Super Bowl: Niners muffed punt opens door for Chiefs TD in wild swing

In a close game like Super Bowl LVIII, all it takes is a single play to flip everything.

That play arrived in the third quarter at Allegiant Stadium, when the Kansas City Chiefs were punting after yet another three-and-out. It had been a tough day at the office for Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the offense, with their previous best drive resulting in an Isiah Pacheco red-zone fumble.

Then the Niners tried to catch the punt.

Niners special-teamer Ray-Ray McCloud III was in position to catch the kick from Tommy Townsend, until the ball landed on the foot of one his blockers, Darrell Luter Jr. McCloud saw the contact and leaped for the ball, but the ball slipped out of his hands and into the arms of Chiefs gunner Jaylen Watson.

The result was Chiefs ball at the San Francisco 16-yard line.

One player later, Mahomes hit wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 16-yard touchdown to take a 13-10 lead.

Per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, the Chiefs' win probability swung from 27% to 55% in the span of two plays.