Super Bowl LVII is in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs are hoisting the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Eagles in a thriller 38-35. It is the third Super Bowl in franchise history for the Chiefs and the second in four years. Pat Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP, and the game certainly lived up to the hype. It was a great back and forth game and a shootout, but in the end Mahomes and the Chiefs pulled it out late and are back on top of the NFL. Here are some quick hit thoughts about the game from my perspective.....
1) This was a very fun and entertaining Super Bowl. There haven't been to many shootouts in the Super Bowl, but this was a classic. It had a lot of big plays on both sides of the ball and came down to a field goal at the end. A great game by any measure for a Super Bowl.
2) The Chiefs deserved the win and Mahomes was lights out in the second half. After trailing 24-14 at halftime, Mahomes led the Chiefs to three straight touchdown drives and the game-winning field goal. He has cemented his status as the NFL's best player, and he is already a Hall of Famer after only starting for five seasons. He is the face of the league and with two Super Bowls, he might be on pace to catch Tom Brady. It is still early and a lot can happen but it is all there for Mahomes to ascent himself as a Top 3 All-Time QB.
3) The Eagles and their fans will have a very long and bitter offseason after losing this game. The Eagles controlled this game for three quarters, and I really felt like they were going to win until the very end. I think the key moments in this game for the Eagles were: The Jalen Hurts fumble that was recovered by Nick Bolton and returned for a TD in the 2nd quarter to tie the game at 14. Also, when they were up 24-21 and settled for a field goal and going up 27-21 instead of possibly being up 31-21 in the 3rd quarter. The overturn replay of the Devonta Smith catch on the sideline really hurt the Eagles chances. Finally, when the Chiefs took the lead at 28-27 with 12:04 left in the game, it felt like the Eagles had done so much right in this game, and then all of a sudden they were trailing.
4) Eagles QB Jalen Hurts was amazing all game long. He ran for three touchdowns and threw for another and accounted for almost 400 yards of total offense. He matched Mahomes play-for-play, and he was the best player on the field-despite the critical fumble- and would have won the MVP if the Eagles won the game. Give credit to Hurts because he was phenomenal in a losing effort, and proved he will be a top-tier QB moving forward.
5) The Eagles defense had a very bad day and it cost them the game. For two weeks, all we heard about was the Eagles pass rush and how they were going to get after Mahomes, but they didn't even register a sack in the game. They barely generated any pressure. Their defense also got gashed by the Chiefs in the run game-which no one had predicted. They had no adjustments in the second half and had no answers as the Chiefs went down the field on them the entire second half and took the game over. The Eagles prided themselves for two weeks on how good their defense was, but they didn't match that hype in the Super Bowl at all.
6) I thought Andy Reid did a great job in this game. His play-calling and play design was fantastic and he created some great plays to help KC get in the endzone at key moments down the stretch. He out-schemed and out-coached the Eagles coaching staff in the second half and it proved the difference in the game.He once again showed why is a Hall of Fame caliber head coach and now he has two Super Bowl rings to prove it.
7) The refs called a controversial penalty late in the game that cost Philly the Super Bowl, and that can't be overlooked. On 3rd and 8 from the Philly 15 with only 1:54 seconds left, Mahomes threw incomplete to JuJu Smith-Schuster in the end zone. There was a flag and Philly CB James Bradberry was flagged for defensive holding. It gave the Chiefs a first down and they were essentially able to run the clock down to 8 seconds and kick the game-winning field goal. Yes, there was a tug from Bradberry on the play, but it really wasn't that bad and I think the ref should have not thrown the flag. You can't throw the flag at that point in the game. The problem is that every week in the NFL the officiating either makes a call or a non-call on a play like that and it affects the outcome-in this case the Super Bowl. It is just not consistent week to week with these NFL officials. I hated the call. The ball was overthrown anyway. I just think the ref has to put the flag away in those situations and just let them play. It was a rough call to end a really good game.
8) The Eagles have a built a very talented team and Hurts has blossomed into a star, but you just never know if you will get back to a Super Bowl. It is so tough. Even though the NFC is weak, you just can't pencil the Eagles in to get back there next year. This will be an opportunity lost for them and this one will sting a long, long time for Eagles fans. EVERYONE was picking the Eagles to win this game by the time the game kicked off. They were favored to win the game, and the line never really moved. Most of the experts on the pregame shows picked the Eagles. They were expected to win the game, dominated and controlled most of the game, and still lost. That is a tough pill to swallow.
9) As I said in my Super Bowl preview, if KC wins this game, then you can start talking about them being a dynasty. Mahomes is only 27, and Andy Reid is 65 and not looking to retire anytime soon, so this team is going to be favored next year to get back and win another Super Bowl. They are going to be a force to reckon with in the foreseeable future, and I think we will be seeing this group in many more Super Bowls-unfortunately.
10) As far as the Broncos are concerned, it is definitely demoralizing to see the Chiefs win another Super Bowl, but with Sean Payton coming into the fold as our new head coach, maybe it gives us Broncos fans some hope that we can turn this team around and somehow find a way to challenge the Chiefs.
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