The Kansas City Chiefs came from behind to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. In doing so, the Chiefs won their second Vince Lombardi Trophy in four seasons.
Mahomes Wins Super Bowl MVP
The outstanding performer in the 2023 Super Bowl was quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who despite aggravating the ankle injury he picked up on January 21 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, managed to rally the Chiefs and guide them to the second victory in their third Super Bowl in the last four years.
The winner of the NFL regular-season MVP award produced an MVP-worthy performance in the Super Bowl too. He threw three touchdown passes and had a super important 26-yard rush on the Chiefs’ game-winning drive, setting up kicker Harrison Butker for a 27-yard field goal that he scored with eight seconds on the clock.
So, it is not surprising that Mahomes became the 11th player in NFL history to win both the league and Super Bowl MVP. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes was “the MVP” and that was all that needed to be said as he showed what he could do on the big night.
The Chiefs Were Flying in the Second Half
But it wasn’t just Mahomes who showed he got what it takes to win a big game. Travis Kelce, who was playing against his brother Jason, said that the Chiefs’ performance was “all heart” after he was told that his team scored on every drive after the break.
The tight end said that they didn’t play as well as they could in the first half, but that after intermission they were able “to regroup” and “figure it out.” As he saw it, the Chiefs “were just flying around” in the second half.
Jalen Hurts Had a Brilliant Game
The Eagles will be disappointed after producing a terrific performance in the first half and Jalen Hurts will be dismayed by the final outcome in particular. The Eagles quarterback was at the top of his game.
He set the record for Super Bowl QB rushing touchdowns, as he rushed for three TDs and had 70 rushing yards, a record too. He also had what could have been a crucial two-point conversion that made it 35-35 and completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards.
Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said that Hurts “played the best game” in the two years they had been working together. The coach thought his star quarterback was “outstanding” and “in complete control.” According to Sirianni, Hurts did things with his legs and arm that defied belief.
One thing that Hurts would have wanted not to happen, though, was a second-quarter fumble which noticeably affected the momentum of the Eagles. It was the first fumble for the Eagles in the playoffs and, unfortunately, it came at the worst time for the NFC champions, who could have gone two possessions ahead.
Instead, the Chiefs leveled the score 14-14, and even though Hurts scored in the next drive and took his team to 21-14, the Chiefs stayed in the game and made sure the second-half comeback was enough to give them the win.
