Ref Bill Vinovich recognized Patrick Mahomes’ greatness in candid Super Bowl moment
There are certain to be a few plays from Super Bowl LVIII that will haunt the San Francisco 49ers for the foreseeable future.
Those plays could have swung the game in the 49ers’ favor. Instead, the Chiefs beat San Francisco 25-22 in overtime
A big one came with 2 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. San Francisco had the ball at the Chiefs’ 35-yard line but it was third and 5. Had the 49ers picked up the first down, they could have bled a big chunk of the clock and set up for a field goal.
Instead, Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie tipped a pass by Niners quarterback Brock Purdy, and San Francisco kicked a field goal to go ahead 19-16. I wrote about that play by McDuffie after the Super Bowl.
Although they grabbed the lead, the 49ers left Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes time to drive into position for a game-tying field goal.
NFL Films had a nice breakdown of McDuffie’s clutch play, and it includes an interesting conversation between two game officials. Referee Bill Vinovich, who was mic’d-up, acknowledged Mahomes’ greatness before the pivotal play.
“Your best play that you have in your book right now,” Vinovich told umpire Terry Killens. “Cause you don’t wanna give Mahomes the ball back.”
How many quarterbacks do you think Vinovich says that about? And he wasn’t wrong, because Mahomes easily moved the Chiefs into range for a short Harrison Butker field goal that forced overtime.
This is the video, and the Vinovich moment is near the start of the clip.
This story was originally published February 14, 2024 at 8:30 AM.
