Super Sunday In Las Vegas Goes Overtime: Chiefs Repeat As NFL Champs With 25-22 Win Over 49ers In Super Bowl 58 With Attendance At 61,629
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Story by Alan Snel Photos by J. Tyge O’Donnell
Las Vegas relished hosting Super Bowl 58 so much that its first time went overtime.
The Kansas Chiefs showed resolve to win back-to-back National Football League championships with a 25-22 OT win over a talented San Francisco 49ers team before an announced crowd of 61,629 in the Raiders’ home stadium in Las Vegas.
Game over: KC 25 SF 22 in Ot pic.twitter.com/PLGURC9S46
— LVSportsBiz.com (@LVSportsBiz) February 12, 2024
“Viva Las Vegas,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce screamed and sang as his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, watched on the field at the postgame trophy presentation and celebration.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes put it best — the game was a microcosm of the Chiefs season with the defense holding strong and the offense doing just enough to squeeze out wins, including the last four post-season victories over the Dolphins, Bills, Ravens and 49ers.
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The day is here in Las Vegas.
Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11.
Las Vegas was first scheduled to host the NFL’s premier event in 2025. But New Orleans had a schedule conflict with an event called Mardi Gras in 2024 so Las Vegas said, sure, we will be happy to take it one year earlier.
So here we are.
Las Vegas and the Super Bowl were a good compatible pair. Two brands known for being over the top and outrageous, a place to escape reality. The airport, Strip, convention center/Super Bowl and nerve center and stadium were all only several miles apart. The traffic was atrocious because the hotels — not the county government or the RTC — run the Strip and the hotel companies have interest in moving people quickly.
Las Vegas tourism folks and elected officials are emotionally intoxicated with the magnitude of the spectacle in Sin City this week.
It’s the first Super Bowl for Las Vegas, which has geared its one-horse economy toward accommodating bigtime sports promoters like the National Football League (Super Bowl 58), Formula 1 (Las Vegas Grand Prix), Major League Baseball (Athletics stadium in 2028) and NCAA (Final Four at Allegiant Stadium in 2028).
These events certainly have enriched the sports promoters and the high-end hotels, but whether the money being spent in Las Vegas has filtered to the common denizen of the valley, well, that’s up for serious debate.
LVSportsBiz.com photographer interviewed business owner Randy Markin, who runs Stage Door casino and Battista restaurant near Flamingo Road, to find out how the Formula 1 race impact compared to that of the Super Bowl today. Please click here to hear Markin’s comments.
Two Budweiser Clydesdales visited Markin for a nice meal at Battista’s.
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There were no extra sections installed for the Super Bowl at the Raiders stadium, so we expect attendance to just north of 65,000.
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About 90 minutes before kickoff, fans were piling into the stadium. The Hacienda Avenue bridge was closed to the public and considered part of the stadium “campus.”
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Crossover artist Post Malone is even in the house.
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Las Vegas’ owner Bruce the Beer Man working over fans for sales before the game. He’s the best in the beer hawking biz in Las Vegas.
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The game itself was a bore for the first three quarters, with fumbles, sloppy play and few explosive plays. The 49ers and Chiefs swapped blows in the fourth quarter with the Chiefs tying the game in the waning seconds on a short field goal.
In overtime, the 49ers opened with a field goal and Chiefs responded with a very short touchdown pass by Mahomes.
Kansas City 25 San Francisco 22.
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