Super Bowl 2023: Patrick Mahomes wins second title as Chiefs overcome 10-point deficit vs. Eagles
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs needed to overcome a 10-point deficit to win Super Bowl 54 back in 2021, so they weren’t intimidated when they faced the same deficit in Arizona on Sunday night.
Kansas City found a new gear in the second half, coming away with points on each of their drives to outlast the Eagles and capture their second championship in four years.
The Eagles battled as much as they could, pouring on 17 points in the second quarter and refusing to go away even when the Chiefs turned the momentum in the second half.
Kansas City went up 35-27 after a historic punt return by Kadarius Toney set up a Skyy Moore walk-in touchdown, but Philadelphia quickly answered. Jalen Hurts found DeVonta Smith for a game-changing catch and quickly took it in himself to tie the game.
The Eagles left 5:15 on the clock, and the Chiefs used all but eight seconds of it to take the lead.
Kansas City methodically moved down the field and into field goal range. Just when the Eagles had a glimmer of hope and appeared to force a field goal with plenty of time left, a defensive holding penalty came in on James Bradberry and allowed Kansas City to run the clock all the way down to eight seconds.
Harrison Butker drilled a 27-yard field goal, Hurts’ Hail Mary throw came up well short, and the Chiefs walked off the field as champions once again.
It was a somewhat anticlimactic ending to an otherwise thrilling game, one that will add fuel to the fire for anyone critical of officiating in the NFL.
No one will be thinking about that in Kansas City this week when two-time champions Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid take the Lombardi Trophy for a stroll through the city on Wednesday for their victory parade.
When the NFL picks up where it left off in September, 31 teams will again have their sights set on knocking off the two-time Super Bowl MVP.
