First Half of the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl game caused quite the stir this year as the nation’s two best football teams of the season battled it out on the field last Sunday, February 11th. I, for one, was taken aback by the turnout of events that took place that night when I was at my friend’s house. Going into the game, I didn’t know what to expect or who would win as the game started rather slow. There was a lot of back-and-forth between the two teams. A few fumbles here and there, and neither team had been able to score a touchdown in the early minutes of the game. The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers were tied in the first quarter with a score of 0-0. It wasn’t until the second quarter that we started to see some real action on the field when Jake Moody scored a field goal for the 49ers, putting them in the lead by 3 points. After that, the 49ers scored a touchdown by the use of a trick play  – “a pass to running back Christian McCaffrey from receiver Jauan Jennings,” ultimately putting themselves up by another 7 points, giving the 49ers a 10-point lead and the Chiefs still had zero points (The Hill). Before the first half was over, the Chiefs managed to score a field goal with about 20 seconds left with the help of Harrison Butker, who made a 28-yard field goal, leaving the score at 10-3 with the 49ers in the lead. We didn’t see any more points scored by the end of the first half, which was a bit disappointing. If neither team had scored in the second half, then the game would’ve ranked the lowest-scoring Super Bowl game on record. 

The Halftime Show 

Thankfully, the crazy ads leading up to the halftime and the actual halftime show were there to fill the entertainment gap that wasn’t filled from the first half of the game. This year’s Super Bowl ads were out of control–but in a fun way. I noticed a common theme of people smashing holes in their walls, but of course, it was to express their excitement because of the nation’s biggest game of the year. Even though the first half of the game seemed like a letdown, Usher’s halftime performance made up for it, in my opinion. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the performance, as Usher started his performance on the football field. I was confused and wondered where the stage was because I felt like that would’ve been tacky if there wasn’t a stage for the awesome stage presence that Usher always brings with him. But, soon after the performance started, the lack of a stage was forgotten, as there seemed to be a flash mob of acrobatics, dancers, and singers making their way into the background of Usher’s performance, leaving so much to take in. 

His background dancers and circus-like performers were dressed in that classic Vegas attire, with the women dressed in revealing dresses dazzled in sequence and with long feathers attached to them, making them look like dancing peacocks. While the men wore bold suits that were also covered in many sequences and shiny top hats, everyone in the performance looked like they could be the star of the show. Usher, at the center of it all, amazed the crowd with his sensual dancing style and beautiful singing voice. 

Just when you thought there couldn’t be more to add to the performance, as there were already so many literal moving parts, Usher made his way up onto the stage. He took the crowd on a rollercoaster with some of his best hits as he squeezed 11 songs into his act. During Usher’s performance, the audience was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Alicia Keys, in an enormous flowing dress, as she sang her 2003 hit song “If I Ain’t Got You” behind a bright red piano (Washington Post). The audience also got to see the surprise appearance of the singer H.E.R. as she walked out onto the stage playing a solo on the electric guitar. 

Usher and other backup dancers glided around the stage on skates. We later saw will.i.am, who joined in for the “OMG” collaboration with Usher. Then Jermaine Dupri made a surprise appearance as he hyped up the crowd, giving Usher time to prepare for his songs, “Confessions” and “Burn.” Then soon after, the crowd went wild when Lil Jon appeared on the stage singing a bit of his song “Turn Down for What,” which segwayed into one of Usher’s biggest hits, “Yeah!” (CBS Sports). Usher’s extravagant performance ended with will.i.am and Ludacris joining Usher and Lil’ John to finish their last number of the halftime show. I believe that the halftime hyped up the audience, but it might have also hyped up the Chiefs because, in the second half of the game, it’s like the Kansas City Chiefs had this second wind kick in. 

Second Half of the Super Bowl

The second half of the game was quite the shock; by the turn of events in the first half, it almost seemed like all hopes were lost for the Chiefs. In the third quarter, the 49ers continued to hold on to their lead, but the Chiefs were gaining on them. By the end of the fourth quarter, the 49ers had a 3-point lead with a score of 19-16. But, within the last few seconds of the game, something remarkable happened within the Chiefs’ offensive team, and with the help of the Chiefs’ MVP, Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to tie the game within the last 10 seconds at 19-19, leading into the second Super Bowl overtime in the history of the NFL.

The sudden change of events completely shocked my friend Rebecca. She was convinced that the Chiefs would lose the game around 10:30 that night, and she was like, “Alright, guys, let’s go; I can’t watch this anymore,” but I convinced her to stay because I believed wholeheartedly that the Chiefs could pull through and that’s exactly what they did! Even though the 49ers had the ball first because the coin landed on tails during the toss, both teams were given an equal opportunity to score a touchdown. The Chiefs’ defense was held up overall, and while it was a close call, the 49ers couldn’t score a touchdown by the 3rd down. Instead, they went with the safer option and scored a field goal, giving the 49ers a 3-point lead with a score of 19-22. 

Ultimately, it all came down to the Chiefs and whether their offensive team would push through and reach the field goal area or, better yet, a touchdown. The challenge was real for the Chiefs’ offensive team, as the Chiefs’ offensive team struggled to reach the next first-down marker during overtime. But when push came to shove, when the Chiefs were put into overdrive and expected to deliver, that’s exactly what they did. In the end, the Chiefs were able to push through the 49ers’ defense and score a touchdown with the help of #15, Patrick Mahomes performing a touchdown pass and #12, Mecole Hardman, receiving a touchdown catch, ending the game with Chiefs in the lead, 25-22. 

Overall Thoughts

The game was close and had me on the edge of my seat. But throughout all the uncertainty, I never once doubted that the Chiefs could deliver! I’m proud of them, and that’s such an accomplishment they’ve made, as they’ve officially won two consecutive Super Bowl games. This year’s Super Bowl match was great, and I can’t wait to see what next year’s game has in store.