Super Bowl LIV
Super Bowl LIV was an American football game played between the American Football Conference champion Kansas City Chiefs and the National Football Conference champion San Francisco 49ers to determine the champion of the National Football League for the 2019 season. The Chiefs defeated the 49ers 31–20. The game was played on February 2, 2020, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which is the home of the Dolphins. This was the eleventh Super Bowl hosted by the South Florida region and the sixth Super Bowl hosted at Hard Rock Stadium. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super 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.
Mahomes led Kansas City to a 12–4 regular season record and the team's third Super Bowl appearance overall. With the emergence of quarterback Jimmy 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 a Robbie Gould field goal and a touchdown run by Raheem 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 to Travis Kelce and Damien Williams, in addition to a late touchdown by Damien Williams and late interception by Kendall Fuller, to seal their victory.
This was the Chiefs' first Super Bowl victory since Super Bowl IV in 1970, their first NFL championship since joining the league in the 1970 AFL–NFL merger, and also subsequently ended their 50-year championship drought. Andy Reid also won his first NFL championship as a head coach. The 49ers were handed their second Super Bowl loss in franchise history after Super Bowl XLVII.
The game has been positively received in retrospect with several outlets praising the Chiefs' late comeback. However, the officiating in Super Bowl LIV was met with criticism, with many questionable calls in favor of the Chiefs. The game's broadcast in the United States by Fox, along with the halftime show headlined by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, was seen by an estimated 103 million viewers—a slight increase over Super Bowl LIII in 2019. Due to the seating capacity of Hard Rock Stadium, this game also had the fourth lowest attendance in Super Bowl history. This was the first time in 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.
Background
On May 19, 2015, the league announced the four finalists that would compete to host either Super 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.The league opened the relocation window in January 2016, selecting the former St. Louis Rams to return to Los Angeles; their new stadium in Inglewood, California was, at the time of the vote, not scheduled to open until August 2019. This meant the new stadium was scheduled to be open in time for the game, 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.
The two remaining finalists for Super Bowl LIV were Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, which last hosted Super Bowl XLIV in 2010; and Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, which last hosted Super Bowl XLIII in 2009. Miami was selected as the host site at the NFL owners meeting on May 24, 2016.
David Grutman—founder of the popular nightclub LIV at Fontainebleau 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's Studio 54. Of the NFL's onerous enforcement of venues using league trademarks 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."
Teams
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers finished the 2019 season with an NFC-best record under third-year head coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco's rise to the top came as a surprise to the league. They had finished the previous season and had not recorded a winning record since 2013.One big reason for the 49ers' success was the emergence of quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo began his career in 2014 as a backup to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, winning Super Bowls XLIX and LI. 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. Garoppolo showed potential, with a 113.3 passer rating over a span of six games. The following season, with San Francisco struggling at, they traded a second-round draft pick for Garoppolo, who led the 49ers to five straight wins to finish the season. Although he missed most of the 2018 season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained vs. the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, Garoppolo recovered in time for the 2019 season, starting all 16 games.
San Francisco's offense finished second in the NFL in points scored and fourth in yards. Garoppolo completed 69.1% of his passes for 3,978 yards and 27 touchdowns, with 13 interceptions. His top pass-catcher was tight end George Kittle, who caught 85 passes for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns. Other key targets included rookie Deebo Samuel and veteran Emmanuel Sanders. The 49ers ground game was led by running back Raheem 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 backs Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman also made big impacts on offense, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk made the Pro Bowl, catching 20 passes for 239 yards. San Francisco's offensive line was led by 13-year veteran tackle Joe Staley, a six-time Pro Bowl selection.
The 49ers defense ranked second in the NFL in fewest yards allowed and first in fewest passing yards. The team had an outstanding defensive line, featuring linemen DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, Dee Ford, an off-season pickup from the Chiefs, and rookie Nick Bosa. The linebackers were led by Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Defensive back Richard Sherman led the team in interceptions with three, earning his fifth career Pro Bowl selection before adding two more interceptions in the playoffs.
This was the 49ers' seventh Super Bowl appearance and their first since Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, when they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 34–31. The 49ers had a record in their previous six appearances. A sixth Super Bowl victory would have tied the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers with the most Super Bowl championships in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs finished the 2019 season with a record under Andy Reid, who was serving in his 21st consecutive season as an NFL head coach. The 2019 season marked the Chiefs' fourth straight AFC West title and sixth playoff appearance in seven seasons under Reid.Patrick Mahomes, their first round draft pick from 2017, quarterbacked the team. Mahomes had previously won the NFL Most Valuable Player award in the 2018 season, when he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns as he led the Chiefs to a record, along with a trip to the AFC championship game. In 2019, the team had to overcome some important personnel losses. Two of their top players from 2018, running back Kareem Hunt and linebacker Dee Ford, played elsewhere in 2019, while Mahomes and wide receiver Tyreek Hill both missed several games with injuries. Still, the team was able to repeat a record and earn the No.2 seed.
Mahomes was selected for the 2020 Pro Bowl, despite missing two games due to a dislocated patella; 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, backup Matt 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 end Travis 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. 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, and Demarcus Robinson with 32 catches for 449 yards and three touchdowns. Rookie receiver Mecole Hardman added 26 catches for 538 yards and six touchdowns. On special teams, Hardman ranked third in the NFL in kickoff return yards and fifth in return average, 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 by Damien 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. Kicker Harrison Butker led the NFL in scoring and field goals, while ranking sixth in field goal percentage. The Chiefs' offense was ranked fifth in the NFL in points scored and sixth in yards gained.
Kansas City's defense ranked seventh in league in points allowed. Their defensive line featured two Pro Bowl selections, Chris Jones, who recorded nine sacks, and Frank Clark who had eight sacks and three forced fumbles, along with Emmanuel Ogbah, who had 5.5 sacks in 10 games. Linebackers Anthony Hitchens and Damien 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 linebacker Terrell Suggs off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals in week 14. Suggs finished the season with 4forced 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 safety Juan Thornhill added three interceptions and 57 tackles, but was lost for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in week 17. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland had two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, which he returned for 114 yards and a touchdown.
This was the Chiefs' third Super Bowl appearance and their first since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. The Chiefs were in their two previous Super Bowl appearances: they lost Super BowlI in 1967 to the Green Bay Packers and won Super Bowl IV in 1970, defeating the Minnesota Vikings 23–7. This was also Andy Reid's second Super Bowl appearance as a head coach, after Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 when he was Philadelphia Eagles head coach, which they lost 24–21 to the New 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.