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Democracy Dies in Darkness

Richard Sherman and the San Francisco 49ers defense stifled the Minnesota Vikings' offense in Saturday's 27-10 victory, earning the Niners a spot in the NFC championship game. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

49ers beat Vikings to earn spot in NFC championship game, led by a dominant defense

January 11, 2020 at 8:05 p.m. EST

By Jacob Bogage

By the time Richard Sherman’s eyes gazed into the backfield on Saturday afternoon, early in the third quarter of an NFC divisional-round playoff matchup, the Minnesota Vikings offense had gone stagnant.

The Vikings were on their way to an outing that saw them struggle to eclipse 100 yards of total offense. Quarterback Kirk Cousins rarely had time to find open receivers downfield. Running back Dalvin Cook, on whose shoulders Minnesota’s offensive game plan rested, was a nonfactor.

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What happened in Super Bowl LIV

The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20, in the Super Bowl to deliver Kansas City’s first NFL championship in 50 years. Find all the highlights here.

How it happened: Patrick Mahomes had a play in his back pocket for when the Chiefs needed it. Now “Tre Right, Three Jet Chip Wasp” will live in Kansas City lore.

Commentary: Patrick Mahomes, in Super Bowl comeback, showed why he is the best quarterback in the NFL.

Parade: Fans gather early and in mass numbers to celebrate Chiefs’ Super Bowl in Kansas City.

Photos: The best photos from Hard Rock Stadium | The plays the Chiefs made to win

Halftime show: Jennifer Lopez and Shakira teamed up to become the first two Latina singers to perform at the Super Bowl. It was a truly riveting, wildly entertaining performance. “You may have heard the American Dream itself pulsing in a space where it will always be allowed to live,” pop music critic Chris Richards writes, “inside a pop song.”

Commercials: The very best from Super Bowl Sunday, and the very worst.

Go a little deeper...

• Patrick Mahomes became the NFL’s best quarterback by refusing to specialize in football

• In tragedies’ wake, Andy Reid and the Chiefs found success through second chances

• The Chiefs brought Native American imagery, and the ‘tomahawk chop,’ to the Super Bowl stage

• Len Dawson smoked his way through the first Super Bowl. The photos are priceless.

• For Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and his family, this Super Bowl trip was 50 years in the making