TITLE GAME TUMBLE: 5 observations from the Eagles’ 38-35 loss in Super Bowl LVII

Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts accounted for four touchdowns, including three rushing, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a late Kansas City rally, as the Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ.

Hurts puts on MVP performance

The stage wasn’t too big for Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts.

Hurts led the Eagles’ offense to 417 total yards, including 374 that he accounted for himself – 70 on the ground and 304 through the air. He led the Eagles on scoring drives of 11, 5, 12, and 17 plays, but Philadelphia’s defense couldn’t keep Kansas City out of the end zone in the second half.

Hurts’ three touchdown runs set a Super Bowl record for quarterback touchdown runs and tied Denver’s Terrell Davis, who did it in 1998, for the most in the game’s history. He added a touchdown pass to A.J. Brown of 45 yards in the first half to give him four total touchdowns in the game.

Hurts was nearly flawless in the first half, racking up 246 total yards and leading the Eagles to 17 first downs and 24 points.

His only miscue came early in the second quarter when he fumbled on a third and six in Eagles’ territory. Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton scooped it up and returned it 36-yard for the score to pull the Chiefs even at 14-14 with 9:39 to play in the first half.

Hurts would lead the Eagles to 10 points after the turnover to give Philadelphia a 24-14 halftime lead.

Run game gets rolling

The Philadelphia Eagles used a powerful run game to put up 35 points on Sunday in Super Bowl LVII.

The Eagles amassed 115 yards on the ground, with quarterback Jalen Hurts leading the way with 70 yards and three touchdown runs on 15 carries.

In the first half, Hurts led the way with 63 yards on 11 carries, including a pair of touchdowns, while the Eagles amassed 87 yards on the ground.

Kenneth Gainwell added 21 yards on seven carries, while Miles Sanders accounted for just 16 yards on seven carries. Boston Scott added eight yards on three carries.

Defense finally succumbs late

The Eagles’ second-ranked defense was able to put pressure on Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and keep the Chiefs’ offense for most of the night.

But in the fourth quarter, the Eagles’ defense finally cracked. Philadelphia allowed 340 total yards but just 182 yards passing to the NFL’s reigning MVP.

In the first half, the Eagles held Kansas City, the NFL’s No. 1 offense, to just 128 total yards and one touchdown. More importantly, they kept the league’s MVP – Patrick Mahomes – to just 100 total yards and one touchdown pass.

Lengthy Scoring drives

Some of the best defense the Eagles played on Sunday came from their offense.

The Eagles had four scoring drives that went for more than 11 plays and another two that went for eight plays while holding the ball for 35:47 on offense.

In the first half, the Eagles opened the game with an 11-play, 4:51-minute drive that ended with a 7-0 lead for Philadelphia. The Eagles’ final touchdown drive of the first half took 12 plays and 7:19 off the clock to give them a 21-14 lead.

In the second half, the Eagles added a 17-play drive that ended in a 33-yard Jake Elliott field goal to give Philadelphia a 27-21 lead.

Brown, Smith shine

A.J. Brown and Davonte Smith came in leading the Eagles’ wide receivers all season, and the Super Bowl was no different.

Smith finished with 100 yards receiving on seven catches, while Brown added 96 yards on six catches.

The two got off to a great start in the first half, as Brown helped the Eagles to an early lead.

Brown had three catches for 74 yards in the first half, including a 45-yard grab on the first play of the second quarter to put the Eagles in front 14-7.

Smith had six catches for 55 yards in the opening 30 minutes.