The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched a second Super Bowl win in the last four years, prevailing over the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. With MVP Patrick Mahomes re-aggravating his ankle injury in the first half, the Chiefs rallied in the second, possibly putting them in the discussion for a “dynasty”. This title win comes after the Chiefs’ victories in 2020 and reaching the 2021 finals. Mahomes threw three TD passes to three receivers, Isiah Pacheco ran for one score, linebacker Nick Bolton scored off a fumble return and kicker Harrison Butker sealed the victory with a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining. Tight end Travis Kelce commented that the win was a product of “all heart”. He noted that some players, overwhelmed by the magnitude of the moment, acted differently in the first half; however, the Chiefs scored on every drive after the intermission.
At the midpoint, we were able to reorganize and come up with a plan. The second half of the game saw us playing with great enthusiasm.
Despite the discomfort, Patrick Mahomes continues to compete
At the same time that the crowd was either enjoying or loathing Rihanna’s halftime show, Kansas City fans were in a state of extreme anxiety. Mahomes had sustained a high ankle sprain to his right leg on January 21st, and in the last 90 seconds of the first half, he was tackled around his ankles by TJ Edwards. Those in attendance could see Mahomes’ discomfort as he hopped off the field, winced in pain, and even leaned against a staff member on the sideline. The Chiefs didn’t return to the field during that half, and at halftime, Mahomes ran off the field with no apparent sign of injury.
At the mid-game break, Patrick Mahomes had completed 8 passes out of 13 attempts for a total of 89 yards and had two rushes for 11 yards. The youngest quarterback to ever start three Super Bowls then led the Chiefs to a touchdown drive in the first drive of the second half. After sustaining a high ankle sprain during the game-winning drive, Mahomes ran for 26 yards to put his team in field-goal range. His admirable efforts earned him the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award and associated praise from head coach Andy Reid: “Well, he’s the MVP. That’s all that needs to be said. … And he showed it tonight.”
Jalen Hurts, the quarterback of Philadelphia, had a remarkable performance, with only one minor mistake
Nick Sirianni praised Jalen Hurts as playing “the best game I’ve seen him play” in the two years they had been together, noting his control in both the run and pass game. Hurts had a record-breaking three rushing touchdowns and 70 rushing yards, as well as a two-point conversion on the ground, further demonstrating his superb performance. In addition, he completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown. AJ Brown contributed with a 45-yard touchdown catch and Jake Elliott kicked two field goals. The only blemish was a brief moment of lost momentum due to a fumble that slipped out of Hurts’ hands.
As the Eagles advanced towards a score to give them a two-possession advantage, Hurts ran to his right when the ball slipped from his hands at their 44-yard line. Fortunately for Kansas City, the ball took a favorable bounce and was scooped up by Nick Bolton at the 36-yard line, who ran into the end zone untouched. This leveled the score at 14-14 with 9:39 on the clock.
Hurts, however, was undeterred by the mistake, and on the subsequent drive he regained those lost points. On the 12th play, he rushed 4 yards for his second touchdown of the game, which along with the extra point made it 21-14 with 2:20 remaining in the half.
This year’s contentious ruling on a foul
In almost every game, there is usually a controversial call or missed call that affects the result. The same happened in Super Bowl when, with two minutes left in the tie game, Mahomes threw a pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster that was intercepted in the Eagles’ end zone. However, a flag was thrown against Philadelphia defensive back James Bradberry for holding Smith-Schuster while he was attempting to get open. This enabled the Chiefs to keep possession and run off valuable time before making the game-winning kick. This decision was heavily criticized by Eagles fans and viewed by many as an overly-strict call at a critical point in the game.
Greg Olsen, a former star tight end and Fox broadcaster, expressed his disapproval of the call being made on the field, saying, “I don’t love that call.” However, the network’s rules expert Mike Pereira argued that with a complete view of the situation, it appeared that the player in question had pulled the back of the jersey, thus making it a penalty. Bradberry, the player who was called for the foul, admitted that it was indeed a hold, commenting in the locker room, “It was a (hold). I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”
Damar Hamlin has attained the title of Super Fan and has stated his ambition to make it back onto the field
Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills experienced what he had been dreaming of, making it to the Super Bowl, although not as a player but as a fan. Seeing the 24-year-old, who just last month almost died on the field, having a great time at the big game was heartwarming. In a pregame interview with Fox, the second-year safety expressed that his goal is to eventually go back to a football field and he is grateful for the second chance at life he was granted. “Eventually, that’s always the aim. I am attempting to do whatever can help me progress, but I am leaving that up to God. I am so thankful for the second opportunity he gave me,” he said to Michael Strahan.
After making a tackle in the initial quarter of the Bills-Bengals match on January 2, Hamlin suddenly collapsed. Doctors and trainers on the field gave him CPR, and he was swiftly removed from the stadium by an ambulance, leaving spectators and viewers in a state of shock and uncertainty as to his condition. Experts assert that the on-field staff managed to save his life when he went into cardiac arrest.
Hamlin admitted that the toughest part was dealing with his emotions. “I prefer to keep to myself,” he said. “But this experience has brought me into the spotlight, which is a positive thing because I want to be a good role model for people around the world. I believe there is a purpose to all of this.”
During the game, Hamlin was seen in the commissioner’s box with Donna Kelce, whose son was playing for both teams, and with Roger Goodell. After the event, he shared a photo with LeBron James.
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