Analysis

2/12/23

6 min read

Super Bowl LVII: Biggest Moments From Chiefs Victory over Eagles

By The 33rd Team

In one of the most exciting Super Bowls of the last couple of decades, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 on Sunday. Here are the biggest moments from the Chiefs' Super Bowl LVII win.

Finale, Part 1: Hero Run By Mahomes

Tie game, five minutes to play, ball going back to Kansas City and Patrick Mahomes with the Super Bowl on the line. In unison, fans across the nation knew how things were going to play out. Mahomes drove the Chiefs down the field, complete with a heroic 26-yard scramble by the man himself that pushed the Chiefs inside the red zone and set up the final moments.

Finale, Part 2: A Flag Hits the Field

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A third-and-8 pass fell incomplete. The Chiefs were facing fourth down, with a field goal attempt oncoming and the Eagles getting over a minute left on the clock to try and tie or win it all. But a flag came out on the incompletion, and a defensive holding call on the Eagles' James Bradberry gave Kansas City a first down and the ability to run the clock all the way down to 11 seconds before sending out the field goal unit to attempt a game-winner.

Finale, Part 3: Butt-Kicker Wins It

If you want the single-biggest moment of the game, the answer is obvious. With the Super Bowl on the line, 11 seconds to play, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker was called upon for a 27-yard field goal. And just like when he won Kansas City the AFC Championship, he was money, sending it right down the middle and earning the Chiefs their second Lombardi Trophy in four years.

Hurts Does It Again

To start the fourth quarter, Kansas City took its first lead of the game, made a defensive stand, and immediately scored another touchdown. Mahomes and the Chiefs were rolling in patented fashion in the final quarter. Then Jalen Hurts answered. With all the momentum on the other sideline, Hurts connected with a wide open DeVonta Smith on a 45-yard shot down the left sideline. The very next play, Hurts ran it in for his third touchdown of the game.

That touchdown cut the Eagles' deficit to two with a 35-33 score, and there was no question who was getting the ball with the team needing the two-point conversion to tie. Hurts took the run left and powered through multiple Kansas City defenders to temporarily tie the score and keep the Eagles in it to the final minutes.

Toney's Touches

Kansas City never led during the first three quarters of the Super Bowl, save for a brief moment before a touchdown was overturned and taken off the board. If a hero were to arise and give them their first lead of the game, surely it would be Patrick Mahomes, right? Perhaps Travis Kelce? Nope, how about a wide receiver acquired at the trade deadline, buried on the depth chart, and who had not received an offensive touch in the game?

Enter Kadarius Toney, who caught a five-yard touchdown pass on Kansas City's first possession of the final quarter to put the Chiefs up 28-27 following the extra point. Not only did his score finally give Kansas City a lead, but it visibly fired up the rest of the team to a level they had not been during the game. Toney wasn't done, though. After a defensive stand by K.C., Toney ripped off the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, 65 yards, to set his team up at the five. Three plays later, Kansas City scored and went up 35-27.

Replay Ruling Erases Bolton's Second TD

Nick Bolton already had one fumble return for a touchdown when he scooped up a loose football in the third quarter and took it back for six. On the field it was ruled a fumble and a touchdown, giving the Chiefs their first lead of the game, putting them in control after the Eagles had dominated much of the first half, and setting Bolton up as the front-runner for MVP honors.

All scoring plays are reviewed, however, and upon further review officials ruled that Philadelphia's Miles Sanders did not complete the process of the catch before Kansas City's L'Jarius Sneed put a helmet on the ball and forced it loose. A 27-24 Kansas City lead disappeared, Philadelphia authored a 17-play drive (the longest in Super Bowl history) that ended in a field goal.

Second-Half Start

It was a nightmare scenario for Kansas City to end the first half. Mahomes, who was dealing with a high ankle sprain throughout much of the postseason, had to hobble off the field with an ankle injury after a tackle by the Eagles' T.J. Edwards. He remained in pain as he hobbled into the locker room at halftime, and left people wondering through Rihanna's halftime performance if he would be leading his team out to start the second half.

Mahomes did lead his offense out, and led a 10-play touchdown drive to start the second half. He dispelled any concerns about his ankle limiting his mobility with a 14-yard scramble to set up first and goal, taking a hit on that play and earlier in the drive but getting up without any hesitation both times.

Hurts Makes Up For Fumble

Philadelphia was in control for much of the second quarter following a touchdown pass from Hurts to A.J. Brown, but a costly fumble by Hurts gave Kansas City a touchdown when Bolton recovered it with open space to run it back for six. One moment the Eagles were driving to try and take a two-touchdown lead and put Kansas City on the ropes. The next, it's tied up at 14-14. Directly giving Kansas City the touchdown, how would Hurts respond?

He responded very well, leading a 12-play touchdown drive to put Philly right back on top by seven. The drive featured a 28-yard scramble by Hurts on fourth-and-5 from just beyond midfield, another fourth down where he helped draw a Kansas City penalty and create a first down, and a 4-yard scramble into the end zone. It was a big test for the second-year starter, playing in his first Super Bowl, and he kept the Eagles level-headed and in control of the first half.

Tags: Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Super Bowl LVII

The 33rd Team

The 33rd Team is a Football Think Tank created by Mike Tannenbaum.

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