The Kansas City Chiefs have once again become Super Bowl Champions after their victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. Throughout the entirety of the game, both teams fought hard and delivered an exciting performance making it a Super Bowl classic. For the first time in three years, the Chiefs will hoist the Lombardi Trophy, and Patrick Mahomes was named the Super Bowl MVP.

The Eagles started off quickly as the offense was clicking on all cylinders. In the opening drive, quarterback Jalen Hurts completed four passes that resulted in huge gains, and the Eagles were already in the red zone five minutes into the game. However, it wouldn’t take long before Kansas City got their team rolling after a quick response by a touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes to tight end Travis Kelce. 

Although the Chiefs would ultimately win on a game-winning field goal, the game wasn’t entirely free from controversial calls. On the Eagles final drive of the first half, Wide Receiver DeVonta Smith seemed to have caught a 36 yard pass after running a vertical route and maintaining the ball with two feet in-bounds. However, the officials determined that Smith had not maintained possession of the ball and ruled the pass incomplete. This would become a very controversial call as it took away the 36 yard pass and the ball would be returned back to the 49 yard line instead of the 13 yard line. The Eagles would manage to score a field goal before the end of the half after a 22 yard pass to A.J Brown. What could have been a 14 point lead would become a 10 point lead due to this controversial overturn.

For the Chiefs, this situation seemed familiar to their previous Super Bowl win against the 49ers. In that game, the Chiefs trailed by 10 points in the 4th quarter but managed to pull off the win after scoring 21 unanswered points. This time, though, Mahomes would be limited in his ability to run the football. Before the end of the first half, Mahomes limped off the field after suffering another injury to his right ankle on a 3rd down stop. In the Chiefs Divisional Round against the Jaguars, Mahomes injured his right ankle towards the end of the first quarter but managed to play through it. Once again, Mahomes would continue playing all throughout the second half of the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs would begin their comeback on their first drive of the second half, where running back Isiah Pacehco would find the endzone after a 10-play drive that took over five minutes. Mahomes also showed his ability to use his legs despite the injury in the second quarter after a 13 yard rush to put the Chiefs in position to run the ball in.

Kansas City’s offense also began to gain some momentum towards the end of the third quarter. They were in position to take the lead as their defense held the Eagles’ offense to two consecutive field goals. At the conclusion of the third quarter, the Chiefs’ offense were already into Eagle territory following a drive that only took over one minute. The drive would end on a 5 yard touchdown pass to a wide open Kadarius Toney, and the Chiefs would take the lead for the first time.

Building on the momentum of the touchdown, the Chiefs defense would yet again make another stand, forcing the Eagles to another three-and-out. On the ensuing punt, Kadarius Toney would make another impact for the Chiefs and even Super Bowl history. After changing directions on the punt return, he would return the punt 65 yards, which not only is a record for the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, but set the Chiefs up at the five yard line. Three plays later, the Chiefs would cash in the punt return and put another six on the board after a wide open touchdown pass to running back Skyy Moore, cushioning their lead to eight at the midway point of the fourth quarter.

Eventually, the Eagles would answer back quickly on their next drive with a touchdown and two-point conversion tie the game at 35. But yet another controversial call would come late in the Chiefs’ following possession that proved crucial in determining the game’s outcome. On 3rd & 8 from the Eagles 15 yard line, cornerback James Bradberry was called for a holding on wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on an incomplete pass. Many believe that the officials should’ve been lenient on the call since it was late in the game, and the officials should’ve let the players play. This would ultimately result in an automatic first down where the Chiefs would drain the clock to kick the game-winning field goal.

In this game, Mahomes would find most of his success in the passing game while Hurts was able to run and pass the ball efficiently as his offensive line bought enough time for Hurts to complete his passes. In the middle of this offensive line, Center Jason Kelce would make history with his brother on the opposite side of the field, Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce. Upon entering the season, Travis Kelce would emerge as Mahomes’ top target after star wide receiver Tyreek Hill was traded in the offseason. Both Travis and Jason would become the first pair of brothers to play in the Super Bowl.

Additionally, quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, both of whom are native to the state of Texas, would also make history as they became the first pair of black quarterbacks to start in the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes, who has been in the league since 2017, was also named the NFL MVP on Thursday night while Hurts, who is in his second year playing in the NFL, finished second in the MVP voting. Both players gave it their all and played down to the final wire and are expected to be the future superstars in the following years to come.

Mahomes would once again be named the Super Bowl MVP for the second time in his career after finishing the game with three touchdowns and 182 yards. The Chiefs have also opened up as the Super Bowl favorites for the next season and hope to build a dynasty of dominance for many years to come.