recorded nine sacks, andFrank Clark who had eight sacks and three forced fumbles, along withEmmanuel Ogbah, who had 5.5 sacks in 10 games. LinebackersAnthony Hitchens andDamien Wilson led the team in tackles with 88 and 81, respectively. The Chiefs defense was bolstered late in the season when they claimed 16-year veteran linebackerTerrell Suggs off waivers from theArizona Cardinals in week 14. Suggs finished the season with 4 forced fumbles and 6.5 sacks.Tyrann Mathieu, in his first season with the Chiefs, tallied four interceptions, two sacks and 75 tackles, which was enough to earn his second career Associated Press first-team All-Pro selection as a defensive back. He was also listed second-team All-Pro as a safety. Rookie safetyJuan Thornhill added three interceptions and 57 tackles, but was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in week 17. CornerbackBashaud Breeland had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, which he returned for 114 yards and a touchdown.[33]
This was the Chiefs' third Super Bowl appearance and their first since theAFL–NFL merger in 1970. The Chiefs were1–1 in their two previous Super Bowl appearances: they lostSuper Bowl I in1967 to theGreen Bay Packers (35–10) and wonSuper Bowl IV in1970, defeating theMinnesota Vikings 23–7.[36] This was also Andy Reid's second Super Bowl appearance as a head coach, afterSuper Bowl XXXIX in 2005 when he wasPhiladelphia Eagles head coach, which they lost 24–21 to theNew England Patriots. Entering Super Bowl LIV, Reid's 221 victories made him the head coach with the most wins without a Super Bowl championship since the advent of the Super Bowl game.[37]
In the playoffs, the 49ers earned a first-roundbye as the NFC's firstseed. In thedivisional round, they defeated theMinnesota Vikings, 27–10. The 49ers dominated this game, outperforming the Vikings in time of possession (38:27–21:33), first downs (21–7), rushing yards (186–21) and total yards (308–147).[38][39] In theNFC Championship Game, the 49ers led by 27–0 at half time over theGreen Bay Packers on their way to a 37–20 win.[40] San Francisco set the record for the fewest passes in an NFC championship victory, throwing the ball only eight times. Instead they relied mostly on their running game, with 42 rushes for 285 yards, including a franchise record 220 yards and four touchdowns by Raheem Mostert.[41]
Meanwhile, the Chiefs also had a first-round bye as the AFC's second seed. In thedivisional round, they fell behind 24–0 to theHouston Texans, but rallied to take a 28–24 half time lead; they dominated the second half and ended with a 51–31 win. During the comeback, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on an NFL record seven consecutive drives, including five touchdown passes by Mahomes.[42] Their next opponent was the 6th-seededTennessee Titans, who advanced to the AFC championship by beating the12–4New England Patriots and14–2Baltimore Ravens, mainly due to the dominating performance of running backDerrick Henry, who gained over 200 yards from scrimmage in each game. The Chiefs defeated the Titans, holding Henry to just 61 total yards, with negative yardage in the second half.[43] Kansas City rallied back from a 17–7 deficit in the second quarter by scoring four unanswered touchdowns to win the game 35–24. Mahomes threw 294 yards and three touchdowns, and also led Kansas City in rushing with 53 yards on the ground, including a 27-yard touchdown scramble.[43]
The Chiefs were thedesignated home team for Super Bowl LIV, as the home team alternates between the two conferences annually. As the designated home team, the Chiefs elected to wear their standard red home jerseys with white pants. The 49ers wore their standard white away jerseys with gold pants.[44] This was the first time two teams with red as a primary uniform color met in the Super Bowl.[45] The 49ers reportedly sought special permission to wear their all-whitethird jersey combination, which would have required special approval from the league; approval was not granted.[46]
Gambling establishments had the Chiefs as 1.5-point favorites to open and set the projected total points to 52.5. Both figures moved to 1 and 53 shortly thereafter.[47][48]
49ers head coachKyle Shanahan joined his fatherMike Shanahan as the first father-son duo to lead their teams to a Super Bowl as head coaches. The elder Shanahan previously won Super BowlsXXXII andXXXIII as head coach of theDenver Broncos.[49]
49ers offensive assistantKatie Sowers became the first woman and the first openly gay person to coach in any Super Bowl.[50]
Hall of Fame quarterbackJoe Montana, who played for both teams during his NFL career, joked on Twitter saying: "You heard from me first. Iguarantee my team will win the Super Bowl!"[51]
Marlins Park hosted Super Bowl Opening Night.[52]Bayfront Park hosted Super Bowl Live, while theMiami Beach Convention Center hosted theSuper Bowl Experience.[53]
The Chiefs used theMiami Dolphins practice facility inDavie and stayed at the JW Marriott Turnberry. The 49ers practiced at theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables and stayed at the JW Marriott Marquis.[54]
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Super Bowl LIV was televised byFox, per the three-year rotation betweenCBS, Fox andNBC, the NFL's three network broadcast partners.[55] The broadcast team for Fox consisted ofJoe Buck on play-by-play andTroy Aikman on color commentary in their sixth and final Super Bowl together on Fox before their departures toESPN in 2022. Buck's fatherJack had announcedthe Chiefs' Super Bowl win 50 years prior forCBS Sports.[56]
Fox Deportes aired the game in Spanish with Adrian Garcia-Marquez on play-by-play andRolando Cantú as color commentator.[57][58]
Similarly to itsThursday Night Football broadcasts, Fox produced its Super Bowl LIV broadcast in1080phigh definition withHLGhigh-dynamic-range color, upconverted to a4Kultra-high-definition feed available through participating pay TV providers and the Fox Sports app on supported streaming devices.[59][60] Fox ruled out a native 4K telecast, citing the intensive internal bandwidth requirements needed to process 4K camera feeds during a telecast of this scale.[61] Fox also introduced a new on-air appearance for football telecasts (which also included Fox'sXFL broadcasts that began the following weekend). Fox's new graphics included a newscoreboard, which also included real-time quarterback and rushing statistics between plays, as well as the use of illustrated portraits of key players as opposed to photos.[62]
Fox constructed a broadcast plaza inSouth Beach alongOcean Drive, which originatedFS1's studio programs during the week leading up to the game and served as the main location for its pregame show. The campus also featured public activities such as the "Fox VIP Screening Room", aLego sculpture gallery promoting the upcoming Fox seriesLego Masters, and a 70 foot (21 m)The Masked Singer-themedferris wheel.[63][64][65]
Fox charged between $5 million and $5.6 million for 30 seconds ofcommercial time during Super Bowl LIV.[66] On November 22, 2019, Fox announced that it had sold its entire in-game advertising inventory.[66] As part of NFL initiatives to adjust and optimize commercial load during games, Fox aired four breaks per quarter rather than five, but each break was longer.[55] Fox's executive vice president of sports sales Seth Winter said these changes had increased the early demand for commercial time during the game.[66]
Two candidates in the2020 presidential election boughtspots during the game, including thepresidential election campaigns ofDonald Trump andDemocratic candidateMichael Bloomberg. The game fell on the eve of theIowa caucuses, the first major contest of the2020 Democratic primaries. It was reported that due to concerns from other advertisers, only Fox network promos would air alongside the political ads during their respective breaks.[67] In contrast to its largest collection of Super Bowl ad buys in 2019, perennial sponsorAnheuser-Busch purchased only four 60-second spots, fewer than previous years.[68]
TheSuper Bowl Ad Meter survey conducted byUSA Today was won by aGroundhog Day-themed spot for theJeep Gladiator (tying into the game itself falling onGroundhog Day), starringBill Murray.[69][70]The A.V. Club chose as the best ad of the night one for attorneyDarryl Isaacs, whose law firm paid for a large-budgetspace opera homage.[71]
On May 13, 2019, Fox announced that itslead-out program would be theseason three premiere ofThe Masked Singer.[72]
Digitally, the game was available via Fox Sports' streaming platforms, theYahoo! Sports mobile app and the NFL mobile app. The Yahoo! Sports app and stream was part of a long-term deal between the NFL andVerizon Media.[73][60]
Nationally,Westwood One broadcast the game in the United States.[74]Kevin Harlan, the Chiefs' radio broadcaster from1985 to1993, called theplay-by-play, joined in the booth byKurt Warner oncolor commentary;Laura Okmin andTony Boselli contributedsideline reports, whileGene Steratore served asrules analyst.[75]
Locally, each team'sflagship station,KNBR/KSAN in San Francisco andKCFX in Kansas City (allCumulus Media stations), also carried the game in their local metropolitan areas. For Kansas City,Mitch Holthus was on play-by-play withKendall Gammon on color commentary and B.J. Kissel with sideline reports,[76] while San Francisco hadGreg Papa on play-by-play withTim Ryan on color commentary.[77] By coincidence, it was KCFX's last Chiefs game under a 30-year-long contract, as the team's games moved toEntercom'sWDAF-FM in the 2020 season.[78]
Fox reported an overall digital, broadcast and subscription audience of 102 million,[79] an increase of 1.3 million from Super Bowl LIII.[80]Nielsen Ratings measured 99.9 million viewers to the main Fox broadcast, also up from the 98.2 million who had watched Super Bowl LIII on CBS,[81] while the Fox Deportes Spanish broadcast drew 310,000 viewers.[82] An uptick to 103 million was noted during the halftime show.[81] Viewership declined at a rate of approximately 5 million viewers per hour over the course of the game.[83]
In Canada, Super Bowl LIV was televised byCTV,TSN,RDS (in French) andDAZN. In December 2019, considering an appeal of a prior decision at the request ofBell Media, theSupreme Court of Canada overturned a ruling that had allowed theCanadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission to restrict use of thesimultaneous substitution (simsub) regulations for the Super Bowl in order to allow access to the U.S. commercials (which they had deemed, by public response, to be an integral part of the telecast). The court held that the CRTC's exception in policy overstepped its power under theBroadcasting Act, citing that it does not allow the CRTC to "impose terms and conditions on the distribution of programming services generally".[84][85][86]
In theUnited Kingdom andIreland, the game was televised on the free-to-air channelBBC One and paid-subscription channelsSky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Mix.[87] InItaly, it was on the free-to-air Italian channelCanale 20 and paid-subscription channel DAZN.[88] In Latin America, the game was broadcast byESPN andFox Sports.[89][90] In Brazil, Super Bowl LIV was televised byESPN Brasil and exhibited in the movie theatre chainsCinemark,UCI and Kinoplex.[91][92] InAustralia, the game was televised on the free-to-airSeven Network and pay TVESPN Australia (with Seven airing the Fox feed and ESPN using a secondary broadcast produced byESPN International with theMonday Night Football commentary team ofJoe Tessitore andBooger McFarland, in what would be their final game due to a major revamp of theMNF booth the following season).[93][94] It was also broadcast on Melbourne radio network1116 SEN and commenated byGerard Whateley for the third straight year.[95] InGermany, the game was televised on the free-to-air German channelProsieben and paid-subscription channel DAZN. In France, the game was broadcast onTF1 for the second consecutive year and by the paid-subscription channelBeIN Sports. InSweden, the game was broadcast on free-to-air channelTV6.
9.55 million viewers watched the Canadian broadcast and 3.66 million watched the Mexican broadcast. 18 million Canadians and 12 million Mexicans watched at least one minute of the game.[96]
The game was held one week after theCalabasas helicopter crash that killed basketball legendKobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughterGianna and seven others. The victims were honored in a tribute, with 49ers and Chiefs players lined up at opposite 24-yard lines in homage to Bryant's jersey number 24.[97] Also honored was former All-Pro defensive endChris Doleman, who died fromglioblastoma five days earlier.[98]
Players and coaches selected to theNFL's 100th Anniversary All-Time Team were introduced in an on-field ceremony. Those living members in attendance wore red jackets with the NFL's 100th anniversary patch on them.[99]
Yolanda Adams performed "America the Beautiful",[100] whileDemi Lovato performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".[101][102]
Four 100-year-oldWorld War II veterans participated in the coin toss ceremony: ColonelCharles E. McGee, Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Lombardo, Staff Sergeant Odón Sanchez Cardenas and CorporalSidney Walton. McGee had the honors of presenting the coin.[103][104][105]
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The halftime show was led byJennifer Lopez andShakira.[106][80][107] Guests performersJ Balvin andBad Bunny featured during the show, as well as Lopez's daughter, Emme Muñiz. Lopez's five outfits were designed by Versace and her styling team designed 213 costumes and 143 pairs of shoes for Lopez and her dancers. Shakira's three outfits were by Norwegian designer Peter Dundas and featured nearly 2 million Swarovski crystals.[108] The show was produced byNFL Network,Jay-Z andRoc Nation. The primary sponsor wasPepsi.[109]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Full game broadcast on Fox onYouTube |
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San Francisco won the coin toss anddeferred, allowing the Chiefs to start with the ball.[110] After forcing the Chiefs to a three-and-out on the opening drive, the 49ers drove 62 yards in 10 plays, including a 32-yard run by wide receiverDeebo Samuel. KickerRobbie Gould finished the drive with a 38-yard field goal to give the 49ers an early 3–0 lead.[110] Kansas City responded by driving 75 yards in 15 plays, which took 7:26 off the clock. QuarterbackPatrick Mahomes completed five of seven passes for 40 yards on the drive, while running backDamien Williams rushed four times for 25 yards.[110] Mahomes finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to give the Chiefs a 7–3 lead with 31 seconds left in the first quarter.[110] It was the first deficit San Francisco faced in the postseason.
Two plays into the second quarter, a heavy rush by defensive tackleChris Jones forced quarterbackJimmy Garoppolo to throw a hurried pass that was intercepted by cornerbackBashaud Breeland, giving Kansas City a first down on their own 44-yard line. Mahomes completed a 28-yard pass to wide receiverSammy Watkins on the next play, sparking a 43-yard drive that ended with kickerHarrison Butker making a 31-yard field goal, giving the Chiefs a 10–3 lead.[110] The 49ers responded by moving the ball 80 yards in seven plays, with Samuel picking up 27 yards on two receptions. On the last play, Garoppolo threw the ball to fullbackKyle Juszczyk, who managed to make the catch through tight coverage by safetyDaniel Sorensen, break a tackle and then dive into the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown, tying the game at 10–10 with just over five minutes left in the half.[110] After a Kansas City punt, Garoppolo completed a 42-yard pass to tight endGeorge Kittle, but this was nullified by an offensive pass interference penalty against Kittle.[111] With the penalty pushing them back to their own 35-yard line, the 49ers let the remaining six seconds expire to end the half with the score tied at 10–10, the fourth time a Super Bowl had been tied at the midway point.[112]
San Francisco took the second half kickoff and drove 60 yards in nine plays, with wide receiverEmmanuel Sanders catching back-to-back passes for 20 yards, Samuel rushing for 14 yards and Juszczyk hauling in a 14-yard reception. Gould finished the drive with a 42-yard field goal, giving the 49ers a 13–10 lead.[110] LinebackerFred Warner intercepted Mahomes on a pass intended for wide receiverTyreek Hill on the next drive, returning it three yards to the San Francisco 45-yard line.[110] Garoppolo started the ensuing drive with a 16-yard pass to Samuel. Three plays later, on 3rd-and-8, he threw a 26-yard pass to wide receiverKendrick Bourne and then followed it up with a 10-yard pass to Juszczyk on the Chiefs 1-yard line. Running backRaheem Mostert ran the ball into the end zone on the next play, increasing the 49ers' lead to 20–10 with 2:35 left in the third quarter.[110]
On Kansas City's next drive, which carried into the fourth quarter, they reached the San Francisco 23-yard line. On 3rd-and-6, however, Mahomes threw another pass intended for Hill that was slightly behind the receiver. Hill tried to reach back for it, but the ball bounced off his arm and was intercepted by safetyTarvarius Moore, who returned it seven yards to the 49ers 20-yard line with 11:57 left in the game.[110] After the Kansas City defense rallied to force a punt, the Chiefs moved the ball 62 yards in 10 plays. During the drive, Mahomes appeared to complete a 17-yard pass to Hill on 2nd-and-15, but a replay challenge by the 49ers determined that Hill did not secure the catch as he went to the ground, bringing up 3rd-and-15. On the next play, Mahomes completed a 44-yard pass to Hill from the Kansas City 35-yard line, which the former called "Jet Chip Wasp".[113] Two plays later, Moore committed pass interference while trying to cover tight endTravis Kelce in the end zone, moving the ball 20 yards to the San Francisco 1-yard line, and Mahomes threw to Kelce for a touchdown on the next play, cutting the Chiefs' deficit to 20–17 with 6:13 left in the game.[110] Kansas City then forced a three-and-out and quickly stormed back for another score, advancing 65 yards in seven plays, the longest a 38-yard completion from Mahomes to Watkins.[110] On 3rd-and-goal from the 5-yard line, Mahomes threw the ball to Williams, who just managed to stretch the ball across the goal line before going out of bounds. The touchdown was a close call, but was upheld by abooth review, giving Kansas City a 24–20 lead with 2:44 remaining in the game.[114]
With the chance to mount a game-winning drive, the 49ers drove to the Kansas City 49-yard line but turned the ball over on downs after three incomplete passes and Garoppolo gettingsacked on 4th-and-10 by defensive endFrank Clark with 1:33 left in the game. Trying to run out the clock with the ground game, Williams carried the ball on the next two plays, first picking up 4 yards and then going the distance for a 38-yard touchdown run, increasing Kansas City's lead to 31–20 with 1:12 remaining and essentially putting the game away.[110] Chiefs cornerbackKendall Fuller made an interception on the 49ers' following drive, allowing the Chiefs to run out the clock and secure their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years and second overall.[115][116]
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Mahomes finished the game with 26 completions on 42 attempts for 286 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, while also rushing for 29 yards and a touchdown, gaining him theSuper Bowl Most Valuable Player Award (MVP). He joinedTerry Bradshaw andTom Brady as the only quarterbacks to win the MVP despite throwing multiple interceptions.[117] Mahomes was the youngest player ever to win the award at 24 years and 138 days.[2] He is also the third African American quarterback to win a Super Bowl, afterDoug Williams inSuper Bowl XXII andRussell Wilson inSuper Bowl XLVIII.[118]
Other notable statistical performances included Hill's nine receptions for 105 yards and Watkins' five catches for 98 yards. Williams was the top rusher of the game with 17 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, while also catching four passes for 29 yards and another score.[110] For San Francisco, Garoppolo completed 20 of 31 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions.[110] Samuel had three carries for 53 yards, setting the Super Bowl record for rushing yards by a wide receiver,[119] and caught five passes for 39 yards.[110]
With this win, Kansas City became the first NFL team to come back from a 10-point (or more) deficit in three playoff games in the same season.[120] The Chiefs Super Bowl win also completed a ten-year stretch in which each currentMissouri-based team in thefour major American sports leagues won a title (joining theSt. Louis Cardinals, who won the2011 World Series; theKansas City Royals, who won the2015 World Series; and theSt. Louis Blues, who won the2019 Stanley Cup Finals). In addition,Sporting Kansas City, Kansas City'sMajor League Soccer franchise, won theMLS Cup in2013.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49ers (NFC) | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| Chiefs (AFC) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 21 | 31 |
atHard Rock Stadium,Miami Gardens, Florida
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Statistic | San Francisco 49ers | Kansas City Chiefs |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 26 |
| First downs rushing | 8 | 12 |
| First downs passing | 13 | 13 |
| First downs penalty | 0 | 1 |
| Third down efficiency | 3/8 | 6/14 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/1 | 2/3 |
| Total net yards | 351 | 397 |
| Net yards rushing | 141 | 129 |
| Rushing attempts | 22 | 29 |
| Yards per rush | 6.4 | 4.4 |
| Yards passing | 210 | 286 |
| Passing–completions/attempts | 20/31 | 26/42 |
| Times sacked–total yards | 1–9 | 4–18 |
| Interceptions thrown | 2 | 2 |
| Punt returns–total yards | 1–0 | 0–0 |
| Kickoff returns–total yards | 4–61 | 3–58 |
| Interceptions–total return yards | 2–10 | 2–11 |
| Punts–average yardage | 2–43 | 2–40 |
| Fumbles–lost | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 5–45 | 4–24 |
| Time of possession | 26:47 | 33:13 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| (Unless noted as "NFL Championships", all records refer only to Super Bowls) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most rushing yards, wide receiver | 53 | Deebo Samuel (San Francisco) |
| Records tied | ||
| Most touchdowns, quarter, player | 2 | Damien Williams (Kansas City) |
| Most points, 4th quarter, team | 21 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Most fourth-down conversions, game, team | 2 | |
| Fewest punts returned, game, team | 0 | |
| Fewest punts return yards, game, both teams | 0 | Super Bowl LIV |
| Fewest fumbles lost, game, both teams | 0 | |
| 49ers passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | C/Att1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 20/31 | 219 | 1 | 2 | 69.2 |
| 49ers rushing | |||||
| Player | Car2 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Yds/Car |
| Raheem Mostert | 12 | 58 | 1 | 17 | 4.8 |
| Deebo Samuel | 3 | 53 | 0 | 32 | 17.7 |
| Tevin Coleman | 5 | 28 | 0 | 17 | 5.6 |
| Jimmy Garoppolo | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 49ers receiving | |||||
| Player | Rec4 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Target5 |
| Deebo Samuel | 5 | 39 | 0 | 16 | 9 |
| George Kittle | 4 | 36 | 0 | 12 | 7 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 3 | 39 | 1 | 15 | 3 |
| Emmanuel Sanders | 3 | 38 | 0 | 18 | 5 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 2 | 42 | 0 | 26 | 4 |
| Jeff Wilson | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Tevin Coleman | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Raheem Mostert | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Chiefs passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | C/Att1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating |
| Patrick Mahomes | 26/42 | 286 | 2 | 2 | 78.1 |
| Chiefs rushing | |||||
| Player | Car2 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Yds/Car |
| Damien Williams | 17 | 104 | 1 | 38 | 6.1 |
| Patrick Mahomes | 9 | 29 | 1 | 13 | 3.2 |
| Travis Kelce | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Darwin Thompson | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mecole Hardman | 1 | −6 | 0 | −6 | −6 |
| Chiefs receiving | |||||
| Player | Rec4 | Yds | TD | Lg3 | Target5 |
| Tyreek Hill | 9 | 105 | 0 | 44 | 16 |
| Travis Kelce | 6 | 43 | 1 | 11 | 6 |
| Sammy Watkins | 5 | 98 | 0 | 38 | 6 |
| Damien Williams | 4 | 29 | 1 | 13 | 8 |
| Blake Bell | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Mecole Hardman | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Darwin Thompson | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1Completions/attempts
2Carries
3Long gain
4Receptions
5Times targeted
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Super Bowl LIV had seven officials. The numbers in parentheses below indicate their uniform numbers.[123][124]
The Chiefs finished with a 14–2 record in the 2020 season.[125] They won the AFC West and returned to the Super Bowl in the following season, losing 31–9 to theTampa Bay Buccaneers inSuper Bowl LV in a failed attempt to repeat.[126] The 49ers failed to return to the postseason with a 6–10 record and last place finish in the NFC West.[127]
The Chiefs' Super Bowl championship in 1970 came when they were members of the old AFL, which was in its final season. This is the Chiefs' first AFC championship and thus the first time they've won the trophy bearing their founder's name.
The Chiefs won their first title in Super Bowl 4 in 1970, the last iteration of the Big Game prior to the AFL-NFL merger which took effect later that year.
Kansas City last appeared in the Super Bowl following the 1969 season, where the Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings for their lone world championship. Fifty years later, Kansas City is back on the greatest stage in all of sports. It will mark the Chiefs' third Super Bowl appearance overall in franchise history.
When you add in data from multiple streaming platforms, last night's underwhelming game tallied 100.7 million viewers. That is still down 5 percent from 2018's comparable figures.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl 54 FULL Game: Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers onYouTube |
