The highly anticipated final game of this year took place on February 12 in Arizona, where the Kansas City Chiefs played the Philadelphia Eagles. The National Football Conference (NFC) first team, the Eagles, faced off against the American Football Conference (AFC) first team, the Chiefs. This was the first game in a couple of years where the number one team in the playoffs faced off in the Super Bowl. Both teams started the playoffs with a bye week and only needed to win two games to get to the Super Bowl instead of three.
This Super Bowl had some of the most elite talent we’ve seen, which translated into very high scoring and an enjoyable game. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II was voted league MVP just a couple days before the Super Bowl. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was also in the running for league MVP, making this game even more exciting. This game was highly anticipated and quite matched. Also, the “spread” (scoring units created to create a level playing field between teams for betting purposes – the lower the spread, the more even the game) was the Eagles with 1.5 points over the Chiefs. It goes to show that this was very well matched and balanced which always makes for a more appealing game. This game was also the first Super Bowl ever to feature two brothers facing off against each other. Eagles center, Jason Kelce, is an absolute stud and considered the best in the position of him. Chiefs Tight End, Travis Kelce, led their team in receiving yards and is also considered the best at the position of him.
The game started with a bang as the Chiefs won the coin toss and decided to kick off so they could receive in the second half. The Eagles immediately got down and scored a touchdown. The Chiefs then got the ball and did the exact same thing with a pass from Mahomes to Tight End, Travis Kelce. The Eagles led 24-14 going into halftime, and as the players made their way to the locker room, singer and halftime performer, Rihanna, took the field. Early in the second half, the Chiefs got the ball and immediately ran down the field to score a touchdown. The entire third quarter wasn’t the most exciting part of the game as the two teams had a combined total of 10 points. But the best was yet to come as the fourth quarter was by far the most fun and breathtaking part of the biggest game of the year. With one minute and fifty-two seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs had the ball in the “red zone” (the inside of the opponents 20-yard line; very close to scoring) it was a game tied at 35-35 and it was third with eight yards to go. Mahomes looked to his left and threw a ball from the endzone to catcher JuJu Smith-Schuster. The ball fell incomplete a couple of yards and the Chiefs would have had to take the field goal leaving over a minute and a half on the clock for the Eagles. But the referee threw a flag at the defender who was guarding JuJu. Defensive player or cornerback, James Bradberry, was called up to hold field, which meant the Chiefs would get a first down and could run the clock and kick the field goal. This was a huge play because even though the Chiefs would have kicked the field goal regardless of the penalty, it gave the Eagles eight seconds instead of ninety seconds to get at least a field goal to force overtime. The Eagles couldn’t pull off a miracle and failed. The game finished with a final score of 38-35, giving the Chiefs the victory. Most recently, the Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017 and the Chiefs in 2020, so both teams have proven themselves as consistent playoff contenders over the years. With 182 passing yards, 44 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Patrick Mahomes II was named Super Bowl MVP. He is one of the few players to win league MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. Overall, this was one of the highest scoring games of the year and the Kansas City Chiefs now have their third Super Bowl title.
Halftime of this year’s Super Bowl, performed by Barbadian singer Rihanna, attracted more attention than the game itself. The performance drew 118.7 million viewers, with the game only having 113 million viewers. The singer also used this spotlight to announce her second pregnancy with American rapper ASAP Rocky. Many viewers were also entertained by the ads. According to USA Today, this year’s Super Bowl ad was The Farmer’s Dog: “Forever,” billed as “our love letter to dogs.” The NFL’s “Run With It” ad was found to be the second most popular. It featured flag football star Diana Flores, along with other big names in American football. The ad aimed to empower women in the football industry, which was previously seen as only for men.
Super Bowl LVIII will take place on February 11 at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, in Las Vegas.
