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Kansas City Chiefs defeat Philadelphia Eagles 38-35

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions, but it came shrouded in controversy after one truly questionable decision.

James McKernJames McKern
@jLmcKern
11 min read
February 13, 2023 - 4:44PM
Holding penalty robs the Eagles
Holding penalty robs the Eagles

The Kansas City Chiefs have climbed the NFL mountain once again after taking care of business against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

A dominant second half saw the Chiefs come from 10 points behind to claim the 38-35 victory in front of a packed stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

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Patrick Mahomes produced a flawless half as he led the Chiefs down the field, scoring on every drive despite raising serious concerns after he limped off the field towards the end of the second quarter after re-injuring his high ankle sprain.

He tore the Eagles defense apart as the Chiefs poured on 24 points to 11 in the second half to claim their second Super Bowl victory in four seasons.

Mahomes claimed his second Super Bowl MVP trophy after throwing three touchdowns in the contest.

The Chiefs did it again. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
The Chiefs did it again. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP

The win however comes shrouded in controversy after a questionable call from the officiating crew in the final two minutes.

Mahomes heaved the ball into the back of the endzone on a third and eight play, only for a flag to be thrown onto the field.

Officials called a holding penalty against Eagles defender James Bradberry on Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster as he began his route.

Fans were left seeing red after the penalty which effectively ended the contest as the Chiefs ran the clock down with running back Jerrick McKinnon sliding down one yard short.

Replays showed Bradberry had barely made any contact with Smith-Schuster as many blasted the officiating crew for ruining what could have been an all-time classic.

LeBron James wrote: “His hand on his back had no effect on his route! This game was too damn good for that call to dictate the outcome at the end. Damn! By the way I have no horse in the race. Just my professional opinion.”

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons wrote: “Of course. Of course the season was gonna be decided on a shit call. Of course. Of course. Of course.”

Fox Sports’ Skip Bayless added: “I hate it that such a great game was decided by such a cheap bad ticky-tack call. let the players decide a game like this. just sickening.”

Canadian professor Emmett Macfarlane wrote: “Pathetic holding call to decide the game there, NFL.”

Bradberry himself admitted post-game he had indeed grabbed a hold of Smith-Schuster’s jersey and hoped the officials would let it go.

“It was a holding. I tugged his jersey,” he said. “I was hoping they would let it slide.”

The ending thrust a NFL conspiracy theory back into the spotlight with fans again arguing the league is rigged and the Super Bowl was simply following the script to crown the Chiefs.

After the Chiefs saluted, social media was alight with fans calling out the league with NFL rigged trending worldwide.

Complex CEO Rich Antoniello wrote: “I’m starting to believe the conspiracy theory that the entire @NFL is scripted.”

Recap the entire game below.

2pm - Scary hit rocks the Super Bowl

The NFL Super Bowl was brought to a brief halt in the fourth quarter after a brutal shot to Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco.

After being handed the ball from Patrick Mahomes, Eagles defender CJ Gardner-Johnson charged through the defensive line and smashed his helmet into the chest of Pacheco.

The rookie running back remained on the ground before being helped from the field by medical staff as the game was stopped.

The moment caused particular concern for fans and the league in the wake of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin going down after a similar hit during the regular season.

1.50pm - Third time lucky for Hurts

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles are right back in it.

The Chiefs looked to have stolen all of the momentum, but Hurts said not so fast as he picked the defense apart with a bomb to a wide open receiver.

A 45-yard throw found a wide open Devonta Smith who fell out of bounds just shy of the end zone before Hurts once again snuck through behind his offensive line to register his third touchdown.

The Eagles then went for the two-point conversion with Hurts forcing his way over once again to tie it up at 35-all with a little over five minutes to play.

1.40pm - Toney time turning the tide

Kadarius Toney has turned this Super Bowl on its head with two plays.

Patrick Mahomes found Toney wide open to give the Chiefs the lead early in the fourth quarter.

But it was then Toney who singlehandedly got the crowd off their seats with a record-setting 64-yard punt return.

Aussie Arryn Siposs failed to put his foot through the ball with only a 38-yard punt, Toney ate it up as he forced the Eagles to go one-way before pivoting to the other side of the field.

Toney tore up the turf as he marched all the way down to the five yard line.

Mahomes cashed in moments later as he found Skyy Moore to extend the Chiefs’ lead out to eight points.

1.35pm - Chiefs hit the front

And just like that, the Kansas City Chiefs have hit the lead in the Super Bowl.

Behind Patrick Mahomes the Chiefs have come out firing in the second half and have rattled off 14 points to three as they’ve put the Eagles defence to the sword.

Jalen Hurts have held onto the ball for two thirds of the contest, but now find themselves behind for the first time this post-season.

1.30pm - Eagles 27 - Chiefs 21

Three quarters down, one to play and absolutely everything to play for.

The Eagles have held onto the ball for two thirds of the contest, but you can never, ever count out Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes and the Chiefs have the ball just beyond the halfway line to start the final quarter after a tight third quarter.

1.15pm - Catch controversy takes over Super Bowl

Fierce debate has broken out among the NFL world during the Super Bowl over what exactly constitutes a catch.

During the third quarter Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts found Dallas Goedert with a pin-point throw on the sidelines.

But the Eagles tight end after appearing to pin the ball to his helmet used his left hand to secure the ball as he went out of bounds.

Initially ruled as a catch, Chiefs coach Andy Reid threw out the challenge flag with the play ultimately overturned with Goedert’s attempt ruled incomplete after only getting one foot down in the field.

Football reporter Peter Holland wrote: “Siri, what is a NFL Catch?”

ESPN’s Randy Wilkins wrote: “A catch in the NFL is subjective. Hilarious.”

1.05pm - Eagles get lucky in the third

The Philadelphia Eagles are counting their lucky stars after the Kansas City Chiefs almost scored their second defensive touchdown of the contest.

Jalen Hurts hit Miles Sanders out wide but almost instantly the Eagles star was hit hard by a Chiefs defender, causing the ball to pop out.

Nick Bolton once again swooped in and scooped the ball up before running it into the endzone. After revewing the play however the officials determined Sanders hadn’t completed the process of the catch.

1pm - Mahomes shakes off ankle concern

Patrick Mahomes is superhuman. The Chiefs quarterback had the football world holding its breath during the halftime break after limping off the field late in the first half.

But he put those fears to bed with the opening drive of the second half as he led the Chiefs down the field, scrambling out of the pocket for a run and finding receivers all over the field.

Mahomes handed the ball off to rookie running back Isiah Pacheco who scored the touchdown and brought the margin back to three points.

12.40pm - Rihanna delivers Super Bowl spectacular

Rihanna has wowed the Super Bowl audience with a plethora of her smash hits in a dazzling show that took over the field in Glendale, Arizona.

Check out more of her insane performance right here.

12.20pm - Eagles 24 - Chiefs 14 at halftime

The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into the halftime break with all of the momentum after a sizzling opening half to the Super Bowl.

Eagles QB Jalen Hurts picked the Chiefs apart through the air and on the ground as the Chiefs defence scrambled to try and slow them down.

Hurts crossed into the endzone twice thanks in large part to his offensive line, led by Aussie left tackle Jordan Mailata who continually bullied defenders and created enormous holes for his quarterback and running backs to exploit.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have their backs up against the wall in the second half with the recent MVP winner sending a major scare through the fan base after limping off the field late in the second quarter.

12pm - MVP QB limps off the field

The worst possible thing just happened for the Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes hobbling off the field in the second quarter.

Mahomes entered the contest under an injury cloud after picking up a high ankle sprain earlier in the postseason.

On a third down he was forced to scramble out of the pocket and was brought to the ground with a tackle around his legs.

He got up but slowly limped off the field as fears mounted.

11.50am - Mailata causing Super Bowl carnage

The Eagles offensive line did it again, creating an enormous hole on the left side to allow Jalen Hurts to stroll into the endzone untouched.

Jordan Mailata has been causing havoc at the line and ragdolling Chiefs defenders and it was the Aussie who once again played an integral role in dividing the defensive line.

Hurts scores his second touchdown of the game after also recording the longest quarterback run in Super Bowl history during the drive after a 28-yard run on a gutsy fourth and five play call.

11.40am - Chiefs capitalise on Hurts’ fumble

Jalen Hurts’ first turnover in the postseason couldn’t have been more costly.

On third and one, the Eagles quarterback looked to scramble to pick up the first down, but as he went to tuck the football under his arm it slipped out under pressure from the Chiefs defence.

The ball hit the turf and was scooped up by Chiefs defender Nick Bolton who ran it all the way into the endzone to tie the scores back up.

“That is the biggest mistake you can make in a Super Bowl,” Larry Fitzgerald said on SEN.

11.30am - Eagles go BANG

The very first play of the second quarter was a monster.

Jalen Hurts from the pocket rocked back and threw a deep ball into the end zone, finding AJ Brown who ran a perfect route to haul it in.

The 45-yard touchdown hands the Eagles the lead back.

11.20am - First quarter in the books: Chiefs 7 - Eagles 7

Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs will be kicking themselves for not going for it in the opening quarter on a fourth down after Harrison Butker’s field goal attempt slammed into the posts and missed.

The Eagles hit the scoreboard first behind Jalen Hurts before the Chiefs hit back in a flash after Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce.

Aussie Jordan Mailata put his stamp on the contest in the opening quarter as he mauled the Chiefs defenders over and over again.

Mailata, number 68, cleared a hole big enough to drive a truck through as he ragdolled his rivals.

The left tackle is playing a key role for the Eagles on Monday, not only protecting Hurts but creating holes for the running backs.

Arryn Siposs got his first taste of the action during the opening quarter after the Eagles went three and out on their second drive.

11am - Chiefs hit right back

You cannot name a more devastating duo than Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.

The pair struck gold in the early going with Mahomes finding Kelce twice on their opening drive with the second and 18-yard pass that found Kelce in the end zone.

The Eagles opening drive looked easy, the Chiefs’ first drive was even easier. Mahomes who entered under an injury cloud looked picture perfect behind his offensive line as he picked the Eagles apart.

The scoreboard operators could be in for a workout today.

10.50am - Eagles off and flying

Jalen Hurts looked as comfortable as ever on the opening drive as he marched the Eagles down the field.

After picking the Chiefs apart throw the air and on the ground, Hurts held the ball for a quarterback scramble and was pushed over for the opening touchdown.

The Eagles offensive line didn’t allow the Chiefs to get anywhere close to Hurts in an ominous early sign.

Hurts’ rushing touchdown gives him a piece of NFL history as he becomes the first QB to have three games with a rush TD in a single postseason.

10.40am- Bad omen strikes Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs won the coin toss and opted to defer the opening kick-off to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the first win of the day comes with some pretty damning recent history.

The past eight winners of the coin toss have lost the Super Bowl. Early advantage Philly.

10.30am - Tears flow during national anthem

American country singer Chris Stapleton delivered an all-time performance of the Star Spangled Banner as fans watching on lapped up the performance.

The emotion of the day combined with the song proved too much for Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni who was spotted on the broadcast with tears flowing down his face.

9am - Internet outage leaves Philly fans in the dark

Talk about the worst timing ever.

Fans in Philadelphia hoping to cheer their team on to a Super Bowl victory have been left in the lurch thanks a major internet outage.

Comcast/Xfinity, the largest internet provider in Philadelphia, is reportedly having a major outage with furious fans tweeting they’ve been told it won’t be online until right before kick-off.

One user posted the message he received from the company which stated: “An outage has been reported in your area. We expect this to be resolved by today.”

There could be wild scenes in Philadelphia if the outage isn’t rectified before the game gets underway.

8am - Nick Riewoldt’s shock Super Bowl appearance

AFL great Nick Riewoldt has made a surprise appearance on ESPN’s coverage of Super Bowl week in Arizona.

Read more here.

7.30am – Numbers prove Aussie is an absolute monster

Jordan Mailata won’t win any MVP trophies, but the hulking Aussie is just a pivotal to the success of his team as any player on the field.

The 25-year-old was dragged by analysts when his NFL career at the Philadelphia Eagles got underway over his failures on the offensive line.

Now in his fifth season, those pundits are a thing of the past with the former rugby league player proving his insane worth to the Eagles.

The six-foot-eight monster has grown in stature on the field and his impact is being felt across the league, with the numbers to back it up.

During the regular season the Aussie was ranked as the second best run-blocking left tackle, holding an 83.3 per cent win rate, according to ESPN’s Run Block Win Rate metric.

And as any great player should do, Mailata’s performance has only trended upwards throughout the playoffs.

He’s bumped that figure up to an immensely impressive 86.7 per cent to help the Eagles’ explosive running game reach even greater heights.

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Originally published as Kansas City Chiefs defeat Philadelphia Eagles 38-35

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