Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes lifts the trophy following Sunday’s Super Bowl win. PHOTO CREDIT: KCUR.org
In a back-and-forth battle that went down to the final seconds, the Kansas City Chiefs walked away as the Super Bowl LVII champions with a 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles this past Sunday.
With the victory, Patrick Mapkoiihomes led the Chiefs to their second championship in the past four years as he picked up his second Most Valuable Player title.
Mahomes carried his offense on 21 of 27 attempts for 182 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, in addition to 44 rushing yards to earn the coveted title. He also became the first quarterback to lead the NFL in passing yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season.
On the flip side, Eagles slinger Jalen Hurts completed 27 of 38 attempts for 304 yards and a touchdown. He also added 70 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion on the ground. His three rushing touchdowns and 70 yards broke the Super Bowl record for most completed by a quarterback in a single game.
Although victorious in the end, the Chiefs battled against a fired up Eagles offense throughout the entirety of the game. After an 11-play, 75 yard opening drive, Hurts ran in his first rushing touchdown at the 10:09 mark to give the Eagles the early lead, 7-0.
The Chiefs were quick to respond with their own six-play, 75 yard drive as Mahomes threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to tie the score within the first 10 minutes of the game. This was only the second time in Super Bowl history in which both teams successfully scored on consecutive opening drives.
A missed 42-yard field goal by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker at the 2:27 mark brought Hurts and the Eagles back onto the field. After a deep 48-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, the Eagles were back on top. Brown would go on to finish the night with six completions for 96 yards in addition to the touchdown.
The Eagles defense successfully held the Chiefs to three and out following the play, as Hurts returned to the field to extend the lead. Despite his best efforts, a costly fumble at the 9:39 mark was picked up and returned for 36-yards by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton to tie the game again, 14-14.
The Eagles held their ground as they ran down the field in a 12-play, 75 yard drive as Hurts ran in for his second rushing touchdown of the night. This was the fire the Eagles needed after an ankle injury to Mahomes in the late second quarter seemed to hinder the Chiefs’ spirit. The Eagles were held to a 35-yard field goal by Jake Elliot, but nonetheless, extended their lead to 10 at the half.
With the odds stacked against them, Kansas City rallied in a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown return as Isiah Pacheco ran the ball in at the 9:30 mark in the third quarter to reduce Philadelphia’s lead to three. Pacheco finished the night with 75-yards on 15 carries to help bring the Chiefs average to around six yards per carry.
As the third quarter wound to a close, the Chiefs defense held the Eagles again – this time to a 33-yard field goal as they remained within striking distance, down six.
With 12:04 remaining in the game, Kansas City took its first lead of the contest 28-27 when Mahomes found a wide-open Kadarius Toney to complete a short five-yard scoring pass. This marked the first time Philadelphia had trailed the entire postseason, outscoring their opponents 69-14 before the big game.
After holding the Eagles to three and out, a record breaking 65-yard punt return by Toney landed the Chiefs on Philly’s five-yard line. At the 9:22 mark, Mahomes took advantage of this opportunity with a quick pass to Skyy Moore to extend the Chiefs’ lead 35-27.
In true Super Bowl fashion, the Eagles rallied after a 45-yard catch by Davonta Smith put Philadelphia at the Chief’s two-yard line. Hurts ran in his third rushing touchdown of the night at 5:15 as the Eagles went for a game-changing two-point conversion.
Hurts continued to take matters into his own hands as he shuffled to the right for the completed attempt. And just like that, the trend would continue as the game was tied again at 35-35.
With five minutes remaining, Kansas City moved 66 yards on 12 plays to set up the go-ahead field goal. A controversial third-down defensive holding penalty on Philadelphia’s James Bradberry helped set up the automatic first down as the Chiefs were able to wind the clock down. The cornerback was seen holding the jersey of Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster when referee Carl Cheffers made the go ahead call.
If reversed, the Eagles would have had the opportunity to take the field with nearly 1:30 remaining. “On this stage, I think you let them play, finish this thing out,” Fox broadcaster Greg Olsen said following the penalty. “I don’t love that call.”
With 11 seconds remaining, Butler successfully kicked the 27-yard field goal to bring the score to 38-35.
Following the kickoff, Hurts and the Eagles would have just eight seconds as they took the field on the Philadelphia 36-yard line. With one final play, Hurts’ hail-mary up the middle fell short as the clock ran out.
After the game, celebrities and fans took to social media discussing their outrage of the call, noting it arguably changed the outcome of the game. Despite the controversy, Bradberry took to Twitter to express his stance on the call. “It was a holding. I tugged his [Smith-Schuster] jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”
Controversy aside, Kansas City outscored Philadelphia 24-11 as they picked up 119 of their 158 total rushing yards in the second half to overcome the 10-point deficit. The 73 combined points was the third-highest scoring Super Bowl game, and the 35 scored by the Eagles were the most by a losing team in the Super Bowl.
From record-breaking plays to controversial calls, both teams showed up and showed out in Glendale, Arizona. As a result, Super Bowl LVII received over 113 million viewers to become the third most watched television program in history. A terrific game by the best in the league to complete the 2022-2023 NFL season.