The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl 57 on Sunday night, cementing the legacies of the Chiefs in the annals of NFL history. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes earned Super Bowl 57 MVP in the aftermath of his legendary performance. It’s safe to say the Chiefs are in the makings of a potential dynasty if they can continue building on this success.
We’re breaking down our top five takeaways from the Chiefs’ win in Super Bowl 57. Regardless of Kansas City winning, each team fought hard to earn the victory in one of the more difficult Super Bowls in recent memory to project. Let’s dive into the biggest takeaways from the night.
5 Takeaways From Chiefs Super Bowl 57 Win
1) Jalen Hurts Is the Eagles’ Franchise QB
Believe it or not, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts entered the night facing questions as to whether he was the key to the offense or a mere cog. San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould even questioned whether Hurts was more of the product of the system, essentially saying that defenses didn’t need to treat Hurts as “the man” of the offense.
Hurts wasn’t perfect against the Chiefs, but he was highly effective.
The Eagles’ offense lacked its usual zest on the ground, producing less than 60 yards outside Hurts’ own total. Instead of making Hurts more of a complementary feature, the Chiefs loaded the box and forced him to beat them.
Philadelphia wasn’t able to come up with enough stops to comply despite a brilliant performance from Hurts and the Eagles’ passing game.
The last thing Philadelphia wanted to do was get involved in an offensive shootout with Mahomes on the other side. They fell into Andy Reid’s trap, combining for more than 70 points between the teams. The Eagles’ odds of winning dropped as the point total rose.
But Hurts was far from the issue. Their winning script never featured only 43 rushing yards from Kenneth Gainwell, Miles Sanders, and Boston Scott. Hurts, totaling almost 400 yards, answered any questions about whether he’s more of the puppeteer or a puppet in Philadelphia’s high-powered offense.
Even in a loss, Hurts was incredibly impressive. He was the Eagles’ offense, giving hope to the unit as they lose offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to the Colts. He made the timely throws many doubted he could, but his defense simply failed against an elite coach and quarterback.
2) Patrick Mahomes Further Cements Legacy
The Chiefs won with some controversy around their win, but there’s no question that putting up 31 offensive points against the league’s most explosive defense is impressive. The Eagles ranked eighth in points allowed this season but dominated when it mattered the most in the playoffs. Their talented defense was supposed to anchor a great offense that drained the clock in waning moments.
Instead, Mahomes won his second Super Bowl in six seasons. It marks the second time Mahomes did just enough to overcome a more talented foe in the big game, as he did in 2020 when the Chiefs beat the 49ers 31-20. Though Mahomes completed only 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards, he also threw for three touchdowns and ran for 44 yards.
His performance was all about timing. The Chiefs scored 24 second-half points after entering halftime down 24-14. In typical Chiefs and Mahomes fashion, they saved the best for last. Mahomes led four straight scoring drives in the second half to win, while the Eagles scored 14 points in their final four drives.
Winning his second Super Bowl by age 28 is massive for Mahomes’ legacy. He’s now undoubtedly among the top five all-time quarterbacks considering his insanely high individual peak and ability to overcome losing Tyreek Hill while he won. Everything else over the next decade will simply further cement his place among the top five quarterbacks.
3) Andy Reid Climbs Coaching Mt. Rushmore
It’s fascinating to see how Reid’s legacy has unfolded. The former Eagles coach overcame his former franchise for this win, notching his second Super Bowl win in four tries. Considering he’s fifth all-time in wins and now has two championships, it’s time to consider whether Reid is a top-four NFL head coach.
I think he is. Reid pushed Eagles rosters to three straight NFC Championship Games and one Super Bowl appearance despite not having an all-time QB. He quickly revamped the Chiefs to become a Super Bowl contender and won two Super Bowls after developing Mahomes. Only Bill Belichick has anywhere near a similar résumé among modern-NFL coaches.
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Reid has won a whopping 64.1% of regular-season games and almost 60% of playoff games. Those marks rank fourth and third, respectively, among the top six NFL-winningest coaches, pitting him among the very elite of all time. It’s time to consider Reid as a legendary coach with this win.
4) Linebackers Still Matter
The Eagles had a fantastic roster. They set an NFL record with four players with 10 or more sacks and proved to be a playmaking unit with turnovers and pass breakups. However, they lacked playmakers at linebacker, and Kansas City fully exposed that issue in their win.
Guarding Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is impossible, but it was necessary. He had 81 yards and a touchdown, hitting the over on his receiving yards. He executed a double move while in single coverage, giving Mahomes his first easy touchdown, highlighting an issue for Philadelphia.
The Eagles simply didn’t have an answer for the tight end position with their linebacker and safety depth chart. They entered the game ranking as an average unit against tight ends, but left themselves vulnerable when they knew Kelce was the primary threat throughout this game.
It’s a tough weakness to have on a championship-level squad when the Chiefs were always looming as a potential Super Bowl foe.
5) Officiating Continues To Be An Issue
While I appreciate that Eagles cornerback James Bradberry owned the holding call against him that ended up leading to the game-winning Chiefs field goal, there wasn’t a single defensive pass interference or defensive holding call the rest of the game.
The call on Bradberry was weak, considering the pass was uncatchable. That wasn’t an appropriate time to pull the flag.
Being a ref is a hard job. A penalty can be called on almost every play. Usually, the first quarter is a good time to establish what physicality will be allowed so teams can adjust for the refs.
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Instead, the refs called only nine penalties all game long. The hold on Bradberry came on 3rd-and-8, leading to a 27-yard chip shot field goal for Harrison Butker. Though it was only a four-yard penalty, the Eagles lost 1:46 off the game clock, effectively ending the game with a made field goal.
It’s unfortunate that the whistle didn’t encourage a more exciting finale to a wonderful game.