Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs picked a terrible time to play arguably their worst first half of football of the season. Kansas City, which needed to come back from 10 points down to beat San Francisco in Super Bowl 54 and again to top Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57, dug itself the familiar early hole in Super Bowl 58.
The 49ers played well and controlled both lines of scrimmage to earn the lead, but the Chiefs were most responsible for their three-point effort. After the Niners opened up a 10-0 lead, the Chiefs were fortunate to get a late field goal ahead of receiving the opening kickoff of the second half.
The lead could have been bigger for San Francisco had running back Christian McCaffrey not lost a rare fumble in Kansas City territory on the opening drive. Turns out, that was the 49ers' only big mistake compared to plenty of errors by the Chiefs.
After the Chiefs punted twice to keep the game scoreless on their first two possessions. it unraveled quickly. Here's looking back on Kansas City's first-half miscues
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Chiefs' first-half mistakes in Super Bowl 58
Secondary breakdowns vs. backup wide receivers
The 49ers got in position to break the scoreless tie with Brock Purdy hitting consecutive deep balls to little-used targets Chris Conley (a former Chief) and Ray-Ray McCloud (mostly a special teams player). The 49ers cashed in with a record 55-yard field goal by rookie Jake Moody.
Isiah Pacheco fumbles to "answer" McCaffrey
The Chiefs finally hit on a deep ball on their third possession, with Mahomes throwing a downfield strike between two defenders, a 52-yard gain for Mecole Hardman. Unfortunately, Pacheco was stripped on a red-zone run, ending the drive quickly with no points.
The Chiefs lose their cool the first two times
The 49ers didn't score after they forced the turnover, but they frustrated the Chiefs with tight end Travis Kelce expressing that through yelling at coach Andy Reid on the sidelines. It manifested on the field when linebacker Nick Bolton horse-collar tackled Brock Purdy for a 15-yard penalty on the first 49ers play afterward.
Mahomes kills the ball — and a drive — by intentional grounding
The Chiefs' fourth possession was dead on arrival after Mahomes threw away the ball to avoid a sack by Chase Young, resulting in an insurmountable 2nd-and-20 from their own 10-yard line. The call was questionable, but it was a crucial mistake all the same.
The Chiefs lose their cool a third time
With 4:58 left in the first half and the 49ers driving at the Chiefs' 37, cornerback L'Jarius Sneed was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty after a short run by Elijah Mitchell.
The Chiefs' defense gets fooled badly
Two plays after Sneed's massive 15-yard violation, Jauan Jennings had plenty of time to throw a swing TD catch and run across the field on a wide receiver option pass. The continued mistakes and lapses caused defensive leader Chris Jones to chew out his teammates, trying to fire up a rally.
Did it work? The Chiefs couldn't end the half with a Mahomes TD drive, but it cut the lead to one possession with a late field goal with 20 seconds left. Just like that, the Chiefs can take the lead with a TD early in the second half.
The 49ers played a great half and have a small lead. Mahomes plays his best when trailing in the Super Bowl, as evidenced by his past previous two rings. The Chiefs flopped in the first half, but history shows they might be right where they want to be.
