Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates on the podium with the Vince Lombardi Trophy after the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII 38-35 in thriller over Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35
The Kansas City Chiefs are your 2023 Super Bowl champions. Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Chiefs took down the Philadelphia Eagles in an extremely close matchup, 38-35, in Super Bowl LVII.
The Chiefs became the second team in NFL history to come back from a double-digit halftime deficit to win a Super Bowl, a feat also achieved by Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, who trailed the Atlanta Falcons 21-3 at the half.
It was a tale of two halves as the Eagles dominated in time of possession in the first half, while Kansas City exploded offensively in the second half. Philadelphia controlled the ball for more than two-thirds of the first half, putting the Chiefs in need of a great second half. That is precisely what they got outscoring the Eagles 24-11 in the second half.
Eventual Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes was hobbled late in the first half but bounced back to finish with 182 yards and three touchdowns on 21 of 27 attempts. He also ran for 44 yards on six carries.
Travis Kelce was the most significant target for Mahomes catching six balls for 81 yards and a touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster finished with seven catches and 53 yards, six of which came in the second half.
Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco ran with aggression in this one toting the ball 15 times for 76 yards and a score leading the charge for Kansas City to own the advantage on the ground. Jerick McKinnon also found success on the ground with 34 yards on four carries.
The Eagles played well enough to win this game, and Jalen Hurts proved that the moment was not too big for him. Hurts finished 27 of 38 for 304 yards and a touchdown to go along with a monster rushing effort. He carried the ball 15 times for 70 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
The two big receivers for Philadelphia both had great days as DeVonta Smith finished with 100 yards on seven catches, while A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
They controlled time of possession in the game, but their defense could not contain Patrick Mahomes in the latter period. They were unable to sack Mahomes in the game and lost the penalty and turnover battle.
The Eagles would start the game with the ball and immediately find the end zone with ease. Philly would march 75 yards down the field on 11 plays, capping it off with a 1-yard Jalen Hurts quarterback sneak, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the first quarter. DeVonta Smith had three catches for 41 yards on this drive.
The Chiefs would answer back right back on the ensuing drive. Kansas City’s six-play drive was spearheaded by two big plays from Travis Kelce. The first was a 20-yard strike from Mahomes to Kelce, and the second was an 18-yard touchdown tying the game at 7-7 with seven minutes to play in the first quarter. With this touchdown catch, Kelce broke the record for playoff touchdown receptions by a tight end.
The first quarter would end with the game tied at 7-7. However, on the first play of the second quarter, the Eagles would take the lead on an explosive play. A five-play drive that leaked into the opening minute of the second quarter would end in a 45-yard touchdown bomb to AJ Brown, giving Philadelphia a 14-7 lead early in the second.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Eagles had a chance at midfield to extend the lead to two possessions. However, with pressure from Kansas City, Jalen Hurts fumbled the football, which Nick Bolton scooped and scored, tying the game at 14-14 with just under 10 minutes to go in the half.
On the next drive, Philly would make up for their mistake by finding the end zone for a third time. A 12-play drive would conclude with a 4-yard Jalen Hurts touchdown run, his second rushing score of the game would give the Eagles a 21-14 lead with just over two minutes to play in the half. Hurst became the first player in Super Bowl history to have two rushing touchdowns in the first half.
After forcing a stop, the Eagles would use the final 1:22 of the first half to get into field goal range to extend their lead. As time expired, Jake Elliott would hit a 35-yard field goal to pad the Eagles’ lead 24-14 heading into halftime.
The Chiefs would enter halftime worried about the health of Patrick Mahomes as he aggravated his right high ankle sprain on a tackle by Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards on their last drive of the half. He finished the half 8 of 13 for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Jalen Hurts was on fire in the opening half, completing 17 of 22 passes for 183 yards and a touchdown while rushing for two more. Philly also dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for almost 22 minutes as opposed to the Chiefs’ mere eight minutes.
The Chiefs would open the second half with a score to cut the deficit to just three. Kansas City would embark on a 10-play drive led by the running game and finished by the running game with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone by Isiah Pacheco, narrowing the deficit to 24-21 five minutes into the third quarter.
On the next possession, the Eagles would lead their longest drive of the game, eventually ending in a score. After a 16-play drive that lasted until inside the two-minute mark of the third quarter, Jake Elliott would punch through a 33-yard field goal giving the Eagles a 27-21 lead. The quarter would end with Philly up by six.
The scoring would continue to go back and forth as Kansas City answered back with a score of their own. They would take their first lead of the game on a nine-play drive that leaked into the fourth quarter ending in a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney, giving the Chiefs a 28-27 lead early in the final quarter.
Kansas City would finally force a three-and-out and response with an explosive special teams play. Kadarius Toney, who had just scored a touchdown for the Chiefs, returned a punt from the Kansas City 30-yard line all the way to the Philadelphia 5-yard line setting them up deep in the red zone. The 65-yard punt return by Toney was the longest in Super Bowl history. Three plays later, Mahomes would dump off a 4-yard pass to Skyy Moore for a touchdown giving Kansas City a 35-27 lead with just over nine minutes to play in the game.
The Eagles would respond on their next drive with another rushing touchdown by Jalen Hurts. An eight-play drive would result in a 2-yard score by Hurts, drawing Philadelphia within two. Hurts’ third rushing touchdown of the contest tied a Super Bowl record also held by Terrell Davis, who achieved the feat in Super Bowl XXXII. The Eagles would then convert on the 2-point try on another designed run for Hurts, tying the game 35-35 with five minutes to play in the game.
Clock management became vital at the end of the game as Kansas City used the clock to its advantage. After a 13-play drive and a deliberate effort to run the clock down, the Chiefs set up a 27-yard field goal for Harrison Butker, giving them a 38-35 lead with eight seconds remaining.
Kansas City would squib kick the kickoff, forcing Philly to pick up the ball and run a couple more seconds off the clock giving them five seconds to throw a Hail Mary. The throw from Hurts fell way short, ending the game and making the Chiefs the victors of Super Bowl LVII.
Patrick Mahomes earns his second Super Bowl victory and his second Super Bowl MVP.