The Kansas City Chiefs claimed their third Super Bowl title, and their second in four years, wrapping up the 2023 American Football season with a final for the ages.
They fought back to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, staging an epic fourth quarter comeback via an inspired Patrick Mahomes.
In front of a near 68,000 capacity crowd at the State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal from 27 yards out was the difference between the two sides.
With action both on and off the field, here’s what went down on Sunday night…
Their Routes to Arizona
Despite their Super Bowl win in 2020, the Chiefs headed into this year’s final as slight underdogs.
The Chiefs clinched the AFC West division, winning their last five games to finish with a 14-3-win record. The Eagles registered the same win-to-loss ratio, securing not only the NFC East but also the Conference title.
In the Divisional Round, the Chiefs managed to hold out the in-form Jacksonville Jaguars by seven points, while the Eagles were totally dominant against the New York Giants.
That dominance continued with a 31-7 demolition of the San Francisco 49ers in the Conference Championships. In the other fixture, the Chiefs once again got the edge, beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.
MVP Mahomes 🏆
Come the final and it was a battle of attacks and the quarterbacks. With neither defence able to keep a lock on their opponents’ powers, Jalen Hurts used his running ability to open the scoring with his first rushing touchdown of the night.
Mahomes then found Travis Kelce to get the score back level. But in the second quarter, Hurts and the Eagles stretched the score line to 24-14 with two more touchdowns and a field goal.
After Rihanna lit up the extended half-time show, Mahomes recovered quickly from an earlier ankle injury to put Isiah Pacheco through.
An Eagles field goal kept them in front at 27-21, but two playbook touchdowns quickly turned the game in the Chiefs’ favour.
Despite Hurts’ third rushing touchdown of the night and his 18th of the season (a new record for a single campaign), Mahomes’ brilliance put Butker in the position to score with just eight seconds left on the clock. This secured the quarterback the Super Bowl, the season MVP and the Super Bowl MVP for 2022/23.
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On the Ground with Mac
To celebrate the occasion, we sent JD regular Mac Griffiths (@mac_griffiths_) out to Phoenix to soak up the pre-match atmosphere and get chattin’ to the fans as they headed into the stadium.
With Super Bowl tickets the most lucrative prize on the fans’ sporting calendar, Mac found out how much some of the supporters were paying to watch the epic showdown between Kansas and Philly…💸💸💸
‘Til Next Season
With a new season starting later this year, get set to support your side with our range of American Football essentials right here at JD.
And for all things NFL, make sure you’re following @jdsports across our socials! 📲
