Super Bowl LVII
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This was the NFL Super Bowl match that we had hoped for – a back-and-forth affair that had all the drama of one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time. While the Chiefs ended up victorious in the end, winning 38-35, the Eagles played admirably, and were humble in defeat. Aside from one hugely debatable holding call at the end of the fourth quarter, a fan could hardly find fault in this one, an all-time great Super Bowl.
Eagles’ quarterback Jalen Hurts was brilliant in the loss, finishing 28 of 39 for 310 yards and one passing touchdown, adding 70 rushing yards and three (3!) rushing touchdowns to boot. Hurts moved the chains five times alone with his legs. On the other side, Patrick Mahomes didn’t put up the eye-popping passing yardage numbers we are used to from him, as Mahomes went 21 of 27 for 182 yards. However, he threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions, and had 44 yards on the ground of his own, scrambling for two critical first downs in the process. The difference in this match came down to the Chiefs’ play in the second half, as they outscored the Eagles 24-11 in the latter period. Of course, we can’t negate the very costly fumble that Jalen Hurts coughed early in the second quarter. Hurts took a snap from shotgun on a designed QB run, but simply bobbled the ball and dropped it on the turf. That’s all the opportunistic Chiefs’ defense needed, as linebacker Nick Bolton scooped up the loose ball and returned it 36 yards for a defensive touchdown.
Despite the score, this was a very good defensive game for both squads. The aforementioned Nick Bolton played every snap on defense for the Chiefs, recording seven solo tackles and two assists in the process. Kansas City was stifling on defense in the second half, limiting the Eagles to third-and-longs on several occasions and holding them to 11 second-half points. The Eagles’ defense was great in the first half, holding Mahomes and co. to just 14 points and Mahomes himself to under 100 yards passing.
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If you turned the game off at halftime, you may have thought the Eagles were well on their way to an easy win and their second Lombardi Trophy in five years. The Eagles jumped out to an early 7-0 lead in the first quarter behind the first of Hurts’ three rushing touchdowns. Kansas City answered, however, with a 75-yard drive that ended with an 18-yard touchdown strike to whom else but Travis Kelce. The defenses did settle down after that for a bit, as Harrison Butker’s missed field goal was the only opportunity the Chiefs had to take a lead in the first half. A beautiful 45-yard bomb from Hurts to A.J. Brown brought the Eagles up by a touchdown in the second quarter, but it was the scoop-and-score by Bolton the tied the game once again. We didn’t see another score until Hurts’ second rushing touchdown with two and a half minutes to go in the half. A quick series by the Chiefs and the Eagles were able to drive back down the field. Jake Elliott made a 35-yard field goal to send give the Eagles a 24-14 lead at half.
This looked to be bad news for the Chiefs, as Mahomes went into the locker room having been hobbled again on his bad ankle by a Philly defender. He came out in the second half no worse for the wear, however. A one-yard end zone plunge by Isiah Pacheco brought the Chiefs within three early in the third quarter. The Eagles seemed to get a little conservative at this point, and while Hurts made some big plays to Dallas Goedert through the air and on the ground with his legs, they only managed a field goal in the third quarter. Kansas City finally took their first lead of the game after three minutes in the fourth quarter, as Andy Reid drew up a beautiful motion and misdirection play that allowed wide receiver Kadarius Toney to walk into the end zone on a five-yard reception. The Chiefs extended their lead on an almost identical play three minutes later, this time to the other side of the field and to Skyy Moore (shoutout to Skyy More and FanDuel Sportsbook for his +1000 anytime touchdown score odds).
It was all drama from here, as Jalen Hurts led his own 75-yard drive and scored his third rushing touchdown of the night from the two-yard line to bring the Eagles within two. Not wanting to risk the Chiefs running out the clock on offense, Eagles’ Head Coach Nick Sirianni opted to go for two, and Philly tied the game on another Hurts end zone scamper, securing his Octopus and status as the best rushing quarterback to play in a Super Bowl, statistically. With five minutes left, Patrick Mahomes led a masterful drive and brought the Chiefs down to the Philadelphia 15-yard line, well within Butker’s range. Cue the drama. On 3rd & 8, Mahomes sailed a pass, and it looked like the Chiefs would settle for a field goal, setting up a possible two-minute drive for the Eagles to either tie the game and send it to overtime, or win in regulation. But a James Bradberry tug of the jersey on Juju Smith-Schuster ended up giving the Chiefs a first down on penalty. The call was controversial at the time, as many have since said that’s a call is took ticky-tack to make, given the moment and the stake. Regardless, the Chiefs were able run most of the rest of the clock out and kick a 27-yard field goal to go up 38-35. The Eagles’ last-ditch attempt with 11 seconds on the clock proved futile, and the Chiefs secured their second Super Bowl win in four years and Mahomes’ and Reid’s second Lombardi Trophy together in the former’s short career.
Overall, Super Bowl LVII proved to be every bit as exciting and entertaining as we had hoped. Credit goes to both squads for putting such a high-quality product on the field this past Sunday. As NFL and football fans, we simply could not have asked for anything more. However you feel about the controversial holding call or the teams themselves, it’s tough to argue that Super Bowl 57 is likely to go down as one of the all-time great Super Bowls.
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