By Martin Murray ‘20

The NFL finished its centennial season with a game that will go down as an instant classic.

From exuberant commercials to awesome halftime performances to a solid game of football, the event felt one hundred years in the making.

This year’s battle was between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers. The stakes were high for both teams, as neither one had been to the Super Bowl for a considerable amount of time.

Senior Pat Loughney said, “I thought San Francisco would easily win. They had a way better defense throughout the season. Kansas City’s defense was a bit choppy, only coming up big when absolutely necessary. I also don’t really like Patrick Mahomes.”

The evening started off with Demi Lovato’s rendition of the National Anthem, and then the teams went to war.

The game was close the whole first half, with both teams exchanging blows and finishing tied at 10 apiece.

Then came the halftime show.

This year, Shakira and Jennifer Lopez performed, and they didn’t disappoint.

Senior Billy O’Hara said, “I’m a big Shakira fan, so I was really excited when I heard she was performing the halftime show. Some people thought it was too provocative, but I didn’t really think so. She nailed it.”

After the show and some funny commercials, the second half kicked off, and two completely different teams took the field.

San Francisco took the momentum early in the third quarter, and it looked like things would be finishing up shortly.

However, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs do their best work under pressure and late in the game. The Super Bowl would be no different.

Senior Colin Osborne said, “I thought the 49ers were going to walk away with the easy victory, especially after the third quarter. They were dominating all game and looked great, but I guess that’s why you can never sleep on Patrick Mahomes.”

The Chiefs made a major comeback, scoring 21 points in the closing six minutes, winning 31-20, and earning their second Super Bowl in franchise history.

However, the win was even more special because it was Coach Andy Reid’s first Super Bowl title, the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl appearance since 1970, and because they had to fight all playoffs to reach the top.

On the other side of the field, San Francisco looked shocked. One minute, they were the kings of the football world, but in the next, Kansas City took it all away.

Senior Ryan Rice said, “It was very fun to watch the Chiefs all season long and watch Andy Reid finally get his first Super Bowl. There wasn’t a dry moment in the game, and I can’t wait to see how they end up next year.”

The best part for fans is that the Chiefs and 49ers are both very young teams, and they will be some of the top contenders for next year’s Super Bowl.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll even see a Super Bowl rematch next February.