On February 12, 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles faced off in the 57th Super Bowl.
Both teams deserve the recognition for the amount of hard work put in to get up to this point. The Eagles worked their way through the Eastern Conference before beating the San Francisco 49ers with the score of 31 - 7. On the other hand, the Kansas City Chiefs battled through the Western Conference and defeated the Cincinnati Bengals with a score of 23 - 20 in the final.
After two weeks of anticipation, fans saw the top two teams in the league go head-to-head for the Lombardi Trophy. In the first quarter, the score was 7 to 7 with the handoff from Jalen Hurts to Kennath Gainwall; the Chiefs responded just as fast with a pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce for the tying touchdown.
A different story emerged in the second quarter, with the Eagles scoring 17 and the Chiefs scoring 7. The first was a touchdown pass of 45 yards from Jalen Hurts to AJ Brown. The Chiefs were able to cause Hurts to fumble the ball, and linebacker Nick Bolton of the Chiefs was able to recover it 36 yards and tie the score at 14-14. Unfazed, Hurts was able to unite his team and gain another touchdown. Mahomes hurt his ankle in the previous conference game, which eventually led to the injury. A late field goal gave the Eagles and Hurts a comfortable 24-14 lead.
Fans were looking forward to Rihanna’s half-time performance, as it was her first live performance in several years. Media outlets were filled with predictions about the songs she would perform and the special guests she would invite. Appearing on stage with a monochromatic red outfit, Rhianna sang a variety of her well-known songs ranging from “Where Have You Been” to “Diamonds”. In addition to giving an anticipated performance, Rihanna shocked fans with the pregnancy announcement of her second child. Although no special artists were featured, it might be argued that the announcement of her expectancy was the feature itself.
After Rihanna's long-awaited performance, the Chiefs employed Isaiah Pacheco's rushing skills to score a touchdown, cutting the deficit to only 24- 21. Hurts lost the ball for the second time, and linebacker Bolton recovered the ball once again. However, the officials made a highly controversial decision as they declared it a “dead ball”. The Eagles were then able to move forward to kick a field goal, extending their lead.
When it mattered most, the Eagles' defense began to crumble in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs started to make their comeback as Mahomes threw the ball 5 yards to a wide-open Kadarius Toney, putting the Chiefs on top for the first time during the game. Skye Moore, a rookie, caught a 4-yard pass to extend the Chiefs' advantage to 35-27. Hurts completed the task by scoring his third running touchdown and two-point conversion to tie the game at 35-35 after completing a 45-yard pass to DeVonte Smith.
In the last 3 minutes of the game, James Bradberry gave the Chiefs a first down by stopping at the 1-yard line. This allowed the Chiefs to waste time and set up their kicker Harrison Butker for the game-winning field goal. At last, the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 38 - 35. Both quarterbacks displayed their incredible skills and battled until the last second. The Chiefs ultimately stole the victory from the Eagles, concluding the 2023 Superbowl.
Knoblauch, A. (2023, February 11). Super Bowl 2023: What time does the game start? Who is playing? Los Angeles Times.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/story/2023-02-10/super-bowl-2023-start-time-teams-location-channel-halftime-show
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