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Chiefs Win Super Bowl 57; Final Score: 38-35 Over Eagles
By: Marvin A. Azrak
In a classic, it was Patrick Mahomes(21-27, 182 yards, and three touchdowns) on one leg and the Kansas City Chiefs who emerged victorious and won Super Bowl 57 38-35 over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night in Glendale, Arizona. Kansas City’s second title in five years as Mahomes, 27, became a two-time big game MVP days after taking home the regular season honors, once again cementing himself as the league standard. The loss, meanwhile, was the third time Philadelphia fans watched their heroes fall in the finals, as the Union of the MLS and Phillies of the MLB also came up short on the big stage earlier this fall.
At the onset, Kansas City won the coin toss and deferred to the second half.
Eagles star QB Jalen Hurts would make them pay, though, and found Dallas Goedert for 13 yards and Devonte Smith for 23 yards earning a quick trip to the red zone before capping the drive by taking it in himself for the touchdown and a 7-0 Eagles lead.
Our pal Kevin Harlan was equally excited for his second Chiefs Super Bowl win call. pic.twitter.com/zxDlqldLAE
— ?️ Red Tribe Cinema (@ClayWendler) February 13, 2023
Not to be outdone, Mahomes and the Chiefs roared right back, showing why they were the top-ranked offense in the NFL this season.
This was huge. Kadarius Toney with a 65 yard punt return. The biggest punt return in Super Bowl history ? #SBLVII
(? @NFL)pic.twitter.com/vpvyPqYSlI
— Let’s Chat Chiefs (@LetsChatChiefs) February 13, 2023
After he scrambled for an eight-yard pickup, he found his main target in tight end Travis Kelce for a gain of 20 before hitting for an 18-yard TD score to tie it. Following a quick Eagles three and out, Kansas City got into field goal range, but kicker Harrison Butker doinked a 42-yarder, allowing the Eagles to take over in Chiefs territory as the first quarter came to a close. In the Super Bowl preview on this site, there was talk about Hurts looking for wide receivers in AJ Brown and Smith early and often.
The Chiefs rookies came up big again today. Isiah Pacheco rushed for a touchdown and Skyy Moore grabbed the first touchdown of his career on the biggest stage there is. Not to mention the rookies on defense! This was a special draft class.
(? @Chiefs)
pic.twitter.com/TYmragLCWu— Let’s Chat Chiefs (@LetsChatChiefs) February 13, 2023
Smith had his chance on the first Philadelphia touchdown drive, and Brown received him on the second one, as he deked by cornerback Trent McDuffie, and hauled in a 45-yard pass at the back of the endzone, restoring the Eagles lead. Yet that momentum was short-lived, as on their next possession, a Hurts fumble on 3rd and 6 led to a 36-yard scoop and score by Nick Bolton, evening things at 14.
Chad Henne retires as a Super Bowl Champ ? pic.twitter.com/bwTvtS4uEv
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 13, 2023
Seeking redemption, Hurts converted on a 4th and four from the Chiefs’ 44-yard line on the ensuing drive and ran for 28 yards before finding himself in a 4th and two situation from the eight-yard line a few plays later. This time, the Eagles caused a defensive penalty giving them an automatic first down, leading to a Hurts rushing touchdown from the one, giving the Eagles a 21-14 lead.
With the clock winding down before halftime, Kansas City tried to provide an answer but instead saw Mahomes tackled by T. J. Edwards, which became a grimacing sight for the Chiefs kingdom, as their star quarterback came up limping. Philadelphia would take advantage and add a Jake Elliot field goal, extending their lead to 24-14 heading into intermission. The Eagles seemed destined to taste glory, as they had outgained Kansas City 270-128 through the first 30 minutes and dominated the time of possession 21:54 to 8:06, with 17 first downs.
Just moments until half time show. Eagles 21-14 @Eagles @Chiefs #SuperBowlLVII @JalenHurts #Touchdown https://t.co/qbiSebvsC4
— The Jewish Voice (@JewishVoice) February 13, 2023
However, as we’ve learned watching Mahomes, who won his first Super Bowl in 2018 by rallying from a 10-point deficit, it’s never to count him out. On the maiden drive of the third, he led a 75-yard touchdown drive, which included a 14-yard run to the Eagles’ five-yard line and was capped off by
Isaac Pacheco, whose touchdown brought Kansas City within 24-21. Minutes later, the Chiefs appeared to have seized the lead when Bolton nearly scored his second defensive touchdown of the game. Miles Sanders was bobbling the ball, trying to secure a short catch before fighting more yardage. At the same time, the ball was knocked loose by L’Jarius Sneedball and picked up by Bolton, who returned it the other way. Alas, it was reversed to an incompletion after a video review, showing the ball had hit the ground before it was picked up by Bolton, rendering it an incompletion. A few plays later, another Elliot field goal from 33 yards out upped their advantage to 27-21. Even with their uncharacteristic shaky defense, which ranked as the best in football and was the driving force of their 16-3 run to the big game, Philadelphia was outscoring their mistakes.
Kansas City Chiefs Win Super Bowl 57 “Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII” – Score: 38-35 @Chiefs @Eagles #SuperBowl https://t.co/SJGEwoDBDM
— The Jewish Voice (@JewishVoice) February 13, 2023
Yet despite their dominance, there was one weakness that The Eagles couldn’t hide for much longer as it was finally exploited in front of the nation, as their inefficient special teams unit arguably cost them a championship. After scoring on a touchdown from Mahomes to give them the lead, Kadrius Toney caught Arryn Siposs’ like drive punt on the left side, where the Eagles didn’t have defenders, then pivoted and took it down the sideline to the Eagles’ 5. Toney’s 65-yard return is the most extended punt return in Super Bowl history and would set up a Skyy Moore score, giving Kansas City a 35-27 lead with 9:22 left in the fourth quarter.
While it may have been the first time they were behind all postseason, the Eagles didn’t flinch and struck back, keyed by a 75-yard touchdown drive by Hurts. The 24-year-old found DeVonta Smith along the left sideline for a 45-yard completion to the Chiefs’ 2-yard line. Then he leaped into the end zone before tying the game on the two-point conversion with 5:23 left to play. Hurts’ three rushing touchdowns are a Super Bowl record for a quarterback and tie the single-game Super Bowl record for any player.
Ultimately, it came down to who would have the ball last, and that was Mahomes, who engineered the drive everyone will have when we look back at Super Bowl 57 years down the road. Kansas City began its possession from its 25-yard line with 5:15 left. Mahomes started with a 10-yard completion to JuJu Smith-Schuster, then handed it off to Pacheco for a gain of two. After Kelce caught a pass for an increase of seven, Pacheco sprinted for 10 yards and into Eagles territory.
Then on third and eight, Mahomes threw incomplete in the end zone for Smith-Schuster, but Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was flagged for defensive holding to give the Chiefs a first down. “I held him,” Bradberry said after the game, “I tugged his jersey but was hoping they would let it slide.” With a fresh set of downs and inside the red zone, Jerick McKinnon Jerick McKinnon ran for 10 yards to the Eagles’ 1-yard line before sliding to give himself up so he didn’t score a touchdown, which would give Hurts and the Eagles a chance to answer back and force overtime. Mahomes then threw an incomplete pass before running down the clock, which caused the Eagles to burn all their timeouts, which set up Butker for a 27-yard redemption field goal with eight seconds remaining, to put Kansas City on top for good. It was a poetic make for the kicker, as he was injured on the same field in the season opener. The Eagles tried a Hail Mary player who fell incomplete, setting off the red confetti and a jubilant celebration featuring the Chiefs players, coaches, family, and their thousands of fans in attendance.
The victory is bittersweet for Donna Kelce, as her sons Travis(Chiefs TE) and Jason(Eagles OL) played each other in the first meeting between two brothers in Super Bowl history. The Kelce’s share a podcast together, so It’s going to be interesting to see how their next one will turn out. “There’s nothing I could tell him that would make him feel better right now,” Travis said postgame, “I told him I love him, and thanks for making this the best year of my life.”
The afterglow of the triumph was enough for Chiefs backup Quarterback Chad Henne to announce he was retiring. The 37-year-old was drafted in 2008 by the Miami Dolphins in round two with the 57th overall pick and played four seasons there before he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2011 offseason. He was there until 2018 before landing in Kansas City and becoming part of a dynasty. He leaves the game having started in 54 of his 78 contests over his fourteen-year career with 60 total touchdowns to show for it, in addition to the two rings he won as a backup in Kansas City.
