Super Bowl LVIII

Spoiler alert: This post talks about the Super Bowl game last night. If you haven't watched it yet, come back to this post when you have.

I believe the first game of American football I watched was the Super Bowl in 2019, when the 49ers played off against the Green Bay Packers. Me and my dad both stayed up late to watch the game. I recall my dad turning off the television when the 49ers lost that day; it was dissapointing to see the loss, but my support for the team has been strong since then (barring the odd comment about how I am supposed to support both Taylor Swift and the 49ers at the same time).

I can sum up this year's Super Bowl, LVIII, in three words: What a game.

From the start of the first quarter onward until the end of the fourth quarter and into overtime, I was on the edge of my seat.

This Super Bowl was filled with surprises. Right out the gate, the 49ers made some good plays. McCaffrey did an amazing run through the Chiefs defense. The 49ers got a few first downs. But, amid some good plays, there were bad ones. The 49ers racked up a few penalties in the first quarter, every one of which was painful to watch. False starts. Holding. The 49ers picked up a field goal, leading to a 3-0 start. I knew, though, that we would need to start scoring points soon. Big points.

The game was all about defense. Going into the middle eight -- the four minutes before and after half-time -- the score stood at 3-0. I was lamenting the lack of ambitious plays by the 49ers. They made slow advances. Similarly, the Chiefs did not make many ambitious plays; their defense was strong, preventing the 49ers from advancing far. Then came a big play from the 49ers: a trick play that led to the first touchdown of the game. I was elated. I felt momentum coming. Although, my hopes could not be too high yet. It was still anyone's game.

This sentiment -- it was anyone's game -- echoed into the second half. Weirdly, two timeouts were called -- one by each team -- in the third quarter. I thought it was a bit premature and that those would be saved until the end of the game.

In the third quarter, the Chiefs scored a field goal, edging closer to the 49ers lead. Then, disaster struck for the 49ers. A poor punt led to the Chiefs taking control of the ball. I was almost out of my seat. Shortly after that, the Chiefs scored their first touchdown. I was not happy at the Chiefs getting closer to the 49ers score, but I did love seeing Taylor Swift literally jump with joy when the Chiefs scored a touchdown. Seeing such joy was delightful.

As has been the case in many games I have seen, it all came down to the last quarter. The 49ers needed another big play to secure the lead. There were some impressive advancements and first downs. When on defense, the 49ers played well, ensuring the Chiefs did not score another touchdown. At a fourth down, the Chiefs took a field goal, equalizing the game.

19-19.

The game ended up in overtime, only the second time this has happened in Super Bowl history. I have never seen a game go into overtime, so I was grateful that the presenters explained the rules. The 49ers, winning the coin-toss with a tails call, received the ball. I was growing increasingly tired. I saw the 49ers field goal, then I went to bed. I opened up my phone to set my alarm and saw a touchdown from the Chiefs. Mahomes, who was one of the star players on the Chiefs side, scored the touchdown.

While I was disappointed with the outcome, this Super Bowl was an amazing game to watch. There being no clear leader at any one point in the game made every quarter -- every minute -- gripping. Again, what a game.

Tagged in IndieWeb.