Super Bowl LVIII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2023 season. In a rematch of Super Bowl LIV from four years earlier, the American Football Conference (AFC) champion and defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) champion San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in overtime. The Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the 2004 New England Patriots.[6] The game was played on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. This was the first Super Bowl to be held in the state of Nevada.[7][8] It marked the third straight year that the Super Bowl had been played in the Western United States, following host cities Inglewood, California, in 2022 and Glendale, Arizona, in 2023.
As this was the Chiefs' fourth Super Bowl appearance and third win in five years, many have said this game established them as a dynasty.[9] It was the second Super Bowl to be decided in overtime, the first being Super Bowl LI, seven years earlier.[10][11][12] Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP), completing 34 of 46 passes for 333 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Due to the seating capacity of Allegiant Stadium, the game's sellout attendance of 61,629 was the smallest crowd in Super Bowl history outside of Super Bowl LV, which was played during the COVID-19 pandemic.[13][14]
The game was televised nationally by CBS, streamed on Paramount+, alternatively broadcast on youth-oriented sister network Nickelodeon, and televised on the Spanish-language network Univision.[15] It was also the second simulcast in Super Bowl history, and the first since Super Bowl I.[16] Super Bowl LVIII became the most watched program in American television history, with a total of 123.7 million average viewers across all platforms, which broke the average record of 115.1 million viewers set by the previous year's Super Bowl.[17][4] The game saw the highest unduplicated total audience in history with more than 200 million viewers watching all or part of the game.[18] It was the most-watched United States broadcast since the Apollo 11 moon landing,[19] attributed to the Taylor Swift effect. The halftime show, headlined by Usher, peaked at 129.3 million viewers.[20][21][22] The game's net playing time of 74 minutes and 57 seconds ranks as the longest in Super Bowl history.[23]
It was notable for being the first Super Bowl since its inception that George Toma did not serve as groundskeeper.[24]
.jpg/1280px-Allegiant_Stadium,_view_from_Interstate_15_(2024-02-04).jpg)
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.[25][8]
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 to February 11, 2024, and causing a conflict with the city's Mardi Gras celebrations.[26]
The NFL announced on October 14, 2020, that New Orleans would host Super Bowl LIX instead of Super Bowl LVIII,[27] and then announced on December 15, 2021, that Allegiant Stadium was chosen as the new site.[28]
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 of 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.[29][30]
.jpg/1280px-BrockPurdy2021_(cropped2).jpg)
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.[31]
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.[32] 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.[33] The offense was also led by first-team All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, whom the 49ers acquired midway through the 2022 season.[34] 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.[33] The 49ers were the first team in league history to have four players with over 1,000 scrimmage yards.[35] 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).[36] 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.[37]
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).[38] 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).[33] First-team All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner led the team with 132 combined tackles, four interceptions, four forced fumbles, and 2.5 sacks.[33] The secondary was led by second-team All-Pro cornerbacks Charvarius Ward (five interceptions and 72 tackles) and Deommodore Lenoir (three interceptions, 84 tackles).[33]
This game marked the 49ers' eighth Super Bowl appearance.[39] 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). Had the 49ers had 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.[40]
.jpg/1280px-Patrick_Mahomes_(51615475056).jpg)
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.[41]
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).[42] His receivers struggled at several points throughout the season,[43] 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.[44] 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.[45] 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.[46] The offensive line featured two Pro Bowl selections: guard Joe Thuney and center Creed Humphrey.[47]
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).[48]
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).[49]
As the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the 49ers received a first-round bye.[50] 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.[51] 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.[52]
As the No. 3 seed in the AFC,[53] the Chiefs hosted the No. 6 seed Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Round. Due to a cold wave in mid-January, the temperature was −4 °F (−20 °C) at this game's kickoff, which was the fourth-coldest in NFL history.[54] The Chiefs defeated the Dolphins 26–7.[55] The Dolphins' only points in the game came from a touchdown pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to former Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The win saw the Chiefs play their first away playoff game in the Mahomes era, the AFC Divisional Round against the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills. This game saw five lead changes between the two teams. The Chiefs won 27–24 as Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass missed a potential game-tying field goal wide right in the final two minutes.[56] With that win, the Chiefs advanced to their sixth straight AFC Championship Game, which they played on the road against the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens. Miscues on both offense and defense doomed the Ravens; the Chiefs led 17–7 at halftime and came up with big defensive stops in the second half to win 17–10.[57] The Chiefs advanced to their fourth Super Bowl in five seasons.[41]
As the designated home team in the Super Bowl's annual rotation between the two conferences, the Chiefs chose to wear their red home jerseys with white pants. The 49ers wore their white away jerseys with gold pants.[58][59]
As the designated home team, the Chiefs practiced at the host team Las Vegas Raiders' practice facility in Henderson, Nevada, during the week leading up to the game. The 49ers practiced at UNLV's Fertitta Football Complex in Paradise, Nevada.[60] Both teams stayed off-Strip at luxury hotels at the Lake Las Vegas resort area east of the city, with the Chiefs staying at the Westin and the 49ers staying at the Hilton.[61]
The game was a rematch of Super Bowl LIV (played in February 2020), in which the Chiefs defeated the 49ers, 31–20,[62] overcoming a 10-point fourth quarter deficit.[63] Mahomes was named the MVP of that Super Bowl. Bill Vinovich was also the referee for that game,[62] making him the first referee to preside over two Super Bowl meetings between the same teams.[64]
This game was also the first since Super Bowl LV to feature the defending champion. That game saw the defending champion Chiefs fall to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[65]
The game was dubbed by fans and media outlets as the "Taylor Swift Bowl" or "Swiftie Bowl", referencing singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and her fans, which are known as Swifties. The season broke viewership, merchandise, and ticket sales rec