Super Bowl Sunday took place on Feb. 12, with a tight game coming from both sides of the field. The Chiefs ultimately took the win as Super Bowl champs after star quarterback Patrick Mahomes fought through an ankle injury and came alive in the second half, bringing home the trophy as a redeemer for their 2020 loss.
After a fierce postseason battle between 14 of the top NFL teams, this year’s top seeds came out and brought their regular season dominance into the playoffs. At only 24 years old, Eagle’s quarterback, Jalen Hurts made his Super Bowl debut and Chiefs’ quarterback, Patrick Mahomes made his second appearance at only 27. During the playoffs, they both beat out competitive rivals and elite quarterbacks such as Tom Brady and newer stars like Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy to make their marks as the new generation of football.
During the first quarter, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts led the birds in an 11-play, 75-yard drive to take the early advantage in the game. The Chiefs quickly responded with the first of many Mahomes and Kelce touchdowns. The duo tied up the game 7-7 at the end of the first quarter, but ended in the Eagles favor at the half.
After Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter, the birds swooped in and secured a 24-14 lead on the Chiefs coming into the third. Regardless, Mahomes came back to life and gave the Chiefs the push they needed to get out of a 10-point deficit. Mahomes ran the ball 21-yards on only one good foot in a quarterback sneak, and Kansas City gained momentum from there, leading to a 36-yard fumble return by linebacker Nick Bolton. Chiefs rookie Isiah Pacheco drove in a touchdown after a dime throw from Mahomes and closed the gap to 21-27 at the end of third quarter, putting the Chiefs in striking distance.
The final quarter was back and forth, with both teams filling up the scoring column. Chiefs rookie Skyy Moore had his first career NFL touchdown, and Philadelphia quickly answered after Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a game-changing catch, tying the teams up 35-35. With the Chiefs in possession of the ball, only about 5 minutes was left for them to finish it off with a win, and they used all but eight seconds to kick a perfect field goal, leaving the Eagles little time to recover.
After the last blow of the whistle, the 2023 football season came to an end with a 38-35 final score and the Kansas City Chiefs victorious. The Arizona Stadium was filled with cheers and tears from both teams’ fanbases.
In an ABC 10 post-game interview, Mahomes said, “It was a crazier than crazy year, but we ended up on top. You can’t ask for any more from those guys. It just feels good to do this.”
