On February 12, 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs led a comeback 38-35 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. The game was a classic, and one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played, despite various controversies and storylines. The Chiefs' Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 completions. He would win Super Bowl MVP following the win. The Chiefs have won their third franchise Super Bowl, and Mahomes has captured his second.
Everything looked awful for the 14-3 Chiefs coming out of halftime. The Eagles were near flawless, leading 24-14, with the Chiefs only having a second touchdown due to a rare fumble by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. Mahomes also would re-aggravate a high ankle sprain he suffered earlier in the playoffs, and things looked bleak for this Chiefs team. Their leader hurt, down 10 to an explosive offense, and having to continue to face probably the best defense this season. Not to mention Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker also missed a field goal that would've helped lessen the lead a bit.
All of these woes never hurt Mahomes, however. Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports wrote, "Mahomes was remarkably sharp to begin the third quarter and led three-straight touchdown drives as the Chiefs outscored Philadelphia, 21-3, at the midway point of the fourth quarter to take the lead for the first time all evening." After an improbable Ka'Darius Toney punt return for 65 yards that allowed Mahomes to throw a quick touchdown pass to Skyy Moore to take a late 35-27 lead. Toney's punt return is now the Super Bowl record for longest punt return recorded, at 65 yards. Even after an insane 45-yard pass to Eagles receiver Devonta Smith and a proceeding touchdown run by the Eagles' Jalen Hurts, the Eagles were no match in the end. Mahomes ended up leading a 12-play drive that would ice the game on a 27-yard field goal, winning the game 38-35. This is the third most total points scored in Super Bowl history with 73, beaten only by Super Bowl LII (74 total points) and Super Bowl XIX (75 points).
Hurts put up probably the most excellent performance by a losing quarterback in the Super Bowl ever, ending the game with 304 passing yards and four total touchdowns (three rushing and one passing), on 27 completions. However, the Eagles' defense could not support Hurts as they would be obliterated in the second half. The Eagles' defensive line couldn't get to Patrick Mahomes all game. ESPN's Bill Barnwell states, "The Chiefs converted 93.8% of their first downs into another first down or a touchdown in the second half, and the only reason they didn't hit 100% is because Jerick McKinnon slid down on the 1-yard line to set up the title-winning field goal." Simply put, the historically great Eagles defense just had no shot against an angry Mahomes.
However, like any NFL playoff game, the game would not be without controversy. Late in the game, on their final drive, the Chiefs had a 3rd and 8 play that fell incomplete as Mahomes threw it out of bounds at the back of the end zone. However, the referees noticed Eagles cornerback James Bradberry had held Chiefs receiver Juju Smith-Schuster on his route. A penalty flew for defensive holding, giving the Chiefs the first down which they would convert into a field goal. While Bradberry would state that it was a hold after the game, many still argue whether or not Bradberry's hold affected Smith-Schuster's route, and what the result of the game would've been without the penalty flag flying.
Besides the controversial Bradberry call, viewers of the game were also quick to notice a large number of players slipping on the game field. The Super Bowl game was held in StateFarm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The grass the Super Bowl was played on was grown at a local sod farm and had been prepared for two years, before being installed just weeks before the big game. This unique field would catch fire by nearly all interviewed players of both the Chiefs and Eagles, as both teams' players slipped and slid throughout the game. Players frequently had to change cleats, including Jalen Hurts. "It was just slick. You couldn't anchor," Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata explained. "You had to get your whole foot in the ground. If you try and use just your toe, you'd slip right away. You saw the receivers -- it was like a water park out there. And we're playing on grass." The game looked straight messy throughout. It truly was, as Mailata explained, a water park in Arizona. Players couldn't even properly celebrate a touchdown without slipping.
While they ended up on the losing end, the Eagles were no joke. They just finished their best season in franchise history, based on record, at 14-3. They would be the NFC's number 1 seeded team going into the playoffs. They had an explosive defense made up of various free agents in their first season as an Eagle, leading the league with 70 sacks, beating out the Chiefs who sat in second place in the stat with 55 sacks. Philadelphia native linebacker Haason Reddick was a genuine Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 16.0 sacks and 5 forced fumbles on the year, yet he wasn't even nominated for the award. Jalen Hurts came off of a decent 2021 season, exploding onto the MVP scene with 3,701 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions, not to mention 760 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. He finished second in MVP voting and proved himself as an elite dual-threat quarterback after many doubters questioned his true abilities in 2021. hurts missed two of the final three games of the regular season with a shoulder injury. Receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith both finished top 10 in receiving yards, with 1,496 and 1,196, respectively. It truly was a historic season for the Birds, but unfortunately, it could not end in glory.
The Kansas City Chiefs, however, proved themselves to be the best team all year. In the offseason, star receiver Tyreek Hill had been traded away to the Miami Dolphins, an end to the Mahomes-Hill-Kelce trio that led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl LIV victory in 2020. Many believed Mahomes would not be as strong a quarterback without Hill, and believed the potential Chiefs dynasty might be over. Another major loss was Pro Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu, who had signed to his hometown New Orlean Saints in free agency. All of this was still no issue for Mahomes' Chiefs. Despite the absence of Hill, Mahomes still racked up 5,250 passing yards (1st in the NFL and the most of his entire career), 41 passing touchdowns (also 1st in the NFL), and 12 interceptions. Mahomes would win his second NFL MVP this season on these incredible numbers, as well as his first 1st team All-Pro selection since his breakout 2018 season.
While it's been a curse as of late that regular season MVPs typically lose the Super Bowl, with the most recent example being Tom Brady winning the 2017 MVP but losing Super Bowl LII, and Matt Ryan's 2016 MVP season being spoiled by a Super Bowl LI loss. However, only eleven players have won the Super Bowl and MVP in the same season, Mahomes being the eleventh, and Mahomes became the seventh player to win both Super Bowl MVP and regular season MVP in the same year.
The Chiefs put up 496 total points in the regular season, finishing the NFL's highest-scoring offense, and finishing 14-3, the top of the AFC. Besides Mahomes, another reason for the Chiefs' fantastic offense was tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce finished the season with 1,338 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns, the only tight end in the season's top 10 list for both stats. Kelce's 12 touchdowns also stack up as the most he's recorded in a single season so far in his 10-year career. He was chosen as a 1st team All-Pro, Pro Bowler, and finished sixth in Offensive Player of the Year voting.
The Chiefs look like the most dominant team in the league and look to repeat in 2023. They have +600 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII. The biggest question for the 2023 season is whether or not Mahomes can continue his dominance in the NFL and win a third MVP trophy, and if so, it is asked where he sits in the GOAT conversation. Mahomes is only 27 years old and looks to use the upcoming 2023 season to add to his resume.
Commenti