Chiefs edge Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII thriller

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 Sunday in Super Bowl LVII in a thrilling back-and-forth affair that came down to the final seconds. Points were plentiful in a game which got off to a frenetic pace Sunday and didn’t let up, with strong offensive displays showing why the Eagles and the Chiefs got to this highly anticipated matchup. 

Harrison Butker’s 27-yard field goal with eight seconds to play gave the Chiefs their third Super Bowl in franchise history, and their second in the Patrick Mahomes era. The Chiefs superstar quarterback, and the reigning MVP, added to his trophy case by also being named Super Bowl LVII MVP.  

Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who couldn’t win the big game in Philadelphia, beat his former team.  

“He’s the MVP,” Reid said about Mahomes. “That’s all that needs to be said: MVP.”

Chiefs fans were outnumbered in the stadium, but they did their part to silence the boisterous Philly fans with the tomahawk chop chant. After going into halftime down 24-14, the Chiefs came roaring back in the second half to take a 35-27 lead midway through the fourth quarter.  

Mahomes hit wide receiver Kadarius Toney on a five-yard touchdown pass at the start of the fourth quarter that gave the Chiefs a one-point lead. Then, a 65-yard punt return by Toney set up a four-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Skyy Moore.

Mahomes finished the game with three touchdowns and 182 yards passing, adding another 44 yards on the ground. 

Despite falling short, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts put on a show of his own, with three rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown. With the Eagles down 35-27 midway through the fourth, Hurts scored on a two-yard rushing touchdown, then followed it up by running in the two-point conversion to tie up the score at 35. But it just wasn’t enough. 

Chiefs fans held their breaths, when, with about 1:30 to go in the first half, Mahomes came up limping badly following a tackle on a third-down play. Mahomes, who has been dealing with a high-ankle sprain since the divisional round of the playoffs, appeared to be grimacing in pain as he came off the field. 

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However, Mahomes answered all questions about his health status when he came out after halftime and immediately lead the Chiefs down the field on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. 

Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives of the game. Jalen Hurts made up for a costly fumble early in the second quarter, which helped the Chiefs tie the game at 14-points apiece, with his second rushing touchdown of the evening a few minutes later that gave the Eagles a 21-14 lead. They added to it with a 35-yard field goal to go into halftime up 24-14. 

Meanwhile, with his 18-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce passed Rob Gronkowski for the second-most receiving touchdowns in playoff history, with 16. San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice holds the record with 22.  

History was also also made Sunday by Mahomes and Hurts, marking the first time that a Super Bowl featured two starting Black quarterbacks.   

The Super Bowl Halftime Show was headlined by Grammy Award-winning pop star Rihanna. In a bright red ensemble with a matching red lip she performed hits “Where Have You Been,” “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place” and “Rude Boy,” among many others. 

Her performance had been highly anticipated because it has been nearly seven years since she last performed on stage. She has also not released an album since 2016’s “Anti.” 

Her performance wasn’t the only thing that grabbed headlines, but her accompanying baby bump. Following the game, a rep for the singer confirmed to CBS News that the 34-year-old is pregnant with baby number two.

Rihanna welcomed her first child with her partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, in May.  

Grammy-winning country music star Chris Stapleton performed the pregame national anthem, and Grammy-winning R&B artist Babyface performed “America the Beautiful” before kickoff.