Super Bowl LVII vs Philadelphia Eagles

Lore & Background

Both teams finished the regular season with a league-best 14–3 record. This was the Chiefs' fifth Super Bowl appearance overall and third in the last four seasons, having previously won Super Bowls IV and LIV and lost Super Bowls I and LV. The Chiefs won the game 38–35 on a game-winning field goal by Harrison Butker. Butker's game-winning kick was set up by a pivotal defensive holding call on Philadelphia cornerback James Bradberry. The 73 combined points made this the third-highest scoring Super Bowl game, and the 35 points scored by the Eagles were the most by the losing team in the Super Bowl. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP), completing 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns.

In Their Own Story

The Arizona heat had long faded, replaced by a freezing tension as the clock ticked down on a 35-35 deadlock. Mahomes limped heavily, his right foot barely finding purchase in the turf, yet his eyes burned with an unshakeable focus. A defensive rush collapsed the pocket; Mahomes spun out of the sack, buying just enough time to launch a laser toward Kadarius Toney. The ball spiraled through the humid air, landing perfectly as the crowd's roar drowned out everything else. It wasn't just a touchdown; it was a statement etched in history—a victory won not by perfect health, but by sheer, unbreakable will.

Reader's Guide

The game was remembered for the use of signature plays on both sides, with the Chiefs scoring two touchdowns on plays using the Corn Dog misdirection route and the Eagles scoring twice using the Tush Push. Fox's broadcast of the game became the most-watched program in American television history at the time, with an average of 115.1 million viewers. The halftime show, headlined by Rihanna, peaked at 121 million viewers. This was the last Super Bowl that George Toma would serve as groundskeeper for. The field conditions were criticized by players, particularly for slipperiness.

Did You Know?

• The three touchdowns and two-point conversion scored by Jalen Hurts tied the record for most points scored by a player in a Super Bowl with 20.
• This was the fourth Super Bowl hosted by the Phoenix metropolitan area, and the third at State Farm Stadium, after Super Bowls XLII in 2008 and XLIX in 2015.
• Kansas City and Philadelphia would meet for a rematch two years later in Super Bowl LIX, in which the Eagles avenged their loss against the Chiefs, 40–22.