Sports Analysis
On Sunday night, most of the nation had their eyes on New Orleans as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles took part in a much-anticipated rematch of Super Bowl LVII. Many NFL fans hoped for the end of the Chiefs’ historic run as the Eagles sought the ultimate revenge, while Taylor Swift lovers and Kansas City natives alike tuned in for what they hoped would be the third consecutive Super Bowl win for Patrick Mahomes and Chiefs company. Although both teams were familiar with the big stage, the stakes were unprecedented and monumental in importance.
The Chiefs, who were 15-2, entered with a top-ten defense, but that still pales in comparison to Philadelphia, who was 14-3, and their number-one-ranked squad. The Eagles hired defensive coordinator Vic Fangio from the Miami Dolphins in the offseason, and they received immediate results. Offensively, the Chiefs sit in the middle of the league in overall production, while the Eagles are slightly higher. This was mainly boosted by their elite rushing attack.
The game kicked off at 5:30 p.m., with Kansas City listed on most betting sportsbooks as 1.5-point favorites, meaning that most bettors expected a close game.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and started on defense, meaning they would receive the opening kickoff in the second half. The Eagles started on offense and quickly ran into a pivotal situation, attempting a fourth and two conversion from the 50-yard line. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts completed a 32-yard strike downfield to star receiver AJ Brown. However, the officials made a controversial offensive pass interference call against Brown, negating the play and forcing the Eagles to punt.
The Chiefs then got their first offensive possession and punted after four plays. On the ensuing possession by Philadelphia, Hurts completed a long pass to Jahan Dotson at the one-yard line. On the next play, the Eagles scored the first touchdown of the game on their patented “Tush Push,” a short run by their quarterback. The first quarter ended with the Eagles leading 7-0. Hurts threw an interception at the start of the second quarter, but the Chiefs would end up punting from their own end zone.
Later, Jake Elliot would add a 48-yard field goal to make the score 10-0 Philadelphia. In a stunning turn, Patrick Mahomes followed up by throwing a pick-six to Iowa Hawkeyes alum Cooper DeJean, who became the second player to ever score in the NFL title game on his birthday.
With the Eagles leading 17-0 as halftime approached, the Chiefs threw another interception, which resulted in another Eagles touchdown and a 24-0 lead for Philadelphia.
After a riveting halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, with surprise appearances from Samuel L. Jackson, Serena Williams, and DJ Mustard, the Chiefs began the second half on offense. They once again punted and the Eagles drove the ball down the field, kicking another field goal and extending their lead to 27-0. The Chiefs ran into a fourth down on their next possession and were turned away with a pass breakup by Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox.
On the next play, Hurts hit DeVonta Smith with a 46-yard touchdown pass, giving Philadelphia a stunning 34-point lead. The Chiefs were able to score on their next possession with a Mahomes touchdown pass to Xavier Worthy, but their two-point conversion attempt was stopped and the score remained 34-6 upon entering the fourth quarter.
Another Jake Elliot field goal, also from 48 yards out, made it 37-6 in favor of the Birds. After a forced fumble by Milton Williams, the Eagles once again took possession of the football and began to lean heavily on their prominent rushing attack to run out the clock. They were stopped shortly thereafter, and Elliot once again came through on a field goal and pushed the total up to 40 for the Eagles. A couple of garbage-time touchdowns from Kansas City pushed the final score to 40-22, with Philadelphia emerging victorious.
When the smoke had finally cleared, the Philadelphia Eagles stunned the back-to-back champions and claimed their second Super Bowl victory, their first since Super Bowl LII in 2017. Jalen Hurts was named the MVP of the game, with almost 300 total yards and three touchdowns, propelling the offense for Philly. The Eagles’ defense dominated for the majority of the night, racking up six sacks and three takeaways, including the DeJean pick-six in the second quarter.
It was an unprecedented performance for Vic Fangio’s defense, and the Eagles were able to get revenge and redemption for their loss to Kansas City in the Super Bowl two years ago.
