GLENDAL, Arizona. Patrick Mahomes barely made it off the field after being caught in the second quarter.
It was a reminder that Mahomes played Super Bowl LVII on Sunday with a high ankle sprain. He was caught on the third down and stayed down for a while. He limped slowly. The trainers looked at him from the side as he writhed in pain.
Shortly thereafter, when the Eagles hit a field goal to end the first half, it looked like Mahomes was in for another Super Bowl loss. The Eagles were up 10 at halftime and completely outplayed the Chiefs. Eagles fans chanted “MVP!” after their quarterback Jalen Herts threw his second touchdown of the day.
Mahomes is special, as is this nascent dynasty of chieftains. The Chiefs returned from their injured quarterback and won their second Super Bowl in five seasons. Mahomes threw for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and his terrific 26-yard run allowed Harrison Butker to score a field goal with eight seconds left as the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38–35. Millions of spectators waited for Mahomes to win the game after Philadelphia tied the game with 5:15 left, and he did.
Over time, the legend will grow. Mahomes, battling a high ankle sprain in the playoffs to win another Super Bowl, with an age-old drive to win, will be part of his legend. This may be raised again when he enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
High Performance Super Bowl
In many Super Bowls, teams use the first quarter to test each other out. In attack they play conservatively, not wanting to make a mistake.
This was not the case with Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles, having widened the field and missed most of the draws, scored from the first throw. Jalen Herts made his way into the end zone as a quarterback. The Chiefs immediately bounced back and scored on Travis Kelsey’s 18-yard catch. It was the second Super Bowl in history in which both teams scored touchdowns in the first run. The only other time this happened was Super Bowl XXXII between the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos.
After that, the score did not slow down much. Hurts hit A.J. Brown in a beautiful 45-yard touchdown. The Chiefs received a gift when Hurts lost a fumble that came out of his hands, and linebacker Nick Bolton recovered it and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Eagles were leading 27–21. They dominated the game in almost every way. But Mahomes still had a chance and he usually gets better with the game at stake.
Tight game in 4th
Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs took the lead. The Eagles crashed and Kadarius Toni was wide open for a 5 yard touchdown. After an extra point, the Chiefs led 28-27.
Tony made a huge game after that. The leaders forced a three-and-out. Toney hit back, flipped the pitch to the right, and walked 54 yards to the Eagles’ 5-yard line. On another third down, the Chiefs played the same game as Tony’s touchdown, but on the left side and with rookie Sky Moore. Moore, like Tony, was wide open for a touchdown.
The Eagles weren’t tested as often in the regular season. They mostly knocked out opponents, and in the first two games of the playoffs, no one approached them. But the Eagles pulled through when they needed a big drive. DeVonta Smith freed and was wide open for a 45-yard throw that allowed Hurts to score a touchdown. Hurts converted a 2-point conversion and the Super Bowl was tied again, 35–35, with 5:15 left.
Mahomes was made for the situation he was in. The Chiefs began to move the ball down the field, and then Mahomes, who was obviously limping earlier in the game, climbed up the center and gained 26 yards. Holding a third down against Eagles guard James Bradberry pretty much sealed the Chiefs’ win. The Eagles wanted to let the Chiefs score, but Jerick McKinnon slid down in front of the goal line, forcing the Eagles to use their final timeout. Mahomes knelt twice to kill a few more hours. Butler calmly hit the 27-yarder with eight seconds left.
The Chiefs were also scheduled to return in the fourth quarter of their first Super Bowl win with Mahomes. Sunday may not be the last time he does this.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
