Super Bowl 2024: 49ers gift the Chiefs the lead on massive special teams blunder

Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images

Ray-Ray McCloud tried to do the right thing, but it went the wrong way.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense has been sputtering all game against the San Francisco 49ers, but one special teams blunder was able to spring them into life.

Tommy Townsend’s punt hit the leg of 49ers defensive back Darrell Luter Jr, and returner Ray-Ray McCloud alertly tried to pick it up. Instead of falling down on the ball, McCloud whiffed on the scoop and Jaylen Watson was there for the recovery.

It took only one play for Patrick Mahomes to punish this costly mistake, as he found a wide open Marquez Valdes-Scantling for Kansas City’s first touchdown and first lead of the game.

It’s the Chiefs’ first touchdown since the 2nd quarter of the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens.

This has not been a cleanly played Super Bowl at all, but fumble luck has significantly favored the Chiefs. There have been six fumbles through three quarters, and Kansas City has recovered five of them. Two of them have resulted in Chiefs takeaways, and this special teams mistake has just drastically changed the picture of the game entering the 4th quarter.