This past Sunday, the Super Bowl took place between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs and Eagles had played each other before in the Super Bowl, with the Chiefs winning 38-35.
The Chiefs have been dominant since 2018, with their worst season result being an overtime loss to Tom Brady and the Patriots in the AFC championship. Since quarterback Patrick Mahomes became a starter, they have three Super Bowl titles and had a chance to make history before falling short. A win would have made them the first NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row.
The Eagles have made their second Super Bowl appearance in the last three years and have been looking for their first Super Bowl win since 2017.
The pressure was on quarterback Jalen Hurts to see if he could prove he was able to lead a team to a Super Bowl win and was not just a product of the great players around him. Running back Saquan Barkley had just completed a historic season by becoming only the ninth player in NFL history to rush for over 2000 yards in a season.
According to CBS Sports, the Eagles winning the Super Bowl would make them the first team since the 2016 Patriots to win the Super Bowl while having a 1000-yard rushing running back on the Roster.
From the first snap, it was apparent Mahomes was going to be pressured the whole game as he was sacked three times in the first half while also throwing two interceptions including one being returned for a touchdown. According to ESPN, Mahomes’ 11.4 QBR (Quarterback rating) was the second lowest in the Super Bowl since 2006. “I had never seen Mahomes play this bad before. He was totally outmatched against the Eagles defense.”Antonio Moreno, a player on the Wolfpack football team, said.
By halftime, the Chiefs were down 24-0 with their offense having a minuscule 23 yards in the first half. The lack of offensive success for the Chiefs could be directly attributed to the Eagles’ defense having three sacks, numerous quarterback pressures, and two interceptions.
In addition to the Chief’s lack of offense, their defense could not stop the Eagles’ passing attack. Despite Saquan Barkley being held to only 34 yards in the first half, the Eagles still had 179 yards of offense, having possession for 20 minutes. They had 13 first downs to the Chiefs one first down. “Watching the game with family, the performance by my team made me feel indisposed. I could not believe they were being limited this much.” Anthony Gonzalez, a player on the Wolfpack football team, said.
The final score of the game was 40-22, with the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. The score makes the game seem closer as before the Eagles took the starting players out, the score was 40-6. “The game felt uncompetitive after the first half. It felt like there was no other reason to watch the game unless you were a fan of the Chiefs or Eagles.” Ismael Mariscal, a Seahawks fan, said.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts won Superbowl MVP with 293 total yards and three total touchdowns. “I feel amazing, the team dominated throughout the whole game. It’s an amazing feeling, seeing your team win a championship.” Uzziel Cruz, an Eagles fan, said.
The Eagles will look to reload their roster after their Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore signed as the Head Coach of the New Orleans Saints. Even with that, the Eagles seem set up for success for the next few years with the core of players they have.
The Chiefs have holes to fill, with questions about the future of tight end Travis Kelce in the air. With Andy Reid being 66 years old, there are questions on how much longer he will be coaching for. Aside from that, the Chiefs are one of the most well-run organizations in the NFL and are set for success for years to come.
