The Chiefs are Super Bowl champions again.
Kansas City beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 to win Super Bowl LVII, and it did so after being down 24-14 at halftime. That made the Chiefs the first team since the 2016 Patriots to come back from a double-digit halftime deficit in the Super Bowl, according to ESPN Stats and Info. New England fans will remember that game as the epic 28-3 comeback against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Teams were 26-1 in such situations before Sunday. Also, teams with a double-digit lead at halftime were 89-14 this season, according to The Associated Press’ Tim Reynolds. One of those 14 comebacks, was by the Chiefs.
Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes reaggravated his ankle injury in the first half but battled through in the second half to complete the game with 182 passing yards and three touchdowns. The key moment for the quarterback was a 26-yard scramble — was his longest of the season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates — during Kansas City’s game-winning drive.
The win didn’t come without controversy, however. On a third-and-8 with 1:54 left in the game, Mahomes missed JuJu Smith-Schuster on a pass. But a questionable holding penalty was called on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry and extended the Chiefs drive. Philadelphia had one timeout left, which left it no time for a comeback of its own.
Kansas City ran down the clock until there were 11 seconds on the clock, and Harrison Butker kicked the game-winning field goal.
The Super Bowl victory was the MVP quarterback’s second in four seasons, which surely will bring up debate over his legacy compared to Tom Brady’s, but that discussion will be had another day.
