On Sunday night, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in one of the most exciting and high-scoring super bowls in history. The Chiefs’ championship was their second in the last four years, kickstarting what appears to be an imminent dynasty.
The Eagles went into the game as slight favorites, with many sports pundits and commentators noting the Eagles’ superior roster. Indeed, the Eagles had more depth on both sides of the ball than the Chiefs; they had the best offensive and defensive lines, run game and secondary in the league, as well as a superstar quarterback in Jalen Hurts. Support for the Eagles only increased when doubts arose about the health of M.V.P. quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had only recently recovered from his ankle injury in the divisional round. In the end, the fierce tandem of Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid proved to be the difference makers in the Chiefs’ victory, as Mahomes silenced doubters by winning his second Super Bowl MVP.
The Kelce Bowl
This Super Bowl was particularly special in that it was the first to see two brothers facing off against each other. On one side was the Chiefs’ all-pro tight end Travis Kelce, and on the other, was the Eagles’ all-pro center, Jason Kelce. Leading up to the so-called “Kelce Bowl,” their mother, Donna Kelce, quickly became America’s sweetheart. She was rooting for the offenses the whole time since both of her sons play on offense. Donna wore a fun jacket that dedicated half to the Chiefs and a half to the Eagles. Showing her support for both sides, she also wore one shoe for each team. After the game, she was seen congratulating Travis and hugging Jason. Both expressed their love and gratitude for her. Mom of the year! As for the brothers, their postgame interaction was nothing short of heartwarming. They embraced each other and Jason, in a classic older brother moment, said, “F*** you, congratulations. Go celebrate.” Jason was as classy as he could have been while facing his younger brother in defeat.
A Strong Start
It was evident from the get-go that both teams were highly motivated and ready to compete. They each scored on their first possessions, demonstrating their offensive firepower and dynamic playcalling. After a strong opening drive, the Eagles comfortably ran the ball into the endzone with their trademark quarterback sneak play — on which they went six for six on the night. Not too far afterward, Mahomes threw a perfectly placed lob to Travis Kelce to tie the game at seven apiece.
Despite their strong starts, both teams committed several game-changing blunders in the first half — after all, not even the league’s best teams are immune to Super Bowl jitters. Toward the end of the first quarter, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker missed a 42-yard field goal that would have given the Chiefs the lead. In the second quarter, Jalen Hurts fumbled on a quarterback draw, leading to a Chief’s recovery for a touchdown. But neither team would let these errors get to their heads, the Eagles demonstrating their confidence in Hurts by calling a quarterback run on his first play following the fumble and the Chiefs trusting Butker with the game-winning kick.
The atmosphere of the game changed when, with just above a minute left in the first half, Mahomes limped to the sideline with an apparent ankle injury. The pained look on his face sent a shiver through the hearts of fans across the world. Fortunately, Mahomes fought through the pain admirably, marching back onto the field only a few minutes later.
After a relatively lopsided first half, the Eagles were leading 24-14. The Chiefs had only scored one offensive touchdown, affirming many pregame predictions that the Eagles’ defense would outmatch the Chiefs’ offense. It was obvious that it would take a Mahomes miracle to turn the game around.
The Star of the Show
Going into the Super Bowl halftime show, Rihanna had not performed solo in seven years. Expectations were high and questions about her future bubbled to the surface. Rihanna did not disappoint, returning to the stage with one of the greatest musical comebacks in years. Starting with “B— better have my money” Rihanna belted from a floating platform, surrounded by other platforms. She wore a bright red outfit, with matching red lipstick. Complementing her singing, countless dancers donned all-white outfits with hoods, sunglasses and sweatpants. Every single beat was hit. The dancers were in sync the whole time and Rihanna had moments where she let the dancers shine, a rarity in the super bowl halftime show. Rihanna continued her strong start with hits such as “Where have you been”, “Only girl (in the world” and “We found love”. Sometimes she was in the air, sometimes on the ground but no matter what she continued to belt her songs and dance along. After a couple more songs (“Rude boy”, “Work” and “Wild Thoughts”) Rihanna began to strut down the stage. In a wave of dancers, she stood out and with a smile on her face launched into “Pour It Up”. She was confident and it was clear she was having a blast. After “Pour It Up” Rihanna began “All of the lights” which was shadowed by controversy. As a song on Kanye West’s album, and regarding Kanye’s recent and repetitive scandals in the media, it was a surprise to be included on the setlist. Rihanna was not joined by Kanye as many expected. For her next song, “Run This Town” a band and even more dancers joined Rihanna. The dancers filled the stage and field but were still outshone by Rihanna’s magnetism. Entering the final stages of the performance Rihanna played a crowd’s favorite “Umbrella” and donned a large, puffy, floor length, cloak. Naturally, it was red. Rihanna was back on the platform as it began to rise again. After “Umbrella” Rihanna launched into her final song, “Diamonds.” The dancers cleared and the camera focused on Rihanna. A spotlight shone down as she sang about “Diamonds in the sky”. She was a star and it was captivating to watch. Rihanna ended with some fabulous vocal runs and concluded with a bang of fireworks. After finishing her singing and soaking up the applause she called out, “Thank you, Arizona!” and laughed, clearly enjoying the moment. While people could not stop talking about Rihanna’s vocals and phenomenal performance the world was set abuzz with wondering if Rihanna was pregnant. She appeared to be during the performance and even touched her stomach numerous times. In an interview prior to the show, she had hinted at bringing someone with her for the show. People assumed another artist but it was none other than her child! Rihanna later confirmed that she was in fact pregnant again and the world sighed as yet another album’s release was delayed. Regardless of her pregnancy status, the world was in consensus, she put on a fabulous show and shone brightly just like a diamond.
Rihanna’s halftime show was so enthralling that it made many of us forget that there was still a whole half of football left to play. Before we knew it, the third quarter kicked off.
Mahomes Magic
In a similar fashion to Super Bowl LIV in 2020, when the Chiefs were down by ten points late in the game and fought back to defeat the 49ers, Mahomes immediately took over the game and led his team on a third-quarter comeback. The Chiefs went on a 14-3 run with two beautifully drawn-up touchdowns, taking the lead by eight points and capturing the momentum. The latter of these was set up by the longest punt return in Super Bowl history by recent signing Kadarius Toney. (Those who have followed Toney since his career at the University of Florida know that he is an underrated talent.)
Down 35-27 and in desperate need of a touchdown, the Eagles drove down the field and punched in an easy score as well as a two-point conversion to tie the game. Tensions were high throughout the fourth quarter, and it was evident that whoever possessed the ball last would win the game. With five minutes left in the game, Mahomes led a well-paced drive, capped off by a twenty-six-yard scramble to set up a potential game-winning field goal. Moments later, the Eagles defense finally got a stop against the hitherto unstoppable Chiefs offense, forcing a Mahomes throwaway on 3rd and 8 from the 15-yard line. But just when it looked like Hurts and the Eagle’s offense would have the chance to drive down the field and either tie or win the game, the refs called a controversial holding penalty on cornerback James Bradberry. By awarding the Chiefs a first down and allowing them to bleed down the clock, this call effectively decided the outcome of the game.
While many fans and sportscasters were disappointed with the call, Bradberry himself admitted to interfering with Chiefs receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. “It was holding,” he said. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.” Ultimately, the refs called the penalty, and the Super Bowl came down to the foot of Harrison Butker, who gave the Chiefs the win 38-35.
Analysis
After the game, many argued that Jalen Hurts should have been the Super Bowl MVP. After all, Hurts outplayed Mahomes, putting up 374 total yards of offense and four rushing touchdowns — a Super Bowl record. On the other hand, Mahomes was practically flawless in the second half, completing thirteen out of fourteen passes — the one incompletion being a throwaway — right when his team needed him the most. It is very rare for the MVP award to go to a player from the losing team, but considering the level of Hurts’s performance, the legitimacy of Mahomes’s award is certainly up for debate.
Although its conclusion was somewhat anticlimactic, this Super Bowl far exceeded our hopes and expectations. The star quarterbacks did not disappoint, Mahomes and Hurts both shone. This matchup will be legendary for years to come. Both teams proved that they deserved to be there and put on quite a show. With the Chiefs eager to defend their title and the Eagles going into the offseason more motivated than ever, one can only imagine what awaits us next season.
