Super Bowl LVIII Recap: Five Key Moments
Who says there aren’t any more dynasties in football? For the first time in 20 years, a team has gone back-to-back at the Super Bowl – that team being Kansas City. They needed overtime to do it, but the defending champions beat San Francisco 25-22, cashing in as 2-point underdogs at Bodog Sportsbook. Let’s review another memorable NFL night with this Super Bowl LVIII recap.
This is also the third time in five years that KC had to come back from 10 points behind to win the Big Game. They were down 10 to San Fran in the fourth quarter at Super Bowl LIV, and 10 to Philadelphia at the half of Super Bowl LVII.
No deficit is too big for QB Patrick Mahomes to overcome. However, Mahomes (now a three-time Super Bowl MVP) and his teammates were less than stellar during the first half of Sunday’s matchup. It took a missed extra point by San Francisco PK Jake Moody in the second half to give Kansas City a chance to send the game into overtime with a field goal.
This was an epic game in more ways than one. It was a nail-biter no matter which side you were on, and thanks to overtime, the total ended up as a push on the Super Bowl betting lines, which closed with the over/under at 47. But what about all of those crazy moments that the Big Game delivered in spades? Our Super Bowl LVIII recap here at Bodog has you covered.
1. Travis Kelce vs. Andy Reid
Things were going so poorly for Kansas City in that first half that TE Travis Kelce bumped into head coach Andy Reid and yelled at him, upset that he was on the sidelines instead of on the field with Kansas City driving towards paydirt. RB Isiah Pacheco fumbled the ball in the red zone; San Francisco DT Javon Hargrave fell on it at the 8-yard line to keep the score 3-0 for the Niners.
It worked out in the end for Kelce. He made several key plays in the second half and overtime, finishing Super Bowl Sunday with nine receptions for 93 yards – both game-highs for Kansas City. But in case you had some money riding on it, Kelce didn’t announce his retirement after the Big Game – nor did he propose to Taylor Swift.
2. Rashee Rice vs. Patrick Mahomes
That Kelce-Reid confab wasn’t the only awkward moment on the Kansas City sideline. With 10 seconds left in regulation, and with the defending champs driving for what would have been a game-winning touchdown, WR Rashee Rice found himself open. But Mahomes threw to Kelce instead in tight coverage, and Niners LB Fred Warner broke it up. Kansas City settled for the Harrison Butker game-tying figgie.
Rice let Mahomes know about it on the sidelines. To be fair to both of them, Mahomes had to handle a bad snap on the play, and they had only one time-out left, so it’s understandable if nerves were a bit frayed in the moment. But Kansas City didn’t show much team chemistry during this matchup, and it nearly cost them the title.
3. Turf Monster Eats Dre Greenlaw
It’s going to be another long offseason for the 49ers, but especially for LB Dee Greenlaw. He suffered what appears to be a torn Achilles during the first half while running onto the field at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. Greenlaw was carted away, never to return.
That wasn’t the only time the turf ate San Francisco. WR Deebo Samuel had to leave the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, although he was able to return to action shortly thereafter. Was the turf at Allegiant Stadium to blame?
Sort of. They actually use a grass field at this indoor venue, but it’s on rollers, allowing the stadium workers to grow the grass outside and bring it inside. Still, there will be plenty of questions about Sunday’s field conditions, on the heels of what proved to be a very slippery Super Bowl LVIII.
4. Alicia (Off) Keys
First of all, let’s give Alicia Keys and everyone else involved in Usher’s Halftime Show credit for performing at least somewhat live – live enough that we could hear Keys miss the first note of her solo hit “If I Ain’t Got You” by a country mile. She recovered well enough, joining Usher for their song “My Boo.”
More importantly for bettors, Keys was one of several potential co-stars who did indeed show up to help Usher, so if you did your homework ahead of time, you cashed in handsomely with your Super Bowl Halftime Show props. Lil Jon and Ludacris were there as well to complete the set. Best of all, Usher brought in a marching band to help him perform “Love in This Club.” Every Super Bowl should have a marching band.
5. Taylor Swift Chugs
Yes, Taylor Swift made it all the way from Japan to be at Allegiant Stadium to watch Kelce win another Super Bowl. And if you had the Over for how many times CBS would show her during the broadcast, well done: They cut to her 12 times, for a total of around 55 seconds.
The best of these sightings was during the first half, when they showed Swift and designer Ashley Avignone engaged in a chugging contest. Swift was the winner, draining her beverage in a reported 6.6 seconds and slamming down her empty cup like a pro.
Again, there was no postgame marriage proposal from Kelce, and the two did not endorse Joe Biden for president, so it was a pretty bad night overall for conspiracy theorists. Not for Kansas City, though. Congratulations to the champs, but beware: San Francisco are hot on the heels of the +500 favourites at +600 in Bodog’s Super Bowl LIX odds – your home for the best NFL odds on the planet.