Blowing double-digit halftime leads in the Super Bowl is literally for the birds.
The Philadelphia Eagles looked poised to win Super Bowl LVII against the Kansas City Chiefs midway through Sunday night’s game. The Eagles, behind a ridiculous half from quarterback Jalen Hurts, led 24-14 at recess and largely looked in control. Not only did the Philly offense have its way with the Chiefs, but one of KC’s scores came after Hurts literally gave them the ball on a fumble returned for a touchdown.
Oh, and as the two teams went to the locker room for intermission, Chiefs all-world quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped off the field after reaggravating a high ankle sprain. It would take a borderline historic second half for the Chiefs to steal their second Super Bowl title in four years — and that’s exactly what happened.
As we all know, Mahomes cemented his legacy as an all-time great with a sensational second half behind brilliant play-calling from Andy Reid, who joined an exclusive fraternity of head coaches with two rings. And, in the process, the Eagles joined a club that, before Sunday night, included only the 2016 Atlanta Falcons.
When it comes to the Super Bowl, you never want to join the 2016 Falcons.
But that’s exactly what the Eagles did, as they became just the second team in Super Bowl history to lead by at least 10 points at halftime and lose the game. In fairness to the Eagles, their second-half collapse paled in comparison to Atlanta’s. The Falcons led the Patriots 21-3 at halftime in Super Bowl LI and even built the lead to 28-3 before Tom Brady authored one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.
So, while 24-14 probably won’t end up on T-shirts and flags, it’s worth wondering whether there will be some leftover baggage for the Eagles. The Falcons have won just one playoff game since their collapse, and they haven’t even played a postseason game since 2018.
For now, though, the Eagles can only take solace in setting their sights on 2023, where they’ll likely still be on the short list of championship contenders.
