On Sunday, February 12 the Kansas City Chiefs walked away from Super Bowl 57 as NFL Champions yet again as they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. This goes down as the third highest scoring Super Bowl in history, just behind Super Bowl 29 and Super Bowl 52. A gutsy performance from the Chiefs in the second half helped the team hoist their second Lombardi Trophy in only four years.
The Eagles seemed to be clicking on all cylinders as they took a 24-14 lead into halftime, but untimely mistakes led to the heartbreaking loss in the final minute. Jalen Hurts played almost a seemingly perfect game as he had 374 total yards and four total touchdowns (three rushing) and a game-tying 2-point conversion. Despite the losing effort, Hurts cemented himself in history books as he became the first player in NFL history with 300 pass yards, 70 rush yards and three rushing touchdowns. He also tied Terrell Davis’ record for most rushing touchdowns in a Super Bowl.
Outside of Jalen Hurts, the Eagles were unable to get anything going on the ground. Rushers outside of Hurts combined for 17 carries for 45 yards (2.65 ypc). This was after coming off of a dominant rushing season where the Eagles finished fifth in total rushing yards and first in total rushing touchdowns. The inability to get the ground game rolling was a big downfall for the Eagles, but it wasn’t the only dominant aspect of the Eagles that went missing in the big game.
During the regular season, Eagles pass rushers combined for 70 total sacks, easily good enough for first in the league. However, it was a different story during the Super Bowl. The Eagles only surmounted five QB hits and had zero sacks. This allowed Mahomes time to dissect the defense with his arm and his legs. This led to the Chiefs putting up 38 total points which is the second most allowed by the Eagles all season.
In the short period since the Super Bowl the Eagles have lost their offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, and defensive coordinator, Jonathan Gannon, to head coaching positions elsewhere. They’ll look to regroup in the offseason and try to capture the illustrious Lombardi trophy in 2024.
The Chiefs were able to rally back in the second half after going down 24-14 at halftime. Unable to get a stop all night, the Chiefs defense came up clutch when they needed to and stalled the Eagles offense on two of their final three possessions. Patrick Mahomes led the way for Kansas City, passing for 182 yards and three touchdowns as well as adding 44 yards on the ground.
Tight end Travis Kelce caught six passes from Mahomes for 81 yards and one touchdown. This was Kelce’s 16th receiving touchdown in postseason history which gives him the second most all-time in NFL history. He now trails Jerry Rice’s total of 22 receiving touchdowns.
Young players also stepped up for the Chiefs when they needed them most. Second-year linebacker Nick Bolton recovered a Jalen Hurts fumble in the second quarter and returned it for a touchdown. Rookie running back Isaiah Pacheco had a few big runs on key scoring drives and he finished with 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Young receiver Kadarius Toney, who Kansas City traded for in the regular season, had a receiving touchdown as well as a long punt return that set up Kansas City on the 5-yard line which led to a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter.
The Chiefs will look to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl winners in 20 years as they hope to keep the core around superstar Patrick Mahomes intact heading into 2024.
