How the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII

In a game that went down to the wire, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (38-35) to win Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles defense, considered by many to be the best defense in the NFL, did not play their best game, making fatal mistakes in coverage and failing to sack a limited Patrick Mahomes even once.

Both teams came storming out of the gates. Jalen Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles, supported by their powerful offensive line and running game, scored the first touchdown on their first possession. The Kansas City defense could not keep up at first, but they steadily improved throughout the course of the game.

The Chiefs' answer was none other than Patrick Lavon Mahomes II. With the help of his offensive line, Mahomes only needed a little more than three minutes to go 75 yards and guide the Chiefs to a touchdown of their own, connecting with his favorite target Travis Kelce. Andy Reid's motion scheme exposed the Philadelphia defense. The key to the game for the Chiefs was that the Eagles defense was unable to adjust coverages to match the potent Kansas City offense.

Second quarter

The second quarter started ideally for the Eagles. Hurts threw one of his trademark passes to A.J. Brown, a 45-yard bomb, and Brown overcame the double team with ease for the touchdown.

The Eagles looked like they were taking over the game, and the Chiefs couldn't move the chains. However, Hurts made a rookie mistake: he lost the ball on a run while trying to change hands, only to have Nick Bolton return the fumble for a touchdown. The Chiefs' linebacker, who led the team in tackles, played at a high level and put the score back on level terms, getting his team back in the game when they needed it most.

The Eagles grabbed momentum right back, returning to the field for a 15-play drive that would end with Hurts' second touchdown. At this point, the Eagles offensive line seemed unstoppable, and Hurts, who despite the fumble and the occasional misread, finished the first half with three touchdown on 13 of 16 passing and 206 total yards.

Everything seemed to be looking up for the Eagles when, at the end of the first half, Mahomes reaggravated the ankle that has been bothering him for almost a month. After kicking another field goal, the Eagles were up by 10 points at halftime and had total control of the game, accumulating 22 minutes of offensive possession, compared to just eight for Kansas City. Mahomes retired to the locker room in visible pain. It seemed as if Mahomes' second Super Bowl title was slipping from his grasp.

Second half

However, Kansas City would not go down without a fight. After coming out of the locker room, Mahomes was playing with no apparent pain in his ankle, and the offensive line was still having a nearly perfect game. Travis Kelce and running back Isiah Pacheco were a real headache for the Philadelphia defense. The seventh-round rookie running back had an outstanding performance in the Super Bowl, totaling 76 rushing yards and a touchdown. It was Pacheco himself who capped the second half's opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run.

The Eagles tried to continue with their game plan, which was to keep the ball out of Mahomes' hands. While their first drive of the second half lasted nearly eight minutes, it only resulted in a field goal. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles were up by six, and the game was wide open.

Recovery

Andy Reid's offense was able to take advantage of the Eagles' coverage blunders, sending Kadarius Toney in motion to leave the receiver all alone to get the touchdown that put them ahead on the scoreboard. What had been the best pass defense during the regular season was finally showing signs of weakness under the brightest lights.

It would be Toney himself who a few minutes later returned an Eagles punt all the way to the Philadelphia five yard line. Kansas would not waste the opportunity and would once again embarrass the Eagles defense with another motion play that left rookie receiver Skyy Moore all alone. With the score, the Chiefs were eight points ahead.

The Eagles, who hadn't found themselves trailing all playoffs, didn't let up, and Jalen Hurts would connect on another trademark 45-yard pass to DeVonta Smith that left them at the Kansas City two yard line. After another quarterback sneak by Hurts to punch in for a score, the Eagles were two points down, needing a two point conversion to even the score. They again gambled on a Hurts run, and they were again successful, which left the score tied at 35 and with 5:15 to go in the game.

With the ball in the hands of the Chiefs' offense, the Eagles were unable to stop Mahomes. Bad ankle and all, Mahomes converted a 26-yard run to pick up a first down at the Eagles' 17-yard line.

The Chiefs are Super Bowl champions

It was then that the referees, who had already made some questionable decisions during the game, called an ambiguous defensive holding by James Bradberry on JuJu Smith-Schuster. This decision, with the two minute warning already past, ended up deciding the game. The Chiefs managed the clock, only for Harrison Butker to kick through the go-ahead field goal with eight seconds to go. The score held at 38-35 for Andy Reid's team. The call was controversial. While it did not define the game, it did end up clouding the final result and a match that had been an exciting battle from the first snap.

Mahomes was voted MVP of the game. However, the Chiefs entire offensive line did more than enough to merit a share of the trophy. Mahomes has already won two Super Bowls and two Super Bowl MVPs in his five years as Kansas City's starting quarterback. Unless Joe Burrow has anything to say about it, Mahomes will be the NFL's premier quarterback for years to come.