Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 season between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion and defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. In a rematch of Super Bowl LIV four years earlier and also featuring the second overtime in Super Bowl history, the Chiefs would defeat the 49ers again 25–22. It was the longest Super Bowl in NFL history, with a net playing time of 74 minutes and 57 seconds. The game was played on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, being the first Super Bowl to be held in the state of Nevada. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time in his career, completing 34 of 46 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.
Kansas City received its fourth Super Bowl title in the franchise's sixth appearance and second consecutive, becoming the first team since the 2004 New England Patriots to repeat as champions. The Chiefs posted an 11–6 record and the AFC's 3rd seed for the season. San Francisco was handed its third consecutive Super Bowl loss after Super Bowls XLVII and LIV. The latter entered the game with a 12–5 record and NFC's top seed, and the franchise's eighth Super Bowl appearance. In addition, the 49ers were seeking their sixth Super Bowl title, which would have put the franchise in a three-way tie with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl Championships.
The game began with the two teams exchanging possessions until the second quarter, where a trick play culminated in 49ers runningback Christian McCaffrey increasing San Francisco's score to 10–3 by halftime. However, in the third quarter, following the Chiefs' second field goal and subsequent punt, the ball was fumbled and recovered by Kansas City after it bounced off the shoe of 49ers' cornerback Darrell Luter Jr., which set up the Chiefs in the red zone to take the lead at 13–10. The 49ers responded with a touchdown drive that carried into the fourth quarter, with an extra point attempt by 49ers kicker Jake Moody getting blocked by Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal, leaving the score 16–13 with 11:20 left in regulation. Following several successful field goal attempts by both teams, the game went into overtime as the Chiefs' fourth successful field goal by kicker Harrison Butker ended regulation to tie the score once again at 19–19. In overtime, San Francisco won the coin toss and elected to first possess the ball. They were then stalled at the Chiefs' 9-yard-line, opting to settle for a field goal, making the score 22–19. During Kansas City's overtime possession, Mahomes led a 75-yard drive. The game was then subsequently decided in its final play, nicknamed "Tom and Jerry", as Mahomes threw the ball to wide receiver Mecole Hardman, who ran toward the sideline during the pre-snap and walked the ball into the endzone, three seconds away from an unprecedented second overtime and concluding the game at 25–22.
It was the second overtime in Super Bowl history, the first being Super Bowl LI in 2017. The game was also the first Super Bowl to use the new overtime rules implemented during the 2022 season, and the first Super Bowl since its inception that George Toma did not serve as groundskeeper. The game's sellout attendance of 61,629 was the smallest unrestricted crowd in Super Bowl history due to the seating capacity of Allegiant Stadium, and the smallest unrestricted NFL Championship attendance since December 1946 (58,346).
Super Bowl LVIII is considered one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time by several sports outlets, with many citing the performances of both teams, the game's overtime finish, in addition to the game cementing the Chiefs as a dynasty. It was the second simulcast in Super Bowl history, and the first since Super Bowl I. The game's broadcast on CBS, youth-oriented Nickelodeon, and Spanish-language network Univision became the most watched program in American television history at the time and is currently the third most-watched American television broadcast of all time, with a total of 123.7 million average viewers across all platforms. In addition, the game produced the highest unduplicated total audience in television history at 200 million viewers watching all or part of the game, becoming the most-watched United States broadcast since the Apollo 11 moon landing. This continued an upward viewing trend that would be broken again the following year. The halftime show, headlined by Usher, peaked at 129 million viewers.
The Chiefs reached the Super Bowl once again in 2025 for a third consecutive year in a bid for an unprecedented three-peat in the Super Bowl era, but ultimately lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, 40–22.
Background Host selection
On May 23, 2018, the NFL picked the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans to host Super Bowl LVIII. The league picked the winning city from a list of candidates that it had compiled, a process that replaced an earlier one in which cities that wished to host a Super Bowl submitted bids to be debated and voted upon at the league owners' meetings.
In March 2020, the NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed to expand the regular season from 16 to 17 games beginning in 2021, pushing Super Bowl LVIII from February 4, 2024, to February 11, and causing a conflict with the city's Mardi Gras celebrations.
The NFL announced on October 14, 2020, that New Orleans would host Super Bowl LIX instead of Super Bowl LVIII, and then announced on December 15, 2021, that Allegiant Stadium was chosen as the new site.
Logo The official logo was unveiled on February 13, 2023; it follows the updated logo template established by Super Bowl LVI, with the traditional Roman numerals containing imagery reflecting the host city/region—in this case, a sunset behind the skyline of the Las Vegas Strip and the Las Vegas sign. The numerals were also slanted inward to evoke the architecture of resorts such as the Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas. The unveiling of this logo was met with acclaim, with many praising its originality and its effective representation of the host city's spirit amid the standardized designs used since 2011.
Teams San Francisco 49ers
Under seventh-year head coach Kyle Shanahan, the San Francisco 49ers ended the 2023 season with a 12–5 record, the NFC's No. 1 seed, and a first-round bye.
Following the success of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who led them to an NFC Championship Game the previous season, the 49ers traded away Trey Lance, the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and made Purdy the full-time starter. In his first full season as the starter, Purdy was named to the Pro Bowl, throwing for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions and finished with a passer rating of 113.0, the highest in the league. The offense was also led by first-team All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, whom the 49ers acquired midway through the 2022 season. He led the league in scrimmage yards (2,023) and total touchdowns (21). San Francisco's receiving core was led by Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel, all of whom gained more than 1,000 scrimmage yards. The 49ers were the first team in league history to have four players with over 1,000 scrimmage yards. The 49ers' offense finished second in the league in total offense with 398.4 yards per game, which included finishing fourth in pass yards per game (257.9) and third in rush yards per game (140.5). The offensive line was spearheaded by left tackle Trent Williams, who received his third First-team All-Pro selection and his 11th Pro Bowl nomination.
On defense, the 49ers finished third in the league in scoring defense, giving up 17.5 points per game, and finished first in the league with 22 interceptions (tied with the Chicago Bears). San Francisco's defensive line featured Pro Bowl defensive end Nick Bosa, who led the team with 10.5 sacks, along with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (seven sacks) and Arik Armstead (five sacks). First-team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner led the team with 132 combined tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks. The secondary was led by second-team All-Pro cornerbacks Charvarius Ward (five interceptions and 72 tackles) and Deommodore Lenoir (three interceptions, 84 tackles).
This game marked the 49ers' eighth Super Bowl appearance. The franchise won its first five Super Bowl appearances (XVI, XIX, XXIII, XXIV, and XXIX) but lost its last two before this game (XLVII and LIV). If the 49ers won the game, they would have been the first NFC team to win six Super Bowls and the third team overall, joining the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City entered the 2023 NFL season as defending Super Bowl champions, having won Super Bowl LVII. They finished the 2023 season with an 11–6 record, their 11th consecutive winning season and eighth consecutive AFC West title under eleventh-year head coach Andy Reid, and as the No. 3 seed in the AFC.
In his sixth season as the starter, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had his worst statistical season in several categories, including yards per attempt (7.0), passing yards per game (261.4), interceptions (14), and passer rating (92.6). His receivers struggled at several points throughout the season, and going into week 18, the Chiefs led the league in dropped passes. Despite this, Mahomes set a career-high in completion percentage with 67.2% while throwing for 27 touchdowns. Tight end Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving yards for the fourth time in five seasons, but finished with under 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015. Rookie receiver Rashee Rice led the Chiefs' wide receivers with 938 yards and seven touchdowns, while second-year running back Isiah Pacheco ran for 935 yards and seven touchdowns. The offensive line featured two Pro Bowl selections: guard Joe Thuney and center Creed Humphrey.
The Chiefs' defensive line featured Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones, who had 10.5 sacks, and defensive end George Karlaftis (10.5 sacks). The secondary was led by cornerbacks L'Jarius Sneed (two interceptions, 78 tackles, 14 pass deflections) and All Pro Trent McDuffie (80 tackles, 5 forced fumbles, 3 sacks), along with safety Justin Reid (team-high 95 tackles, 1 interception, 3 sacks).
Super Bowl LVIII was the Chiefs' sixth Super Bowl appearance and fourth in the past five seasons. Entering the game, the Chiefs had won three Super Bowls (IV, LIV, and LVII) and lost two (I and LV). The Chiefs also won one pre-Super Bowl era AFL Championship, in 1962 (as the Dallas Texans).
Playoffs
As the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the 49ers received a first-round bye. In the NFC Divisional Round, the 49ers hosted the No. 7 seed Green Bay Packers. Although the Packers took a 21–14 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the 49ers rallied to win the game 24–21 thanks to a late game-winning drive led by Brock Purdy that ended with a touchdown by Christian McCaffrey. Linebacker Dre Greenlaw sealed the game for the 49ers by intercepting quarterback Jordan Love on the Packers' final drive. This allowed the 49ers to advance to their third straight NFC Championship Game and their fourth in the last five seasons. In that game, the 49ers hosted the No. 3 seed Detroit Lions. The 49ers fell behind quickly, trailing 24–7 at halftime. They scored 27 straight points to take a 34–24 lead late in the fourth quarter. The Lions scored one more touchdown after that but failed to recover the ensuing onside kick attempt, sending the 49ers to their second Super Bowl in five seasons with a 34–31 win.