Former Dolphin Damien Williams scores game-winning-clinching TDs for KC in Super Bowl
The Kansas City Chiefs only needed a first down or two to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years. Damien Williams wasn’t content for just that.
Instead of milking the clock with the lead and fewer than two minutes to go in Super Bowl 54, Williams found a hole in the left side of the San Francisco 49ers. He ran through it and then ran for more — 38 yards to the end zone to seal the Chiefs’ 31-20 win in Miami Gardens.
The celebration was on for the Kansas City fans among the 62,417 at Hard Rock Stadium and Williams, who called the stadium home for four seasons as a member of the Miami Dolphins, kicked it off.
In all four years he spent with the Dolphins in South Florida, Williams scored a grand total of six touchdowns. In the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 54, he scored two, including the go-ahead score with 2:44 remaining.
While Patrick Mahomes carried the Chiefs on their come-from-behind win, Williams punctuated it. He caught a short pass from Mahomes with 2:44 to go and took it 5 yards into the end zone to erase a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit and put Kansas City ahead for the first time in the second half at 24-20. With 1:12 to go, Williams found his gap and the game-ending trip to the end zone.
In his high-profile homecoming, Williams was Mahomes’ most consistent wingman. He ran for a game-high 104 yards on 17 carries and added another 29 yards through the air on four catches. With eight targets, Williams was Mahomes’ second most popular target behind only wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Williams was a centerpiece of the Chiefs’ plan from the very start. On Kansas City’s first play of the game, Mahomes handed off to Williams and the running back ran for 7 yards to start the Chiefs moving. Kansas City ultimately went three-and-out on the drive, but only after Mahomes attempted back-to-back passes to Williams.
The 49ers spent Sunday trying to keep the Chiefs from breaking off the big play. Mahomes didn’t connect for a 30-yard pass until the fourth quarter and even after he finally threw his first touchdown he had just a 63.0 quarterback rating. Between its devastating pass rush and its commitment to playing two deep safeties, San Francisco forced Mahomes to live in the middle of the field, which made Williams a massive part of the game plan.
He ran five times in the first quarter and was targeted thrice, and coach Andy Reid entrusted him with one of the game’s early pivotal moments. Kansas City faced a fourth-and-1 at the 49ers’ 5-yard-line and the coach pulled his most creative move of the night. Mahomes lined up in a pistol formation, flanked by wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Sammy Watkins, and with Williams standing behind him. The four did a coordinated twirl and Mahomes subtly moved to his right, behind the right guard. A direct snap went to Williams and he charged forward 4 yards for a first down. This time, he was stopped just short of the end zone.
This story was originally published February 2, 2020 at 10:31 PM.
