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Kansas City 38, Philadelphia Eagles 35
That's it. Another season is now over and in the books. But the Super Bowl was a highly entertaining affair filled with drama, although the end felt a little anti-climatic somehow. Still divided on whether or not that holding penalty should have been called, or whether it was a weak call. Can understand both sides of the argument, and apparently James Bradberry, the Eagle who got called on that play, admitted that it was holding. Yet, it feels like it could have been a really close call, and it's very unfortunate that such a call may have gone a long way to decide the game.
Think about it: if it is not called, then the Chiefs have to settle for a field goal, and there is still plenty of time for Jalen Hurts to lead his team down the field. There is a chance that he can get the tying field goal, and force overtime. But there is also a chance that he can lead them to a winning touchdown, and a very dramatic finish.
Instead, the Chiefs get that call in their favor, and with a fresh set of downs, they can milk the clock. Everyone saw that Philly's defense was simply slowing down, allowing the Chiefs to score a touchdown if they wanted, in order to get the ball back with the maximum amount of time. But to his credit, Chiefs running back Jerick McKinnon made a heads up play by sliding down to the field just shy of the end zone, denying himself a touchdown. It was what Ahmad Bradshaw failed to do in Super Bowl XLVI, even though the Giants ultimately still won that one. But McKinnon did not forget what was best for his team. And that allowed the Chiefs to hang onto the ball until there were just 11 seconds left in the game. A successful field goal attempt by Chiefs placekicker Harrison Butker essentially iced the win for KC.
And yet...I felt that the Chiefs actually kind of escaped with this win. They were being badly outplayed in the first half, and it was far worse than the scoreboard suggested. Remember, KC got lucky with the one mistake that Jalen Hurts made all game, when he fumbled the ball, and Nick Bolton scooped it up and ran it in for a defensive touchdown. Take that rather fluky play out of the equation, and the Eagles outscored KC in the first half, 24-7. And who knows? Maybe Philly scores more points in that drive, perhaps they get either a field goal or a touchdown, and it is even more lopsided.
In the first half, Philly controlled the clock for a whopping 21:54, allowing the Chiefs to have the ball for only 8:06. It looked like they might set a new record for time of possession. Indeed, everything was going right for the Eagles in the first half, and I was beginning to think that my prediction was going to be wrong. Philly was well on their way to another romp, and the Super Bowl title.
But the Chiefs are champions for a reason. Give Andy Reid credit, he made adjustments. And give Patrick Mahomes a ton of credit: he played through the pain of his knee injury in the first half, and played brilliantly in the second half. And yes, the Chiefs did look like a completely different team after they took the field following the extended halftime break. The defense looked sharper, and they began tackling better. The Eagles were not controlling the clock nearly as well. And on offense? Suddenly, the Chiefs were seeing guys who managed to get wide open. It felt to me like a tale of two very different halves.
Sadly, when you look at it statistically, I think that the one mistakes that Hurts had on an otherwise brilliant day for him proved to be the difference. Again, it was more of a fluke than anything. Yet, it was the one turnover of the game, but it proved costly. Very costly. At the time, it felt like Philly was dictating the tempo of the game. Then suddenly, just like that, the game was tied again.
True, the Eagles grabbed the momentum again, and actually went into the locker room up by 10 at the half. But we all know by now that a 10-point lead is hardly safe against Mahomes and Reid. Given how tight this ball game was, and how it came down to the wire, you have to figure that the one turnover which went for six points the other way might have cost the Eagles the championship.
Overall, Philly still won the time of possession battle, although not by as wide a margin as the first half suggested. They held onto the ball for 35:47, compared to just 24:13 for KC. The Eagles also had a decisive advantage in total yards gained, at 417 to 340. They also earned more first downs, 25 to 21 for the Chiefs.
Not sure if this may be considered a good thing by Eagles fans, or a bad thing, like maybe I am rubbing their nose in it by bringing this up. I assure you that I am not trying to pour salt on the wound when I say this: nobody in Super Bowl history had scored as many points as the Eagles scored in last night's game and still lost. Obviously, the offense played well, even extremely well. In fact, they looked unstoppable throughout the first half, and still had some moments in the second half.
Hurts was absolutely brilliant in this game, albeit in a losing effort. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and one touchdown. In addition, he carried the ball 15 times, picking up 70 yards and three touchdowns, tying him with Terrell Davis of the Broncos for most rushing touchdowns in a single Super Bowl. Devonta Smith led all Eagles receivers with 7 catches for 100 yards.
For the Chiefs, it felt more spread out. Mahomes had a solid day, completing 21 of 27 for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Mahomes also ran for 44 yards on six carries, including what arguably might have been the best play of the game, when he sprinted down the field late in the fourth quarter on what proved to be a key first down conversion in that final Kansas City drive. Still, he beat Philly with that rocket of an arm today, more than anything. His favorite target, not surprisingly, proved to be Travis Kelce, who caught 6 receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown. On the ground, running back Isiah Pecheco grinded out 76 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries.
One thing that seemed to impact both teams was how slippery the field was. It seemed to impact both teams, and was evidently a source of concern on both sidelines. The dome's roof was open, but it is the desert, so I doubt that they had any rain. Otherwise, I cannot imagine why the field proved to be so slippery. That is something that they should fix for future big games - particularly Super Bowls - moving forward.
Kansas City now wins the third Super Bowl title in franchise history, and their second Super Bowl title in the past four years, during which they made three appearances in the big game, and only missed last year's Super Bowl by a hair. It sure feels like they are an emerging dynasty.
Andy Reid now has the second most playoff wins of any head coach, behind Bill Belichick. He wins his second Super Bowl title ever, and he becomes the first head coach in history to win at least 10 playoff games with two different franchises, the Philadelphia Eagles and, of course, the newly crowned Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
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