Kansas City and Philadelphia delivered a classic as the Chiefs edged out the Eagles in a Super Bowl for the ages.
Superbowl57 will live long in the memory as one of the greatest ever witnessed.
It was a perfect spectacle of American football, where two special teams at the very top of their games, led by two extremely talented quarterbacks, battled it out and went blow for blow, for 60 minutes.
It had everything you would have wanted for a Super Bowl.
We could well be in an era of great sporting finals. Just two short months ago, the World Cup final between Argentina and France delivered, and treated the public to a classic.
Now it was the Super Bowl’s turn, as these two powerhouses demonstrated all that was good about the game. This Super Bowl had been given the big build-up, and even before a player had entered the field, it was already making history.
This Super Bowl was the first two brothers faced off against each other. Jason and Travis Kelce were on opposing sides of the field, which prompted the game to be dubbed the Kelce bowl. But the history did not stop there.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes were also making history as the first black quarterbacks to face off against each other in a Super Bowl.
If that wasn’t enough, they were also the youngest combined quarterbacks to contest a Super Bowl.
The action and drama started early and hinted at what was to come. On the very first drive. Hurts flexed his muscle with Philadelphia’s’ formidable offence. He went eleven plays for 75 yards to rush in from the one-yard line to put the Eagles up 7-0.
But Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs responded in kind as they took just six plays, also for 75 yards, that saw Mahones out of the shotgun, 18 yards to Kelce to level it up at 7-7 and treat us to a cheeky touchdown dance.
After the Eagles were forced to punt, the Chiefs made it to the 37-yard line and opted to kick what looked like a simple field goal. However, Harrison Butker missed, hitting the left post and away to rapturous Eagles cheers.
That miss was confounded more as the Eagles went up the other end in five plays. Then Hurts found Brown to the far left for a brilliant 45-yard touchdown 14-7. At this point, the Chiefs looked flustered as they were again forced to punt.
But the momentum swung in an instant when Hurts dropped the ball on his 44-yard line. The ball was kicked and then picked up by Bolton, who ran it in for a 36-yard touchdown to square it up again at 14-14.
However, the Eagles looked strong, and Hurts was balling. He brushed off that disappointment to take his team up the field in 12 plays for 71 yards, culminating in him rushing in for a 4-yard touchdown 21-14.
The Chiefs failed to respond again and were forced to punt.
In one of these plays, Mahomes took a nasty tackle, as he was sacked by TJ Edwards, who fell onto his ankle. Half time couldn’t have come at a better time as he limped off the field and desperately needed time to recover.
However, there was still enough time for Hurts to drive his team forward again. The Chiefs did well to stop the touchdown, but Elliot kicked a 35-yard field goal to make it 24-14 to the Eagles.
After Rihanna treated the crowd at the half time show to an almost 15-minute rendition of what I described as a “legit catalogue of some of the most popular tunes of this past era”.
The second half picked up exactly where the first left off. But it was the Chiefs who meant business and came out of the traps early.
From the first drive of the second half, Mahomes turned on the style with ten plays for 75 yards, which led to Pacheco running in from the 1-yard line to make it 24-21.
That inspired the Chiefs all third quarter as the defence stayed strong and restricted the Eagles all quarter.
Their only score came after a 17-play drive, where they had to settle for a 33-yard Elliot field goal to make it 27-21 going into the fourth quarter.
It was very much game-on in the fourth, as Mahomes showed his big game quality and experience.
He went 70 yards in nine plays, then finished with a short pass to the right for a 5-yard Toney touchdown to put them within a point at 28-27. The Eagles were now feeling the pressure, and their offence could not get it going, so were forced to punt.
The heat was then well and truly turned up when Toney had a massive Super Bowl record, 65-yard punt return to the 5-yard line to put the Chiefs in command.
Mahomes then needed just three plays to find Moore wide open on the left with a short pass for the touchdown. Butler converted the extra point to see the Chiefs lead 35-27.
It was crunch time for the Eagles, and to be fair, Hurts showed his mental. Under pressure with time rapidly ticking down.
He expertly moved his team up the field in eight plays for 75 yards, which ended in him rushing up the middle for a two-yard touchdown. Elliot converted the extra point to tie this dramatic game at 35-35.
It was now time for Mahomes to show the world what he was about. A chance at moving his team into a potential Super Bowl-winning field goal range. He kept his nerve brilliantly, with all the class of a future hall of fame quarterback, and in 12 plays moved his team 62 yards up field.
But there was still time for one of the most intelligent and self-sacrificing plays I have seen in a Super Bowl.
Miraculously, Jerick McKinnon, in the heat of the excitement, on the verge of scoring a Super Bowl winning touchdown.
Something he’s probably dreamt about his whole professional life.
Had the presence of mind to slide to a halt at the one-yard line robbing himself of a Super Bowl winning touchdown.
However, this calculated move allowed the clock to run down and leaving the Eagles no time to make any drives up field. It only allowed time for maybe one miracle punt return or a miracle hail Mary play from deep in their own half.
Although the play could have all been academic in the end. It showed the spirit of the man and the emphasis on team play, sacrificing his own individual gains for the success of the team. Something he had had been doing all game to be fair.
He was quite rightly lauded for such a play, something I expect anyone of this teammates would have done, but still.
Then it was the turn of Butker, to write himself into Super Bowl folklore. After missing a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter.
He must have felt immense pressure to deliver. But thankfully for all the Chiefs fans, he held is nerve to kick a perfectly aligned field goal to win a dramatic and exciting Super Bowl, their second in four years.
All credit to the Eagles and their quarterback Jalen Hurts in particular. Although Mahomes led his team to the win. I felt Hurts was the MVP. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and one passing touchdown, with 70 rushing yards for three touchdowns.
He became the first-ever quarterback to have 300+ passing yards and 70+ rushing yards with three rushing touchdowns in a regular or post-season game.
He also broke the Super Bowl rushing record for a quarterback. However, it was scant consolation for not picking up the biggest prize.
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs can take credit for staging a superb comeback in a thrilling game that will go down in Super Bowl history as one of the best.
Mahomes showed his heroism as, with a slightly injured ankle, and after having a recent history of injuries, particularly the ankle, which he has been playing with in the post season.
He rushed for 44 yards on six carries on the way to his second Super Bowl victory. He also became the first player to win NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same year since 1999.
All in all, it was a superb advert for the game of American football, with two quality teams going at it from beginning to end. Hurts can take great pride in his performance, even though his team came up short.
Mahomes on the other hand could have already written himself into quarterback legendary status with his come-from-behind victory. Although you can never predict NFL seasons. I will not be surprised to see them both back again next year.
