A Dynasty in the Making: Chiefs beat Eagles 38-35 To Win Super Bowl LVII
Photo from NFL
Srikar Kalapala & Josh Xue
Another season of the National Football League concluded on Sunday, as a highly-anticipated Super Bowl LVII lived up to its expectations with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in a four-quarter classic. This game featured high-powered offenses with magical talents at quarterback, as well as timely defensive plays. However, in the end, the Kansas City Chiefs hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in four years, capping off an amazing season that featured tons of twists and turns with an amazing game.
Chiefs
Although the Chiefs went 14-3 this season, they flew under the radar. Even before the season, many fans liked the Bills or Bengals as AFC favorites, even throwing in teams like the Chargers or the Ravens to make an improvement from years prior. However, the goliath known as the Chiefs never seemed to make huge headlines throughout the season, mostly because they traded away Tyreek Hill in the offseason. The number of doubters only increased after two of the three losses the Chiefs had came to the Bills and Bengals. Many believed that if the Chiefs had to go through both the Bills and the Bengals in the AFC playoffs again, they couldn’t win both. The Chiefs knew they had to prove their doubters wrong, and this entire season was just that.
Following the Tyreek Hill trade, many fans thought the Chiefs’ offense would take a step backward, and that former MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes wouldn’t have anyone to throw the ball to except for Travis Kelce. The Chiefs went and added a couple of budget wide receivers like MVS and JuJu Smith-Schuster, and with the addition of Isiah Pacheco, this offense actually became more efficient compared to years past, with an increase in PPG (28.2 to 29.2) and total touchdowns (57 to 61). Aside from the aforementioned losses to the Bills and Bengals, the Chiefs lost only one other game, a loss to the Colts, with key wins over playoff teams like the Chargers, Bucs, 49ers, and Jaguars. After finishing the season with a 14-3 record, the Chiefs ended up being the #1 seed in the AFC.
In the playoffs, the Chiefs staved off the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 in the Divisional Round and had to face the Bengals in the AFC Championship game. Mahomes had never beaten a Joe Burrow-led Bengals team, having an 0-3 record against them. This led to the Cincinnati mayor stepping in with trash talk where he declared the Chiefs’ home stadium, Arrowhead, as Burrowhead. But in the conference title game, a down-to-the-wire game ended on a Harrison Butker field goal to help the Chiefs win 23-20. But for the Chiefs, this meant more than a trip to the Super Bowl. It meant getting a chance to prove their doubters wrong, and beating Burrow in Arrowhead was just the first step. TE Travis Kelce could be found telling his brother Jason on his podcast called “New Heights”: “A lot of Cincinnati Bengals fans are calling it Burrowhead instead of Arrowhead. [The Bengals] are throwing a lot of bulletin board material out there.” Kelce proceeded to call out the mayor after the game as well, demanding respect for his team. Despite the banter, the Chiefs had one more game to achieve their end goal: winning the Super Bowl.
Even with a Super Bowl win, the Chiefs would not be declared a dynasty. However, a second Super Bowl in the last four years would certainly push them well on their way to becoming a dynasty. They had only one obstacle remaining: beating the Philadelphia Eagles, a team that never trailed in the entire postseason, and was nearly unbeaten when their starting quarterback, Jalen Hurts, was starting this season. But the Chiefs never backed down. After trading touchdowns early, a Nick Bolton scoop and score made the score 14-14. But after a couple of Eagles possessions, the Chiefs found themselves in trouble at the end of the half, where a Jake Elliott field goal made the Eagles lead 24-14 at halftime. To make matters worse, Mahomes looked to have re-injured his ankle that was recovering from a high-ankle sprain. However, it was after halftime when the magic started for the Chiefs. They scored on each of their first three possessions to open the second half, and a Kadarius Toney punt return set up a Skyy Moore touchdown and suddenly the Chiefs were leading 35-27. The Eagles marched down the field and tied it back up, but they left too much time for Mahomes. With just over five minutes left, Mahomes led a methodical drive, including a 26-yard scramble with just over two minutes left to put the Chiefs in prime field-goal range. With 1:48 to go in the game, the Chiefs faced a critical 3rd & 8. Get it, and they win the game. Don’t get it, and you leave the Eagles with a chance to march down the field and either win the game or tie it at 38. Mahomes, hovering in the pocket, floats one down the left sideline for JuJu Smith-Schuster, but it isn’t close and it's incomplete. But a penalty flag is on the field. And with the refs calling a defensive hold on CB James Bradberry, the Chiefs got the first down and ended up kicking the game-winner with around ten seconds left in the game. Many fans were irate with the call, citing that the refs cannot make that call with the game on the line. That call likely robbed football fans around the country with a more fitting end to an amazing game. But the call was made, and Bradberry even said that he did hold on the play. But for a lot of fans, it left a sour taste for an otherwise exciting game.
For the Chiefs, this season ended at the peak of the mountain. The two championships that they achieved in the past four years are more than some franchises in their entire history. Patrick Mahomes becomes the first player since Kurt Warner in 1999 to be the NFL MVP and a Super Bowl winner in the same season. HC Andy Reid gets revenge over his former team and Travis Kelce cements his legacy as one of the best tight ends in NFL history with his second ring as well as bragging rights over his brother Jason. Young players riddled throughout this team get their first taste of playoff success. With the abundance of talent the Chiefs have, it is easy to say that they are a dynasty in the making, but the question that every Super Bowl winner must face remains: Can they do it again?
Eagles
The NFL scriptwriters have really outdone themselves this year. Another storybook ending to one of the craziest seasons I’ve ever seen. Jokes aside, I’m supposed to be talking about the Eagles so let’s get on with that. I know Srikar pretty much summed up what happened during the actual Super Bowl so I’m just going to do a brief summary at the end. In the meantime, we’re going to trip down memory lane and look back at Philly’s season week by week leading up to the heartbreaking loss.
Preseason
Key Acquisitions: A.J. Brown (via trade w/ TEN), C.J. Gardner-Johnson (via trade w/NO), Robert Quinn (via trade w/CHI), Haason Reddick (free agent), Ndamukong Suh (free agent).
Departures: Jalen Reagor (via trade w/MIN), Brandon Brooks (retirement).
Regular Season
Week 1 @ DET: Eagles won a nailbiter on the road to open up their season. The Lions rallied back late in the 4th quarter to keep the game close. However, on the Eagles' last possession, a 4th down QB sneak would ice the game. The Eagles won 38-35.
Week 2 vs MIN: Coming into the game, it was expected to be a high-scoring affair between the two teams. There was only one factor that was holding this game back… Primetime Kirk Cousins. The Eagles won 24-7.
Week 3 @ WSH: The supposed revenge game for Carson Wentz turned sour really quick as Brandon Graham and Co. put on a defensive show with 9 sacks on the day. The Eagles won 24-8. It was their first 3-0 start to the season since 2016.
Week 4 vs JAC: The Eagles hosted a reunion game with their former head coach, Doug Pederson. A similar story to last week as the defense once again took control of the game by forcing an interception and forcing 4 fumbles out of Trevor Lawrence. After being down early in the game, Philly mounted a 20-point comeback in the second quarter. The Eagles eventually won 29-21.
Week 5 @ ARI: With the game tied 17-17 late in the 4th quarter, Jalen Hurts drove the team downfield. A desperation 20-yard throw outside the endzone towards Quez Watkins fell incomplete and K Jake Elliot put up a kick…and it's good. 20-17 Eagles. With 1:45 left on the clock Kyler Murray mounted a furious 2-minute drill which was good enough to get the Cardinals in field goal range with seconds to spare. BUT! K Matt Ammendola misses the 43-yard field goal as time expires. The Eagles hold on to win 20-17.
Week 6 vs DAL: A mickey mouse win in my opinion, as Dak Prescott went down with an injury weeks prior so in comes Cooper Rush who did not have a very fun game as he threw 3 interceptions. The Eagles went on to win 26-17.
Week 7: BYE
Week 8 vs PIT: Jalen Hurts threw for 4 TD in a comfortable rout over the Steelers. A.J. Brown was on the receiving end of 3 of them. This game was just the start of this dynamic duo. Philly wins it 35-13.
Week 9 @HOU: An easy win over the second-worst team in the NFL, 29-17.
Week 10 vs WSH: Now here is where things get interesting. After their Week 3 defeat, Washington came in with a new game plan. The plan? Control the time of possession. The Commanders had double the amount of time than the Eagles did by pounding the run game and stifling Hurts and the offense. Commanders came out with a huge upset and handed the Eagles their first loss of the season. The Eagles ain’t flying no more as they lose 32-21.
Week 11 @IND: Woah, what do we have here? Another storyline to see as this time it’s Nick Sirianni’s revenge game (it’s definitely scripted). He was previously the offensive coordinator for the Colts before joining the Eagles. They were down 13-3 entering the 4th quarter where they rallied back to win it 17-16.
Week 12 vs GB: The only Eagles game I’ve watched aside from the Super Bowl. If you guys can remember this was the game where the Packers D got absolutely smoked in the run game. Aaron Rodger goes down in the 3rd quarter and that’s basically the end of the game. The funny thing is that the Eagles only beat the Packers by a touchdown. 40-33 final score.
Week 13 vs TEN: Hey guess what we have here? Who would’ve guessed? It’s another revenge game. Now, it’s AJ Brown’s turn, and boy did he have himself a day. He caught 8 receptions for 119 yards and 2 TD. As I said before, NFL scriptwriters are going crazy. Another day, another W for the Eagles, 35-10.
Week 14 @NYG: Aaaaand, another blowout. At least they clinched a playoff berth this week. Otherwise, nothing really to write home here. 48-22.
Week 15 @CHI: After starting the game with two interceptions, Hurts finished the game with more than 300 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Impressive enough, as a postgame MRI revealed that Hurts had played with a sprained shoulder during the 2nd half. This injury may have cost Hurts the MVP this season. Eagles win it, 25-20.
Week 16 @DAL: Minshew Mania time! Unfortunately by giving up 4 turnovers (which was a season-high), the writing was on the wall. Minshew almost led the Eagles to a comeback with minutes left, but a crucial 4th down stop by Dallas would thwart any attempt to do so. Eagles drop their first loss on the road this season at the hands of their longtime rivals. 34-40.
Week 17 vs NO: The Eagles returned home, seeking to clinch the NFC East for the first time since 2019 and the number 1 seed for the first time since 2017. However, they were instead dealt their second straight defeat in a defensive slugfest with a red-hot New Orleans Saints team. After falling behind 13–0 at halftime, Philadelphia pulled within three points of New Orleans with a ten-point third quarter, but their momentum would be halted with a Marshon Lattimore pick-six in the fourth quarter. Eagles lose their second straight, 10-20.
Week 18 vs NYG: Jalen Hurts returned to the Eagles' lineup against the New York Giants after missing the previous two games to a shoulder injury. Philadelphia would secure the NFC East division and the NFC's top seed with a 22-16 win. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 14–3 record and set a franchise high for most regular season wins in a season.
Divisional Round vs NYG: Ahh yes, we meet again. Eagles vs Giants. The Eagles won this one with zero trouble 38-7.
NFC Championship vs SF: This game was exhilarating if you’re a Philly fan, but an absolute nightmare if you’re a Niners fan. After dealing with multiple QB injuries during the regular season, the NFL scriptwriters literally said, “You know what? Let’s do it again.” Purdy and HIS BACKUP go down injured. Obviously, that is a joke and injuries are no joke but I’m actually bewildered at how 1, 2, 3, 4 QBs on the same team get injured over the course of a whole season. Anyways back to the game, which featured 2 of the NFL’s finest offenses & defenses (both of whom were ranked 1 and 2 in the NFC) lived up to the expectations, except for the fact that the Eagles just dominated on the 49ers' mistakes. 31-7 Eagles move on to Super Bowl LVII.
Super Bowl LVII: Ignoring the loss, I personally believe if the Eagles won the game, Jalen Hurts would’ve been Super Bowl MVP. The stats speak for themselves. 27/38 for 300 yards and 1 touchdown in the air, WHILE also adding 70 yards on 15 carries for 3 touchdowns on the ground all of which are Super Bowl records. These statistics are unheard of for a QB maybe 10 years ago, but nowadays dual-threat QBS are a must in the modern NFL offense. One stat that really surprised me was that over the course of the regular season, the Eagles have sacked the QB a total of 78 times (good for the 3rd most in a season by a team in NFL history), yet they failed to bring down a one-legged Patrick Mahomes even once. Talk about not living up to expectations. Anyways, the 2nd half was truly the turning point for the worst. Obviously, there was the James Bradberry holding call, which I personally think the ref could’ve called it either way. Eagles were called for six flags vs the Chief’s three flags. Let me leave you with this one last stat… The Philadelphia Eagles became the Super Bowl’s losing team with the most points scored (35), surpassing the Patriots (33) in Super Bowl 52, which coincidentally was the last time the Eagles won the Lombardi.
For the Eagles, the season ended in heartbreaking fashion. Jalen Hurts putting up literal Madden numbers in the Super Bowl just for his defense to collapse, coupled with the many mental errors and lapses was a recipe for disaster on football's biggest stage. However, there is no doubt in my mind that they will contend for years to come. In a year where many thought it was a bold claim for the Eagles to win their division, they showed up and showed out this whole season, despite the heartbreaking loss at the end. With a young group of core players to move forward with, the future is looking promising for the Eagles, and perhaps we will see them back at the biggest stage next year.
