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LAS VEGAS (AP) \u2014 Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid have made the Kansas City Chiefs a dynasty.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re already thinking three-peat.<\/p>\n
First, they had to become the first back-to-back\u00a0Super Bowl<\/a>\u00a0champions in 19 years.<\/p>\n Mahomes made sure of it, leading another super comeback on the NFL\u2019s biggest stage in America\u2019s showcase capital.<\/p>\n Mahomes threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime, and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 on Sunday, becoming the NFL’s ninth repeat Super Bowl champs.<\/p>\n With pop star\u00a0Taylor Swift watching boyfriend Kelce<\/a>\u00a0from a suite, the Chiefs captured their third title in five years, a run that puts them among the league’s greatest franchises.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, you know the goal has always been to get three,\u201d Kelce screamed on stage after\u00a0sharing a kiss with Swift<\/a>. \u201cBut we couldn\u2019t get here without getting that two, and having that target on our back all year. … How about that. We get a chance to do it three times in a row.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL\u2019s first Super Bowl in Las Vegas was a sloppy, mistake-filled affair that was mostly boring until the back-and-forth fourth quarter and OT. It was the second of 58 Super Bowls to be tied after regulation, and the first played under new overtime rules that ensured both teams got the ball.<\/p>\n The Chiefs (15-6) trailed 22-19 after Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, but Mahomes rallied the Chiefs, completing another impressive comeback in a rematch of the Super Bowl four years ago.<\/p>\n Mahomes ran 8 yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the Chiefs’ chances alive and then scrambled 19 yards to set up the winning score, which came 14:57 into the extra period \u2014 just before what would have been the second OT.<\/p>\n \u201cWith all the adversity we\u2019ve been through this season to come through tonight. … I\u2019m proud of the guys,\u201d said Mahomes, who earned his third Super Bowl MVP award. \u201cThis is awesome. Legendary.\u201d<\/p>\n After he connected with a wide-open Hardman, the Chiefs ran on the field as red-and-yellow confetti fell onto the turf.<\/p>\n Mahomes and Reid are now halfway to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who won six championships in 20 years together with the New England Patriots and were the most recent team to go back-to-back following the 2003-04 seasons.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old Mahomes becomes the fourth starting QB to win three Super Bowls \u2014 joining Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman \u2014 and second-youngest.<\/p>\n \u201cI am going to celebrate tonight, celebrate at the parade and then work my way to get back in this game next year,\u201d Mahomes said. \u201cI am going to do whatever I can to be back in this game next year. Three-peat.\u201d<\/p>\n The most excitement in the first half came when a frustrated Kelce\u00a0bumped Reid<\/a>\u00a0on the sideline, knocking the Chiefs’ 65-year-old coach a few steps back after teammate Isiah Pacheco fumbled inside the red zone during the second quarter.<\/p>\n \u201cYou guys saw that?\u201d Kelce said. \u201cI\u2019m going to keep it between us unless my \u2018mic\u2019d up\u2019 tells the world. I was just telling him how much I loved him.\u201d<\/p>\n The action picked up after a crucial blunder by San Francisco\u2019s special teams set up Mahomes\u2019 16-yard TD pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 13-10 lead.<\/p>\n Brock Purdy and the 49ers (14-6) answered but they couldn\u2019t make enough plays, denying Mr. Irrelevant an opportunity to go from last pick in the 2022 NFL draft to Super Bowl champion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have the offense to score touchdowns and I failed to put the team in position to do that,” Purdy said.<\/p>\n Niners wide receiver Jauan Jennings threw a TD pass and caught one, joining Eagles quarterback Nick Foles six years ago as the only players to do both in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n After Moody\u2019s 53-yard field goal gave the Niners a 19-16 lead with 1:53 remaining, Mahomes and Kelce went to work. Mahomes connected with Kelce for a 22-yard gain to set up Harrison Butker\u2019s tying kick, a 29-yarder with 3 seconds left.<\/p>\n A holding call on Kansas City\u2019s Trent McDuffie extended San Francisco\u2019s opening drive of overtime and Purdy made key throws to drive the 49ers to the Chiefs 9. But San Francisco settled for a field goal.<\/p>\n Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the Niners jumped ahead 10-0, but that\u2019s no big deal for Mahomes and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. They\u2019ve trailed by 10 points in all three of their victories, including last year\u2019s 38-35 win over Philadelphia.<\/p>\n Mahomes wasn\u2019t at his best early and threw an interception. But with the game on the line, he was a magician once again. He finished 34 of 46 for 333 yards and two TDs.<\/p>\n The Chiefs were hardly dominant during the regular season and entered the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 3 seed. They won at Buffalo and at Baltimore in the postseason \u2014 the first road playoff games of Mahomes’ career \u2014 and entered the Super Bowl as 2 1\/2-point underdogs, according to\u00a0FanDuel Sportsbook<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs. Just know that,\u201d Mahomes said.<\/p>\n They became the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls as underdogs; the Philadelphia Eagles were slight favorites a year ago.<\/p>\n The game turned when San Francisco\u2019s Ray-Ray McCloud couldn\u2019t scoop a punt that hit teammate Darrell Luter Jr.\u2019s leg and the Chiefs recovered at the 49ers 16, leading to Mahomes’ go-ahead TD pass to Valdes-Scantling.<\/p>\n The Niners answered on the next possession with Purdy tossing a 10-yard TD pass to Jennings for a 16-13 lead. Moody\u2019s extra point was blocked.<\/p>\n Niners coach Kyle Shanahan gambled on fourth-and-3 from the Chiefs 15, passing up a chance for a tying field goal. Purdy hit George Kittle for a 4-yard gain and then found Jennings for the score.<\/p>\n Shanahan resorted to trickery for the only touchdown of the first half.<\/p>\n Jennings, a wide receiver who had never thrown a pass in an NFL game, tossed a 21-yard TD to McCaffrey. He was hit as\u00a0he threw a wobbly pass across the field<\/a>, but McCaffrey snagged it and sprinted to the end zone.<\/p>\n Shanahan fell to 0-2 as a head coach in Super Bowls and 0-3 overall, including a loss when he was offensive coordinator for Atlanta. That was the game in which Brady and the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to win in OT.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you go against guys like Tom Brady and Pat Mahomes, you never feel comfortable with a lead. Those guys are two of the best to ever play the game,\u201d Shanahan said.<\/p>\n There were plenty of stars in the building as the NFL brought its biggest game to this gambling mecca \u2014 once a taboo idea. Jay-Z, LeBron James and Paul McCartney were among the celebrities in the crowd.<\/p>\n Post Malone sang \u201cAmerica the Beautiful,\u201d Reba McEntire performed the national anthem and\u00a0Usher electrified the crowd<\/a>\u00a0at halftime. He brought out a number of guests, including Alicia Keys, H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon and Ludacris.<\/p>\n Attendance was announced at 61,629 at the relatively compact Allegiant Stadium, the smallest crowd in Super Bowl history except for the pandemic game in Tampa, Florida, three years ago.<\/p>\n It didn’t start out well, but thanks to Mahomes, those fans ended up seeing one of the best Super Bowl finishes.<\/p>\n Fans will get to celebrate the Chiefs on Wednesday, Valentine’s Day. The Kansas City Sports Commission released the official route and timing late Sunday night, KMBC-TV\u00a0reported<\/a>. The parade will begin at 11 a.m.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n