Both teams finished the regular season with a league-best 14–3 record. This was the Eagles fourth Super Bowl appearance overall and the second in the last six seasons, having previously won Super Bowl LII; the Eagles previously lost Super Bowls XV and XXXIX. 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 losses in Super Bowls I and LV.
After the Eagles went into halftime up 24–14, the Chiefs mounted a comeback to win the game 38–35 with a game-winning field goal kicked by Harrison Butker. Butker's game winning kick was set up by a pivotal and controversial defensive holding call on Philadelphia cornerback James Bradberry, which was criticized by some observers but supported by others.[7][8][9][10] 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. 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.
Beginning with Super Bowl LVI, a new system was introduced to select Super Bowl hosting sites. Discarding the previous process that allowed cities to submit bids for the hosting rights, the league unilaterally chooses a single hosting site for each game. The chosen city then creates a proposal that is voted upon at the league's owners' meetings.[15]Arizona was the first location chosen under this process; its proposal was accepted unanimously on May 23, 2018.[6]
The official logo was unveiled on February 14, 2022; it follows the updated logo template introduced by Super Bowl LVI, with imagery of a sunset resembling Arizona's state flag behind a desert canyon to reflect the landscapes of the host region.[16]
Calls for location change
In February 2022, over 200 liberal religious leaders, including Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Dr. William Barber II, petitioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to move Super Bowl LVII out of Arizona after they accused the Arizona legislature of enacting unnecessary voting restrictions with HB 1003, SB 1485, and SB 1819.[17][18]Arizona Democratic Party vice-chair Brianna Westbrook also voiced her support to move the Super Bowl after the Arizona legislature passed SB 1138 and SB 1165, which restricts access to gender-affirming care for minors, and bans transgender girls from playing on girls' sports teams.[19]
The game and surrounding festivities included acknowledgements of the Indigenous peoples of Arizona; the Ak-Chin Indian Community, Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, Gila River Indian Community, and Tohono O'odham Nation were named as Host Committee Partners,[20] and the official branding for the game features artwork by Lucinda "La Morena" Hinojos, featuring the White Tank Mountains adorned with 22 diamonds representing the Native American tribes that have a presence in Arizona. This marked the first time an Indigenous artist was commissioned to create the official artwork for the Super Bowl.[20] An 8,500 square feet (790 m2) mural in downtown Phoenix was also commissioned in collaboration between Hinojos and other Indigenous artists.[20]
For the first time, a land acknowledgment was read during a ceremony on February 6 attended by representatives of the Host Committee Partner tribes, while dance troupe Indigenous Enterprise performed during Super Bowl Opening Night, and as part of entertainment outside State Farm Stadium on the day of the game.[20][21][22]
The NFL spent two years preparing the grass used in Super Bowl LVII. The field, made of Tahoma 31 grass, was grown at a local sod farm in Phoenix.[28] Despite the field prep, multiple players could be seen slipping and falling on the surface.[28] Players from both teams criticized the playing surface, and several players changed cleats during the game to get better traction.[29] During their Week 1 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, Chiefs players had complained of the playing surface at the time (it was replaced by February) which potentially led to injuries to Harrison Butker and Trent McDuffie.[30]
Patrick Mahomes became the first player to win the league MVP and the Super Bowl in the same year since 1999.[31]
Kansas City finished the season with their tenth consecutive winning record under head coach Andy Reid, going 14–3 and advancing to their third Super Bowl in the last four years with one-score wins over the Jacksonville Jaguars (Divisional Round) and Cincinnati Bengals (AFC Championship Game).[32]
The Chiefs traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in the offseason for draft picks but still finished the year as the NFL's best offense, leading the league in yards (7,032) and points scored (496). Quarterback Patrick Mahomes made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl and won his second NFL Most Valuable Player award, leading the league with a career-high 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdowns while throwing 12 interceptions. His passer rating of 105.2 was the second-highest in the league. He also rushed for 354 yards and four touchdowns, setting the NFL record for most combined passing and rushing yards in a season with 5,608.[33] Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce was the team's leading receiver with 1,338 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. The team also added in a pair of veteran receivers to help make up for the loss of Hill: JuJu Smith-Schuster (933 yards and three touchdowns) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (687 yards and two touchdowns). The Chiefs' running game was led by rookie Isiah Pacheco, who had stepped into the leading role due to a midseason injury to starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Pacheco finished the season with 830 rushing yards and five touchdowns while also gaining 130 receiving yards and returning kickoffs with an average of 20.6 yards per return.[34] Veteran running back Jerick McKinnon added 803 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. Their offensive line featured three Pro Bowl selections: guard Joe Thuney, tackle Orlando Brown Jr., and center Creed Humphrey. Punter Tommy Townsend also made the Pro Bowl, ranking second in the NFL in yards per punt (50.4) and leading the league with a 45.4 net average.[35]
Kansas City's defensive line featured Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones, who led the team with 15.5 sacks, along with defensive ends George Karlaftis (6 sacks, seven pass deflections) and Frank Clark (5 sacks). Linebacker Nick Bolton led the team with 180 combined tackles and two interceptions. The secondary was led by cornerback L'Jarius Sneed (three interceptions, 108 tackles, three forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks) and safety Juan Thornhill (three interceptions, 71 tackles).[36]
This was Kansas City's fifth Super Bowl, following wins in Super Bowls IV and LIV and losses in Super Bowls I and LV. Prior to the Super Bowl era, the Chiefs won the American Football League championship in 1962.[37]
The Super Bowl was the final for Norma Hunt, the widow of the Chiefs' founder, Lamar Hunt, who died in June 2023. She was a member (and the only woman) of the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club.[38] She was a minority owner of the Chiefs at the time of her death.[39]
Winning 16 of his last 17 starts, Jalen Hurts became the eighth quarterback to start a Super Bowl before his 25th birthday and the youngest in Eagles history.[40][41]
Under second-year head coach Nick Sirianni, the Eagles started the season winning eight consecutive games before finishing the season tied for an NFL-best 14–3 record and advancing to the Super Bowl by defeating their two playoff opponents (the New York Giants in the Divisional Round, and the San Francisco 49ers who were missing a quarterback in the NFC Championship Game) by a combined score of 69–14. The team excelled on both sides of the ball, scoring 477 points (third most in the NFL) while only allowing 344 (eighth fewest) and sending an NFL-best eight players to the Pro Bowl.[42]
Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts led the offense, setting career highs in his third season in completion percentage (66.5%), passing yards (3,701), and passing touchdowns (22) while throwing just six interceptions, giving a career-high 101.5 passer rating, the fourth-best in the NFL. Hurts also rushed for 736 yards and 13 touchdowns, the second-highest total in the league among quarterbacks. Pro Bowl receiver A. J. Brown, acquired from the Tennessee Titans in the off-season, posted 1,496 receiving yards and eleven touchdowns, while second-year receiver DeVonta Smith added 1,196 yards and seven scores. Tight end Dallas Goedert was another reliable target with 702 yards and three touchdowns. Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders ranked fifth in the NFL with 1,269 yards and eleven touchdowns, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. The team also sent three offensive linemen to the Pro Bowl: guard Landon Dickerson, tackle Lane Johnson, and center Jason Kelce. Kicker Jake Elliott made 20 of 23 field goals (87%), including 5-of-6 from at least 50 yards.[43]
Philadelphia's defense ranked second in the league in yards allowed (5,125) and set an NFL record with four players who recorded at least ten sacks. The defensive line features defensive ends Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, who each recorded 11 sacks, along with defensive tackles Fletcher Cox (seven sacks), Javon Hargrave (11 sacks), and Milton Williams (4 sacks). Pro Bowl linebacker Haason Reddick ranked second in the NFL with 16 sacks while forcing five fumbles and recovering three. Linebackers T. J. Edwards and Kyzir White each recorded over 100 combined tackles and broke up seven passes. In the secondary, safety C. J. Gardner-Johnson co-led the NFL with six interceptions, while All-Pro cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry each had three.[44]
It was Philadelphia's fourth Super Bowl, following a win in Super Bowl LII and losses in Super Bowls XV and XXXIX. The Eagles also won three pre-Super Bowl NFL championships in 1948, 1949, and 1960.[45]
The Chiefs entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 27–20, in the AFC Divisional round. In a tightly contested game, the Chiefs held off a late fourth-quarter rally by the Jaguars. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down early in the game with a high right ankle sprain injury which forced him out of the game for a drive, but he was able to return shortly after leaving. The AFC Championship pitted the Chiefs against the Cincinnati Bengals in a rematch of the 2021 AFC Championship game. This was the fifth consecutive AFC Championship hosted by the Chiefs, extending their record. Much like the previous year's contest, the game was close toward the end of the fourth quarter. On the game's last drive, tied at 20, Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai was flagged for a late hit on Patrick Mahomes after he stepped out of bounds, which set the Chiefs up in field goal range with eight seconds remaining. Harrison Butker then kicked a 45-yard field goal to send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl with a 23–20 win.[46]
The Eagles went into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Their first playoff matchup was against their NFC East rival New York Giants. The Eagles quickly jumped to a 28–0 halftime lead and cruised to the NFC Championship game with a 38–7 victory, which marked the first playoff win for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni. In the NFC Championship, the Eagles hosted the San Francisco 49ers. The Eagles won the NFC Championship, 31–7, as the 49ers lost their starting and backup quarterbacks to injury.[47]
Pre-game notes
The game was quick to earn the colloquial names Andy Reid Bowl and Kelce Bowl. It also was the first Super Bowl to feature two black starting quarterbacks.
As the designated home team in the Super Bowl's annual rotation between the two conferences, the Eagles chose to wear their green home jerseys with white pants. The Chiefs wore their white away jerseys with red pants.[48][49][50]
The game was also referred to as the "Kelce Bowl",[55][56][57] as this marked the first Super Bowl to feature brothers playing against each other: Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Eagles center Jason Kelce.[55][58]
Nielsen ratings initially reported an average of 113 million viewers, making it the third-highest-rated Super Bowl of all time. Viewership was strongest in the Kansas City market with a 52.0 share, although local viewership was down in comparison to the Chiefs' appearances at Super Bowl LIV (55.7) and LV (59.9).[83] In May 2023, Nielsen revised its ratings data for Super Bowl LVII to account for technical issues that had created "irregularities" in the original ratings, increasing the average to 115.1 million. The game consequently overtook Super Bowl XLIX as the most-watched U.S. television program[12] of all time (the Apollo 11 landing is considered to be the most-watched U.S. television broadcast of all time, as it was reported to have been seen by between 125–150 million viewers, but this was a news event carried over multiple networks).[84][85]
In China, the game was broadcast by Tencent, NFL's media partner for the Chinese market, and nine other TV stations or streaming services also carried the game and Super Bowl coverage provided by Tencent. Tencent and NFL China also sent a crew of 4 reporters to the game.
In Spain, Movistar Plus owns the broadcasting rights to the NFL, and the game was broadcast on their paid channel.[98]
In Sweden, the Super Bowl was televised for the first time by the linear TV channel TV12 and on the streaming service C More,[99] following the broadcasting rights transfer from previous rights-holder NENT/Viaplay which had broadcast the NFL in Sweden since the 1980s.[100]
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the game also aired on Sky's subscription sports channels Sky Sports NFL and Sky Sports Main Event and subscription entertainment channel Sky Showcase.[103]
A.J. Brown's 45-yard touchdown catch allowed Philadelphia to retake the lead at the beginning of the second quarter. (Brown pictured in 2021 with Tennessee)
After Kansas City won the coin toss and deferred their choice to the second half, Philadelphia began the game with the ball. Their first drive spanned 75 yards in 11 plays and featured two rushes by Jalen Hurts for 12 yards, and four completed passes—the longest of which was a 23-yard completion to DeVonta Smith. After the Eagles converted a third down from inside the Kansas City 5-yard-line, Hurts scored the game's first points with a 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7–0 lead. Kansas City responded with an 8-play, 75-yard drive that featured a 24-yard run by Isiah Pacheco. Patrick Mahomes also completed two passes to Travis Kelce, including an 18-yard touchdown pass to tie the score. Philadelphia's second drive produced the game's first three-and-out after a pass interference penalty set them back early. Kansas City did not take advantage, as several incompletions set up a 42-yard field goal attempt by Harrison Butker, which hit the left upright and was no-good. The Eagles began their next drive from their 32-yard-line and gained yardage on two Hurts rushes and two Hurts passes, in addition to a defensive offside penalty, before the first quarter ended.[114]
On the first play of the second quarter, Philadelphia retook the lead 14–7 with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to A. J. Brown. The Chiefs did not recover from a loss of yardage on the first play of their next drive, and they punted as a result of their first three-and-out. After a Hurts pass and a Kenneth Gainwell rush each gained nine yards, Hurts fumbled the ball while running into linebacker Nick Bolton, who recovered it bouncing off the ground in stride and ran 36 yards for a touchdown, tying the game. Hurts led the Eagles on another touchdown drive to take the lead. The Eagles converted a pair of fourth downs, one of them a 4th and 5 with a 28-yard scramble by Hurts, and later by drawing the Chiefs offside on 4th down for the other. Hurts finished the 71-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run that made the score 21–14. The Chiefs started their next drive well after gaining a first down in two plays leading into the two-minute warning, but they stalled from there and punted with 1:33 remaining in the half. During this drive, Mahomes re-aggravated a high ankle sprain that he had suffered earlier in the playoffs, and was seen limping to the side-line after the play. However, unlike the Divisional round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Chiefs did not play any further offensive snaps without him.[115]Britain Covey returned the ensuing punt 27 yards to his own 43-yard-line, which, in addition to a 22-yard pass from Hurts to Brown near the end of the Eagles' next drive, helped put them into field goal range. However, Chiefs rookie Trent McDuffie then made a crucial tackle on Kenneth Gainwell to keep him in-bounds after a two-yard pass from Hurts, preventing the Eagles from having any chance at throwing to the end-zone before half-time. The Eagles used their final timeout to stop the clock, and Jake Elliott converted the ensuing 35-yard kick to increase Philadelphia's lead to ten points going into halftime.[114]
Second half
Harrison Butker's 27-yard field goal gave the Chiefs a 38–35 lead with eight seconds left in the game.
Kansas City received the ball to begin the second half and drove 75 yards in 12 plays, with Mahomes completing all three of his passes for 26 yards and rushing for 14 before Pacheco's 1-yard touchdown run cut their deficit to three points. Philadelphia responded with a 19-play, 65-yard drive, in which Hurts completed two 17-yard passes to tight end Dallas Goedert, one of which converted a third-and-14. At this point, however, the Kansas City defense started to have more success against the Eagles offense, and although the Eagles managed to succeed on a fourth-and-1 attempt, a subsequent third-and-11 try was stopped at the Chiefs' 15-yard line, forcing the Eagles to settle for a 33-yard field goal attempt, which Elliott converted with 1:48 left in the third quarter, making the score 27-21. The Chiefs gained 31 yards on their next four plays, including two Pacheco rushes that reached the Philadelphia 44-yard-line, which led them to end the third quarter.[114]
Mahomes completed four passes to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a total of 38 yards after the quarter break and concluded the Chiefs' 12-play, 75-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney, giving the Chiefs their first lead of the game, 28–27. The Chiefs' defense continued their good form by forcing Philadelphia to their first, and only, three-and-out of the entire game. The ensuing Arryn Siposs punt, however, was a poor one and allowed Kadarius Toney to return it for 65 yards to the Eagles' 5-yard-line and setting a record with the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, surpassing Jordan Norwood’s record of a 61 yard return seven years earlier in Super Bowl 50.[116] Kansas City scored quickly on a 4-yard pass from Mahomes to Skyy Moore in an almost carbon-copy play of the previous Toney touchdown. Butker's extra point increased their lead to eight points. Philadelphia took four minutes off the clock on their ensuing drive, which spanned eight plays and resulted in a 45-yard pass to Smith that set up Hurts' 2-yard touchdown run on the next play. Hurts then scored a two-point conversion with a run that tied the score at 35 with 5:15 remaining. At the start of Kansas City's next drive, three runs by Pacheco for 15 yards and two completions by Mahomes for 17 yards moved the ball to the Eagles' 43-yard line. On the next play, despite his re-aggrevated ankle injury, Mahomes took off for a 26-yard run - the longest run by any Chiefs player in the game - that gave the Chiefs a first down on Philadelphia's 17-yard line. A 2-yard run by Pacheco ran the clock down to the two-minute warning. A completed pass for no gain brought up third-and-8. Mahomes threw an incomplete pass on the next play, but Kansas City earned a first down after James Bradberry was penalized for holding — a call that was criticized by some,[117][118] but was supported by others, including by Bradberry himself who would admit after the game that he did hold Smith-Schuster, and was hoping that the officials would not call it.[119][120] On the next play, with first down at the Eagles' 11-yard line, McKinnon rushed to the 2-yard-line where he intentionally downed himself, thereby extending the Chiefs' drive taking more time off the clock. The Chiefs ended the drive by taking a knee twice and kicking a 27-yard field goal, leaving eight seconds on the clock. A Hail Mary pass by Hurts fell incomplete after he partially lost his footing, ending the game.[114]
Mahomes completed 21 of his 27 pass attempts for 182 yards and three touchdowns and was named the Super Bowl MVP. He also ran for 44 yards.[121] Pacheco was the top rusher of the game with 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. Bolton had eight solo tackles, one assist, and a fumble return touchdown. Hurts finished the day 27/38 for 304 yards and a touchdown while rushing 15 times for 70 yards and three touchdowns. He set the Super Bowl record for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback while tying the Super Bowl record for rushing touchdowns and points scored (20) as well.[122][123] Smith was his top target with seven receptions, and led all receivers in the game with 100 yards, while Brown had six catches for 96 yards and a score.
The Chiefs' offensive line was heavily praised for their performance in the game. Philadelphia led the NFL with 70 sacks during the season, just two short of the league record. However, in the Super Bowl, Mahomes was not sacked at all, only the second time the Eagles had no sacks in their regular season or playoff games, while Kansas City's offense rushed for 158 yards.[124][125]
Box score
Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles — Game summary
Super Bowl LVII featured seven officials, a replay official, a replay assistant, and eight alternate officials. The numbers in parentheses below indicate their uniform numbers.[2]
^Јелена Трајковић (February 2, 2023). "Odbrojavamo do Superboula LVII – ekskluzivno na SK!" [Countdown until Super Bowl LVII – exclusively on SK!]. sportklub.rs (in Serbian). Archived from the original on February 12, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
1 – Dates in the list denote the season, not necessarily the calendar year in which the championship game was played. For instance, Super Bowl LIV was played in 2020, but was the championship for the 2019 season.
2 – From 1966 to 1969, the first four Super Bowls were "World Championship" games played between two independent professional football leagues, AFL and NFL, and when the league merged in 1970 the Super Bowl became the NFL Championship Game.
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