Is this the lowest-scoring Super Bowl on record?
(NEXSTAR) — If you’re tuning into the Super Bowl late, you may be a little surprised by the score.
After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers entered the second quarter even at 0-0. It took until the start of the second quarter for any points to be scored. Then, Jake Moody hit a 55-yard field goal to put the 49ers ahead, 3-0.
The Chiefs seemed poised to take the lead until a fumble by Isiah Pacheco in the red zone.
The 49ers would go on to score a touchdown off a trick play – a pass to running back Christian McCaffrey from receiver Jauan Jennings – to put themselves ahead 10-0.
The Chiefs were able to put a few points on the board, with Harrison Butker making a 28-yard field goal with 20 seconds left before halftime.
The game was 10-3 at halftime which, if nobody scored in the second half, would have ranked it as the lowest-scoring Super Bowl on record.
But, about halfway through the third quarter, Butker put up a 57-yard field goal to bring the score to 10-6. Then, after recovering a fumbled punt later in the quarter, the Chiefs were able to score again with a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
After making the extra point, the Chiefs jumped ahead 13-10 with less than three minutes left in the third quarter. That pushed the game away from being the lowest-scoring Super Bowl on record.
Sixteen points is the lowest final score ever seen in a Super Bowl game. That happened just a few years ago, during Super Bowl LIII, when the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams, 13-3. Before that game, during Super Bowl VII in 1973, fans saw only 21 points scored as the Miami Dolphins beat Washington, 14-7.
So technically, if the game ended right now, this could be the lowest-scoring Super Bowl on record. But, as fans of both teams know, there’s still a chance for both offenses scoring more in the second half.
Chiefs fans are well-aware, after watching their team come back from a 24-14 deficit at half time during last year’s Super Bowl to win, 38-35.