The Kansas City Chiefs claimed a hard-fought 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII to become National Football League (NFL) champions for the second time in four years.
The Chiefs fought back from a 10-point deficit at halftime by scoring touchdowns on each of their first three possessions in the second-half, a testament to their impressive turnaround.
THE @CHIEFS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS ONCE AGAIN! #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/8PKGl0T9zj
— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
The Super Bowl LVII was nothing short of historic because it marked the first time in history that two black quarterbacks started for opposing teams. It was also the first time in NFL history that two brothers faced each other; Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce were on opposite sides as they strived to get their teams over the line.
The first quarter was tightly contested, and the score line reflected it, as both teams got a touchdown each to keep it at seven all. However, the Eagles led the second quarter by ten points due to a 17-7 score line, with A.J Brown and Jalen Hurts recording touchdowns for the Eagles, while Nick Bolton converted a touchdown for Kansas from a fumble by Hurts.
The second half took a different turn, as it was the Chiefs, led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had all the answers for Philadelphia. Although he hurt his ankle in the first half, the 27-year-old look unperturbed as he connected with Isiah Pacheco to put the score at 24-21 early in the third quarter.
Jake Elliot hit a 33-yard field goal for Philadelphia but Mahomes threw a 5-yard touchdown pass for Kadarius Toney to put the Chiefs ahead for the first time in the game. He continued his superhero-like half with a pass to Skyy Moore for another touchdown.
Although the Eagles levelled the scores at 35-35 through Hurts’ third rushing touchdown followed by his two-point conversion, a heroic 26-yard run by Mahomes, helped provide a lifeline for Kansas as Harrison Butker converted a game-winning field goal from 27 yards.
Mahomes was simply spectacular in the second half, completing 13 of 15 passes for 93 yards. He ended the game with 21 of 27 passes completed for 182 yards and three touchdowns and rushed six times for 44 additional yards.
Eagles quarterback, Hurts, who was playing in his first Super Bowl, looked inspired throughout the game as he had four touchdowns, including three rushing touchdowns, to become just the second player in NFL history to rush for three or more touchdowns in the Super Bowl, joining Hall of Famer and former Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis. He also tied Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon as the only QBs in Super Bowl history with two rushing touchdowns.
Though the Eagles lost, the 24-year-old ended the night with 27 of 38 completed passes for 304 yards while taking 15 carries for 70 yards.
On the other hand, the Chiefs became the second team in NFL history to come back from a double-digit halftime deficit to win the Super Bowl, joining the New England Patriots, who did so in Super Bowl LI.
Kansas City quarterback Mahomes was honoured as the Super Bowl’s MVP, and he became the first Black quarterback to start and win multiple Super Bowls. He is also the first player since Kurt Warner in 1999 to win the regular season MVP and also lead his team to victory in the Super Bowl.
He has guided the Chiefs to three Super Bowls and at least the AFC Championship game in all five seasons as a starter. The victory was his second in the Super Bowl, with the Texas native visibly emotional in front of a mammoth 67,000-capacity crowd at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
2x Super Bowl Champion
2x Super Bowl MVP
2x NFL MVP
5x Pro Bowler
3x All-Pro
1x OPOYHall of Famer? @PatrickMahomes pic.twitter.com/9v8gPrDzMZ
— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
When asked after the game if Kansas City were now a dynasty following his successful partnership with head coach Andy Reid.
He said: “I am not going to say a dynasty yet, we are not done.”
“I told you nothing was going to keep me off the field. I want to thank my team-mates – we challenged each other and it took everybody.”
The other half of the “Kelce brothers”, Travis Kelce, who scored an early touchdown, was also thankful for the impact Mahomes played in getting them across-the-board.
He said: “I’ve got Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes, I have a great team, we had an unbelievable run.
“We were uncharacteristic in the beginning [of the game] but everyone had that look in their eye that they would leave it all out there on the field and that is what we did.”
Nigerian-born Prince Tega Wanogho, who plays as an offensive tackle for the Chiefs, was also ecstatic as he won his first Super Bowl. The 25-year-old hoisted the Nigerian flag and gave a shoutout to the Western African nation via a post on social media.
“We did it bro, all the way from Africa.” – @tega441 ❤️🇳🇬 @NFLAfrica #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/LC3bMdSwSr
— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
The Super Bowl LVII lived up to its historic tag as the two best teams throughout the regular season, who ended up as No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences, treated the crowd to an all-time classic game.
