By Peter Vassilakos
Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was a game for the ages.
The game began with the Chiefs winning the coin toss and deferring the ball to the Eagles. The Eagles scored first, and the Chiefs scored soon after.
The Eagles got the ball back, leading to an A.J. Brown 45-yard reception. The Eagles held the lead early into the second quarter. Their defense managed to push the Chiefs off the field, giving the ball back to Jalen Hurts.
With what could be one of the biggest plays of the game, Jalen Hurts fumbled the ball. This mistake led to a scoop and score for the Chiefs, tying the game at 14-14. The Eagles redeemed themselves by scoring 10 points to conclude the first half.
The Chiefs received the second-half kickoff with a chance to cut into the 10-point deficit, which is exactly what they did on their opening drive. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs drove down the field and put up seven points on the board (24-21).
The two teams continued to trade punches throughout the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, the score was 27-21 Eagles. The Chiefs had the ball and scored again. Their drive was capped off by a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Kadarius Toney, giving the Chiefs a 28-27 lead.
Circumstances looked bleak for the Eagles after the Chiefs’ defense forced a three-and-out. The Eagles had no choice but to punt the ball. This punt led to the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. Toney took the ball back 65 yards to the Eagles’ 5-yard line, setting up first and goal. The Chiefs ultimately punched the ball into the end zone three plays later.
With the ball back in Jalen Hurts’ hand, he led the Eagles down the field thanks to a 45-yard catch by Devonta Smith. This set them up on the 2-yard line. Jalen Hurts ran the ball in for his third rushing touchdown on the day. The Chiefs got the ball back with a little over five minutes remaining.
The Eagles’ defense managed to hold them to third and eighth. Mahomes dropped back and overthrew Juju-Smith Schuster, but a flag was thrown. The referee called a holding penalty on James Bradberry of the Eagles. This call gave the Chiefs a first down within the Eagles’ red zone, allowing the Chiefs to kick a field goal with time running out, making the score 38-35.
The Eagles got the ball back with around eight seconds left on the clock. They ran one final desperation play, but it was not enough. The Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVII, one that will go down as an iconic Super Bowl in NFL history.