On Feb. 11, 123.4 million people tuned in to watch Super Bowl 58 and it is estimated that at least 202.4 million people watched at least part of the broadcast. With this, the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers ended up being not only the most-watched Super Bowl of all time, but the most-watched television program ever. 

The underdog Brock Purdy of the 49ers and the well-established Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs, was sure to drag in a crowd. This game definitely made a wake in the waters of Utica University.

With an amazing performance from their defense and some fortuitous plays from their number-one-ranked quarterback, the Kansas City Chiefs managed to pull off a third Super Bowl win in five years. The game ended in a 25-22 overtime victory against the San Francisco 49ers in only the second overtime game in Super Bowl history. 

The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes and his postseason magic to thank for their second consecutive Super Bowl victory. Despite the unrelenting pressure placed on him in the first half and the 49ers’ unshakeable defense which at times seemed too merciless to overcome, Mahomes carried his team on his back when it mattered most. 

According to Joey Berrios, a nursing major and first-year student, Mahomes didn’t perform to the best of his abilities at the beginning of the game. 

“Towards the end, he locked in for sure,” Berrios said. “It was inspiring to see him keep fighting even when they were so close to failure.”

One of the greatest highlights of Super Bowl 58 was the 55-yard field goal in the first half of the game. Jake Moody, the 49ers’ rookie kicker, placed the first three points on the board, giving San Francisco an early lead of 3-0. So why is this kick so important? For three decades, the holder of the longest field goal in a Super Bowl was the Buffalo Bills’ Steve Christie. Christie accomplished a 53-yard field goal in Super Bowl 28. 

Jake Moody became the record holder of the longest field goal in Super Bowl history. This was until the third quarter when the Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker, broke the record again with a 57-yard field goal. 

First-year student Elaina Furtadora-Hill said the kicks were “pretty insane.”

“The first kick was a great underdog moment,” Furtadora-Hill said. “For the second kick, I almost thought the ball wouldn’t make it. I am interested in seeing how these guys grow with their teams over the years.”

Usher was this year’s halftime performer, but the show included many phenomenal guest appearances, including Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R., will.i.am, Lil Jon and Ludacris. 

Usher danced his way on stage while singing his 2004 hit, “Caught Up,” before transitioning into his song “U Don’t Have to Call.” Later, when he moved to the stage, he sang “Superstar” before breaking into his dance anthem, “Love in This Club,” which he performed while doing the moonwalk. 

He followed that with a duet of “My Boo” with Alicia Keys, before moving into the ballad section of the performance, where he sang beloved tracks like “Confessions,” “Burn,” and “U Got It Bad.” Singer H.E.R., who has a song, “Risk It All,” that appears on Usher’s new album, “Coming Home,” performed a guitar solo during the performance of “Bad Girl,” while Will.i.am showed up to sing “OMG.” Usher closed out his standout show with a rousing performance of “Yeah!” alongside longtime collaborators Ludacris and Lil Jon. 

Emma Stanek, a first-year occupational therapy student, said the halftime show could have been better, but Usher’s appearance was cool. 

“I also didn’t know many of the songs he performed until the end,” Stanek said. 

Mariani’s take: Super Bowl 58 was nothing short of amazing. With countless records broken and extraordinary energy from the halftime show, it’s no wonder this game was the most-watched television program in history. It is safe to say that both teams played their hearts out and certainly impacted Utica University students.