Chiefs stun Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII with second win

by Gabe Sachse, Co-Assistant Sports Editor

The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl 38-35 on Feb. 12, with the victory coming down to a late field goal by kicker Harrison Butker. Both teams got off to a strong start in the first two quarters, but the Eagles pulled ahead, going into halftime 24-14 up. The Chiefs made a quick comeback in the second half, scoring a touchdown on every drive to tie the game. Kansas City got the ball back late in the fourth quarter with an opportunity to take the lead, and a crucial holding penalty called on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry set up a first down and the field goal opportunity that won the Chiefs the game. The call, while universally accepted as the correct one, was criticized by some due to the small impact of the foul itself compared to the enormous impact the referee’s decision had.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after his heroic performance battling through his recurring ankle injury, and became the sixth player ever to win multiple Super Bowl MVP awards. He joins an elite list that includes current and future Hall of Fame quarterbacks Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and Eli Manning. He threw for 182 yards on 21 completed passes, with three passing touchdowns and a passer rating of 131.8.

History was also made by Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts, who scored three rushing touchdowns, tying the record for rushing touchdowns in a single Super Bowl. He is the only quarterback to perform this feat, as he tied running back Terrell Davis, who won the game’s MVP in Super Bowl XXXII. Along with Hurts’ record, Jason and Travis Kelce made history by becoming the first pair of brothers in Super Bowl history to play against each other, with Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Chiefs, scoring to put himself second in the history of the playoffs in receiving touchdowns with 16 in ten years playing for Kansas City, behind only Jerry Rice. Kansas City’s win marked their second Super Bowl in the past four seasons, after their 31-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers in 2020.