Super Bowl LVIII didn't disappoint, from the thrilling overtime ending orchestrated by Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to the memes about Taylor Swift, Jason Kelce and Ice Spice.
But the Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers also joined some pretty rare company by finishing in overtime, which the 49ers players maybe should have learned the rules to, for what it's worth.
While there have been numerous playoff games to extend past the fourth quarter — 12 of which have happened since 2010 — it almost never happens in the Super Bowl.
How Many Super Bowls Went Into Overtime?
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There has been just one overtime before Super Bowl LVIII, when the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, 2017.
Of course, that was the infamous game that the Falcons blew a 28-3 lead. The Patriots won the coin toss and received the ball in overtime. Tom Brady and the offense drove down the field to score the game-winning touchdown, and the Falcons never had a chance to respond thanks to the previous NFL overtime rules.
The NFL changed its overtime rules in the 2022 offseason in large part because of the controversial Chiefs-Bills divisional round playoff game. The Chiefs won the coin toss in that game and scored a touchdown, meaning Josh Allen and the Bills offense never took the field in overtime.
While Super Bowl LVIII marked the second time the NFL's championship game has gone to overtime, there have been close calls.
The Super Bowl Has Had Many Close Calls With Overtime
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Super Bowl V between the Baltimore Colts and Dallas Cowboys was tied at 13-13 late in the fourth quarter before an interception set up Colts kicker Jim O'Brien for a game-winning field goal with five seconds left.
Super Bowl XXXVI was tied at 17-17 with 1:30 left between the Patriots and St. Louis Rams when Brady marched down the field and set up Adam Vinatieri for a 48-yard game-winner as the clock ran out.
And in Super Bowl XXXVIII, Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme threw a touchdown to tie the Patriots at 29-29 with under two minutes left. Like a replay of XXXVI, Brady got in field goal range for Vinatieri, who nailed a 41-yarder with four seconds left.
In last year's Super Bowl LVII, the Chiefs were tied with the Eagles 35-35 until a Harrison Butker field goal put the Chiefs ahead with eight seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Overtime provides a thrilling experience for fans, so let's hope we see it more often in the biggest game of the year.
