The Philadelphia Eagles fired coach Andy Reid one day after the conclusion of the 2012 season. Just over a decade later, it came back to bite them.
Reid led the Chiefs against his former team in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, and Kansas City rallied for a 38-35 victory to claim its second title in the past four seasons.
Things didn’t look promising for the Chiefs by halftime, as they trailed 24-14 after Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. But Kansas City was firing on all cylinders coming out of the locker room, scoring on all four of its second-half drives to clinch the win.
Harrison Butker provided the game-winning points, making good on a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left in regulation. Philadelphia got the ball back, but only had time for one play — a deep incompletion down the middle that officially put an end to the 2022 season.
–In a highly-anticipated matchup between star quarterbacks, Kansas City’s Mahomes threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns on 21-for-27 passing, while the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a score. Hurts did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and three scores on 15 carries. He had the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in Super Bowl history.
“I’m not gonna say dynasty yet. We’re not done,” Mahomes said while hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. “So I’m not gonna say dynasty yet.”
–The Eagles’ DeVonta Smith led all receivers with seven catches for 100 yards. Travis Kelce led Kansas City with six catches for 81 yards and a score. Kelce was playing against his brother, Jason, who is a center for Philadelphia.
“You joke around all the time and say that you want to beat your brother in the biggest stage ever, but it’s a weird feeling,” Travis Kelce said. “It came down to the end, and we got all the respect in the world for those Eagles, man. But there’s nothing really I could say to (Jason) other than I love him and he played a hell of a year, a hell of a season.”
–Mahomes battled through an ankle injury, which he seemed to aggravate late in the second quarter. He had sustained a high ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Divisional game on Jan. 21, but was able to remain in Sunday’s game against the Eagles.
–Super Bowl teams that led by double digits at halftime were 26-1 entering Sunday, according to ESPN Stats & Info. By blowing their 10-point lead, the Eagles joined the Falcons — who blew an 18-point lead against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI — as the only two teams to lose a Super Bowl game after leading by at least 10 at intermission.
–Kadarius Toney helped shift momentum in Kansas City’s favor with 10:11 left in the fourth quarter. Toney returned a punt 65 yards, the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. The previous record was held by Denver’s Jordan Norwood, who had a 61-yard return in Super Bowl 50. Toney’s return led to a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Skyy Moore to give the Chiefs a 35-27 lead.
–A controversial defensive holding call with 1:48 left in the game gave Kansas City an automatic first down on a third-and-8. Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was whistled for the penalty, which eventually led to Butker’s game-winning kick. He held JuJu Smith-Schuster on the play, and said following the game that it was the right call. “It was a holding. I tugged his jersey,” Bradberry said. “I was hoping they would let it slide.”
–Jerick McKinnon slid down at the Philadelphia 2 with 1:36 remaining to allow the Chiefs to chew more clock, but had he scored, the teams would have combined for the most points in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl XXIX 28 years ago, the 49ers beat the Chargers 49-26 for a combined 75 points.
–Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP. He was also MVP of Super Bowl LIV, which concluded the 2019 season.
–Both teams complained about poor field conditions, with Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata stating that “it was like playing on a water park.” Mailata added that players from both sides were talking about how bad the conditions were during TV timeouts.
–Field Level Media