Super Bowl 2023 Score: Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown of Chiefs vs. Eagles
The Kelce brothers and Andy Reid may have dominated the conversation entering Sunday's Super Bowl LVII but when the first whistle blew, the talk turned to an explosive football game that saw Jalen Hurts and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles dominate the first 30 minutes and take a 10-point lead into halftime over AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Then, Superman put on his cape.
Despite being hobbled by a high ankle sprain, NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes exploited openings in a very good Eagles defense, outscoring the opposing team by the score of 24-11 en route to the second Super Bowl title of his career.
Dive deeper into the epic encounter, an instant classic of professional football, with this quarter-by-quarter breakdown of the biggest game in sports.
First Quarter
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The scoring started fast and furious, with Philadelphia striking first after Kansas City won the coin toss and deferred.
Jalen Hurts hit wideout DeVonta Smith three times for 41 yards, added an 11-yard run of his own and appeared to hand off to Kenneth Gainwell for a touchdown. The gritty running back fell just short of the end zone, though, and a review negated the score.
No score, no problem for the NFC champions, though, as Philly did what it has done so many times this season: shoved Hurts for a yard, this one resulting in six and the Eagles' first lead of the game.
The Chiefs answered just as quickly.
They established the run with rookie back Isiah Pacheco, who sprinted for 29 yards. Mahomes added two strikes to tight end Kelce, who had no problem navigating the Eagles' defense and exploiting favorable matchups, including one with safety Marcus Epps that led to an 18-yard touchdown.
An aggressive KC defense held the Eagles to a rare three-and-out and the offense drove the field again, with Mahomes hitting Kelce for another 22 yards, proving that the big plays were there for the Chiefs' taking.
Head coach Andy Reid's decision to stay conservative and try for a field goal backfired as Harrison Butker continued a subpar year by doinking a 42-yarder off the left upright, canceling the first (and only) opportunity the Chiefs had to take a lead in the first half.
It was a decision that had the commentary team of Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen questioning the Kansas City head coach in short order.
Second Quarter
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The Eagles wasted little time capitalizing on the Chiefs' conservative decision, kicking off their third drive in the closing seconds of the first quarter and capping it with a 45-yard pass from Hurts to AJ Brown for a touchdown.
A gutsy pass into tight coverage made the score possible. It wasn't the first time Hurts would go deep to one of his playmakers in the quarter but it was, by far, the most successful.
What threatened to be a runaway following a quick three-and-out by the KC offense, instead, gave way to the most dynamic defensive play of the first half. Hurts attempted a quarterback keeper but fumbled the ball.
Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton picked it up, returned it 36 yards and tied the score at 14 apiece.
Hurts, unfazed on the biggest stage of his career, put the Philly offense on his back and carried it to the tune of 36 yards on the ground, capping off the next drive with a touchdown.
This after converting two fourth downs, a staple of Nick Siriani's fearless coaching style.
Mahomes and the Chiefs took the field for the first time in 23 minutes and the offense sputtered, losing yards due to a false start penalty before the NFL MVP took off to run.
Linebacker TJ Edwards brought him down, aggravating the high ankle sprain that was such a topic of discussion entering the AFC Championship Game.
Mahomes limped off the field and watched as Hurts drove his team down field for a late field goal to take what appeared to be a commanding 24-14 lead heading into halftime.
Third Quarter
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Pressure breeds diamonds and moments after the hit Rihanna song wrapped up a strong Halftime Show, the Chiefs' offense seemingly thrived under the mounting pressure facing them.
The underdogs hit the ground running, thriving on the tough rushing of Jerrick McKinnon, a surprisingly spry Mahomes and Pacheco, who capped off the drive with the first Super Bowl touchdown of what looks like a promising young career, and narrowed the score to 24-21.
NFL officials have struggled all season to consistently define what is and isn't a catch, costing Chiefs linebacker Bolton a fumble recovery and potentially the MVP of the game. More importantly, it kept Kansas City from having the opportunity to take the lead.
The Eagles followed up that call by pushing the ball downfield, with Hurts hitting tight end Dallas Goedert twice for 34 yards, the second being challenged by the Chiefs after some uncertainty surrounding the receiver's control of the ball throughout the process.
Ruled a catch, it kept a drive alive that ultimately concluded with the Eagles tacking on a field goal to extend the team's lead to 27-21.
Kansas City got the ball as the quarter came to an end.
It was a momentum-shifting quarter that saw the Chiefs record a much-needed score, then limit a Philly offense to just three points despite two questionable calls that could have been game-changing.
As the final quarter would prove, the improved tackling of the defense, the fierce play of Bolton and Sirianni's uncharacteristic decision to settle for a field goal helped turn the game and set up a ferocious finish.
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Fourth Quarter
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When the Eagles needed it most, their vaunted defense failed them.
A historic sack-producing team was held to zero as the Chiefs continued to pick the Philly squad apart, utilizing quick passes to open receivers to move down the field and put up three consecutive touchdown drives to surge into the lead.
There was not a single pass over 15 yards in the first touchdown drive of the fourth quarter, with a five-yard out to a wide-open Kadarius Toney putting the AFC champs on top for the first time in the game.
After forcing a punt on the strength of a more aggressive defense than the Eagles encountered in the first half, Toney delivered once again, benefitting from a wall of white jerseys as he took a punt all the way to the Philadelphia five-yard line with a 65-yard return.
A four-yard out to rookie Skye Moore, a mirror image to the play that scored on the previous drive, netted the Chiefs a 35-27 lead.
Hurts, playing a phenomenal game in which he did everything in his power to deliver the Eagles a championship, played the deep game by finding Smith for 45 yards. His third rushing TD of the game and a two-point conversion followed to tie the score at 35.
For a moment, it appeared as if he was about to complete one of the best performances in Super Bowl history.
Then, Mahomes did as he does and drove right back down the field, again relying on small chunk plays. Then came the moment that may define his legacy as a big-game quarterback.
Clearly hobbled by his ankle injury, he evaded pressure and rushed for 26 yards putting his team in field-goal territory.
In a season of questionable officiating, on a night when it had its fair share, a defensive holding call on James Bradberry gave Kansas City a first down, allowing them to essentially run out the clock and set up Butker for the go-ahead field goal.
An underthrown pass by Hurts with five seconds left in the game brought an end to the Eagles' title hopes and delivered Mahomes his second Super Bowl at the age of 27.
It would be naive of anyone to suggest the Chiefs were not in trouble at any point in the game. Despair was knocking on the door when Mahomes limped off the field prior to halftime and the Eagles held a 10-point lead.
Had it not been for Bolton's scoop-and-score earlier, the score would not have been that close. Moments before, Isaac Seumalo committed a false start that changed the trajectory of a pivotal Eagles drive.
Who knows what would have occurred had Toney not taken the punt return all the way to the Eagles' five to set up the second TD of the half?
Yes, there was a call that Philadelphia fans will point to as a difference-maker but had their team's defense shown up just one time and generated the pass rush that had defined them all season, the Chiefs would not have been in a position to take the lead.
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon failed to make the defensive adjustments to match those made by the Chiefs' offense to ensure success, and the result was the best quarterback in the game seizing control and dominating down the stretch.
It was a masterful performance by Mahomes and the Chiefs coordinators in the second half, on both sides of the ball. They made the necessary changes to put the team in a position to succeed and that can be attributed to experience, leadership and unwavering confidence from the quarterback in his ability to win when the pressure was on.
A classic game, with the type of performance that legacies are built on.
Unfortunately for Hurts, his excellence comes on the losing end of things. If he can sustain this level of play, though, it won't be the last time he has the opportunity to star on this stage.
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