Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl LVII report card: Beating Eagles, KC is star of the class
For the second time in four years, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions after beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium on Sunday night.
Here is the final report card of the season:
KC STAR OF THE GAME
It can only be Patrick Mahomes. The NFL MVP did it with his arm — and legs, despite being injured. Mahomes tossed touchdown passes to Travis Kelce, Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore, and his 26-yard scramble in the final minutes set up the game-winning score.
Mahomes entered the game with uneven play in two previous Super Bowl appearances. But he was money in the second half. For the game, Mahomes finished 21 of 27.
And he collected his second Super Bowl MVP.
It took big plays by the defense and special teams, but to single out one player, Mahomes gets the nod. He brought the Chiefs back from a 10-point halftime deficit, and he did it on a bum ankle after an Eagles defender took him down below the knees late in the first half. Mahomes had hurt the ankle, his right one, earlier in the playoffs.
“I told everybody this week nothing was going to keep me from playing,” Mahomes said on the victory stage.
REPORT CARD
Passing offense: A
Mahomes had the hot hand early, cooled off after the Chiefs’ first possession, then regained his form after it appeared he had re-injured the ankle he sprained against Jacksonville in the AFC Division Round of the playoffs.
On the Chiefs’ first drive, he found Kelce three times, including with a beautifully thrown 18-yard strike for the touchdown. It was Kelce’s 16th playoff career TD; he now only trails Jerry Rice (22) on the NFL’s all-time list. But that was it for the passing game in the first half as the Eagles took control of the ball.
The second possession ended on a misfire to JuJu Smith-Schuster, who appeared to be held. No call. The Chiefs were off the field quickly on their next three possessions, and KC hearts sank when Mahomes got up limping from a tackle on the Chiefs final first half-possession.
In the second half, though, Mahomes got rid of the ball quicker and the offense found a new rhythm. He completed 10 of 11 second-half passes, with a throwaway accounting for his lone incompletion.
If the offensive line got a grade, it would be an “A.”
Rushing offense: B
The Chiefs ran it effectively on their first drive, with Isiah Pacheco rumbling for a 24-yard gain. But that was about it for the run-game production before halftime.
The offensive line regained its footing to open the second half when the Chiefs drove 75 yards and scored from the 1. Mahomes’ 14-yard scramble got them to the 4. Both Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon recorded multiple-yard runs after the break.
But Mahomes delivered the biggest run of the night. His 26-yard scramble after being flushed got the Chiefs to the 18 with two minutes left and set up the game-winning field goal.
Then came the smartest rushing attempt of the game: McKinnon gave himself up at the 1 to keep the clock running and assure the Chiefs would keep the ball for a shot at the game-winning kick. The Eagles could run just one play after the Chiefs scored.
Passing defense: C
Trent McDuffie got twisted out of position on Jalen Hurts’ 45-yard touchdown bomb to A.J. Brown. The Chiefs often had good coverage on Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, but he made some terrific receptions. L’Jarius Sneed made the wrong decision on a deep pass to DeVonta Smith, who was wide open on a 46-yard gain late in the fourth quarter. One play later, the Eagles tied the game.
The Chiefs’ pass rush bothered Hurts throughout the game. Frank Clark, Willie Gay and others got pressure, forcing Hurts to throw it away. Sacks were credited to Khalen Saunders and Leo Chanal.
Rushing defense: B
Nick Bolton was in the right place at the right time. He filled a gap and forced indecision on the part of Hurts, who dropped the ball. It bounced to Bolton, who with an escort of Bryan Cook, Mike Danna and George Karlaftis rumbled into the end zone.
Controlling Hurts on keepers was going to be the Chiefs’ major challenge. But on perhaps the biggest swing play of the first half, Hurts found a lane for 28 yards on fourth-and-5 from midfield. That set up the touchdown that gave Philly a 21-14 lead.
Special teams: A
Until the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs didn’t have a memorable punt return. Then ... Skyy Moore set up the game-winning field goal against the Bengals and Kadarius Toney returned a punt 65 yards to set up a fourth-quarter touchdown in the Super Bowl. Toney’s punt return was the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.
Harrison Butker missed a 42-yarder early in the game — doinking the ball off the left upright — thus ending his postseason stretch of 11 straight makes. But he had his Adam Vinatieri moment when he banged through a 27-yarder with eight seconds remaining to win it.
This story was originally published February 12, 2023 at 9:43 PM.