Kansas City Chiefs? No Kansas City Champions!

Super Bowl 57 (LVII) between the AFC champions Kansas City Chiefs, and the NFC champions Philadelphia Eagles. Both teams’ records going into the matchup were 16-3 which made them the most dominant teams in the NFL last year. Super Bowl 57 took place on Sunday, February 12th at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It was the 1st time in Super Bowl history that there were 2 Black starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) and Jalen Hurts (Eagles).

First Quarter

The Chiefs won the coin toss but chose to defer it to the Eagles chose to receive, and the Chiefs got to defend the goal. Harrison Butker kicker for the chiefs kicks 65 yards to start off the game. Kenneth Gainwell looked like he had scored the first touchdown, but he was down before the ball crossed the goal line. The Eagle’s quarterback Jalen Hurts scored the game’s first touchdown on the following play, a quarterback sneak from within the one-yard line. Philadelphia 7, Kansas City 0.

Kansas City provided a quick response, as the Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hooked up with Travis Kelce on an 18-yard passing touchdown. Philadelphia 7, Kansas City 7. At this point of the game, Travis Kelce has 60 receiving yards on three catches after one quarter. DeVonta Smith leads the Eagles with four catches for 46 yards. Philadelphia was forced to punt on its second drive. Kansas City fared better on its second drive getting into field goal range. Butker kicked his field-goal attempt off the left post to keep the game tied at seven points apiece. The Eagles produced 99 yards of total offense in the first quarter. The Chiefs outgained them by 13 yards. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied at 7 a piece. 

Second Quarter

Heading into the second quarter, the Eagles had a 14-7 lead. In the first play, Jalen Hurts threw a 45-yard pass to find AJ Brown in the left corner of the end zone. The Chiefs answered back with a big defensive play. Linebacker  Nick Bolton ran a 36-yard return after recovering a fumble, to tie the game. Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, ran a 4-yard score to give Philadelphia a 21-14 lead.

The Eagles held the ball for over 12 minutes in the second quarter. Devonta Smith’s catch was ruled incomplete due to him not being able to hold his landing. With 1:33 left in the half, Patrick Mahomes seemed to injure his ankle and came up limping, the extended halftime should allow some time to heal. Hurts threw a 22-yard pass to Brown to get in field goal range at the end of the quarter. Jake Elliott kicked the first made field goal at 36 yards to finish out the half with a score of 24-14 in favour of the Eagles. 

Halftime Show ft. Rihanna

Viewers knew that once the half-time whistle went, it was time for one of the most anticipated Super Bowl halftime shows ever. After five long years since Rihanna’s last onstage performance at the 2018 Grammys with DJ Khaled, the superstar billionaire returned to the stage for a showstopping performance during the Super Bowl LVII halftime show.

While we didn’t see any surprise collaborators singing alongside her, something that we’ve grown accustomed to from previous halftime performances, the real surprise guest was in the likes of her new baby on the way. Rihanna proudly debuted her new baby bump during the performance, officially announcing her second pregnancy with partner, A$AP Rocky. The pregnancy is a fact that she hinted at in an interview before the performance, however many took this hint as an indication of a guest performer.

Although Rihanna hasn’t released an album since 2016, the singer, actress, and businesswoman didn’t have an issue finding songs to perform. In fact, she struggled to choose which songs would make the cut and which ones wouldn’t since the halftime show is just 13 minutes. At a press conference earlier in the week, Rihanna revealed that she has to choose her setlist from upwards of 40 different versions. “You’re trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes, so it’s difficult. Some songs we had to lose because of that, and that’s going to be OK, but I think we did a pretty good job of narrowing it down,” she told reporters at a press conference.

The musical queen began her performance, in a stunning red outfit, descending on a floating platform alongside dancers dressed in white. The first song to be performed was “Bitch Better Have My Money” and transitioned into “Where Have You Been.” Fireworks lit up the sky as she sang other hits such as “Only Girl (In The World),” “Umbrella,” and “Diamonds.”

The performance cemented Rihanna’s legacy as a music icon. According to numbers from Fox, Rihanna’s performance attracted 118.7 million views, making it the second most viewed performance, only to Katy Perry’s 2015 performance. On average, halftime shows draw in about 3.1% more viewers than the rest of the game, however, Rihanna bested that average by a solid 65% as her show drew in 5% more viewers than the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles averaged throughout the game.

Third Quarter

After a spectacular performance by Rihanna, The second half of Super Bowl 57 was underway. With the Eagles leading 24 -14 at the half, the Chiefs needed to dominate the remainder of the game in order to be named Super Bowl champions. Kansas City started off the 3rd strong as they capitalized on their first offensive possession, rookie running back Isiah Pacheco, sliced through the Eagles defense for a touchdown. After the Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker converted on the field goal to get the Chiefs within only 3 points. With just over 9 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the score was now 24-21 for the Eagles.

With just under 2 minutes left in the 3rd, the Eagles eventually worked their way up to the 33 yard line which led to Eagles kicker, Jake Elliot converting on a field goal to extend the lead back to 6. After the field goal by the Eagles, Kansas City had around 90 seconds to work with left in the 3rd quarter. In those 90 seconds the Chiefs gained plenty of yardage thanks to a couple great dashes from running back, Isiah Pacheco. The Chiefs would start the 4th quarter on the Eagles’ 44 yard line with the score at the end of the 3rd quarter being 27-21 for the Eagles.

Fourth Quarter

The 4th and last quarter has begun with the chiefs carrying their drive on. Mahomes threw 3 short passes to the receiver, Ju-Ju Smith-Shuster for a total of 30 yards before capitalizing to Kadarius Toney for his first and only reception that led to a 5-yard touchdown. With the Point, after try is good by Butker the score of the game is only now 28-27 for the Eagles with 12:04 left of play. 

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ offense start their first drive of the quarter on their own 25-yard line. But it was a quick stop for the Chiefs’ defense forcing the Eagles to punt the ball away to the Chiefs. Punt returner Kadarius Toney, had the longest return of the game of 65 yards, putting the Chiefs into enemy territory on the Eagles’ 5-yard line. The Chiefs’ drive was not long before the rookie receiver, Skyy Moore took it to the house with a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes. With 9:22 remaining in the 4th, the Chiefs now have a commanding lead of 35-27. 

The Eagles’ offense answered right back with a touchdown of their own; Hurts completed 3 of his 3 attempted passes to his star receivers, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. Brown had 2 receptions for 18 yards while Smith had 1 for 45 yards. With the Eagles on the Chiefs’ 2-yard line, Hurts plunged into the endzone with the help of his offensive line for a rushing touchdown. The score is now 35-33 but the Eagles decided to go for a 2-point conversion which was successful coming from Hurts once again, tying the game up at 35-35 with just only 5:15 left to go in the game. 

With the Chiefs starting on their own 25-yard line, Mahomes and his Chiefs offense knew they had to win this game on this drive. Rookie running back Isiah Pacheco gave it his all running for 17 yards in desperate times on this Chiefs drive. While Mahomes, battling a bad ankle sprain from 2 weeks ago, capitalized when the Chiefs needed to the most. Throwing quick and short passes to receivers Smith-Shuster for 10 yards and Kelce for 7 yards, including a 26-yard scramble run from Mahomes putting the Chiefs in field goal range on the Eagles’ 17-yard line. Running out of time, the Chiefs were aware of how fast this Eagles’ offense can score. That decision led to the Chiefs kicking a 27-yard field goal by Harrison Butker which became the game-winning score of the Super Bowl making the score 38-35 with only 8 seconds for the Eagles to make one big play before it was too late. Hurts was aware that this was the last play of the game. He threw a prayer hoping his receivers could catch but it was not successful. With time running out, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions once again. 

Game Leaders

Passing Yards

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes 21-27, 182 YDS, 3 TD

Eagles: Jalen Hurts 27-38, 304 YDS, 1 TD

Rushing Yards

Chiefs: Isiah Pacheco 15 CAR, 76 YDS, 1 TD

Eagles: Jalen Hurts 15 CAR, 70 YDS, 3 TD

Receiving Yards

Chiefs: Travis Kelce 6 REC, 81 YDS, 1 TD

Eagles: Devonta Smith 7 REC, 100 YDS

Work Cited

ESPN Internet Ventures. NFL football scores – NFL scoreboard. ESPN. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from Chiefs vs. Eagles – NFL Box Score – February 12, 2023 | ESPN

Associated Press Feb. 12, 2023 4:27 P. M. P. T. (2023, February 13). Super Bowl play-by-play. Tribune. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/national/story/2023-02-12/super-bowl-play-by-play

Tansey, J. (2023, February 13). Super Bowl Quarter score 2023: Chiefs vs. Eagles 2nd-quarter update and Recap. Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10065407-super-bowl-quarter-score-2023-chiefs-vs-eagles-2nd-quarter-update-and-recap.amp.html

JON BLISTEIN, ALTHEA LEGASPI. FEBRUARY 12, 2023. A Pregnant Rihanna Delivers Glitzy Super Bowl Halftime Show. Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rihanna-super-bowl-halftime-show-performance-watch-1234676420/

Jared Beilby, February 15, 2023. Nearly 119 million watched Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show-here’s how that really compares to past performances. Stacker. Retrieved February 19, 2023, from https://stacker.com/tv/nearly-119-million-watched-rihannas-super-bowl-halftime-show-heres-how-really-compares-past