Taking place at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, Super Bowl LVII always had the chops to be an all-time great. The top seeds in the NFC and AFC and, inarguably, the two best teams in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs were worthy adversaries on the grandest stage and they didn’t disappoint. We witnessed one of the best Super Bowls on record as the Chiefs ran out 38-35 winners.
It was a game defined by the league’s best players making big plays – and sure, the ending had a hint of controversy attached to it as James Bradberry was called for a hold against JuJu Smith-Schuster that allowed the Chiefs to wind down the clock to the last few moments before kicking the game-winning field goal. Still, games aren’t won and lost by virtue of one call or one play. Does the ending dampen an incredible game? Only if you believe it wasn’t a holding call. Either way, both teams left it all on the line, and there was a lot to learn from Super Bowl LVII. “Like what?”, you ask. Well, let’s dig into the final takeaways article of the season *sniff* *sniff*.
Jalen Hurts lays it all on the line
Patrick Mahomes may have won the Super Bowl MVP for the part he played in Sunday night’s epic bout, but Jalen Hurts might have actually been the best player on the field in Arizona. It’s a shame that Hurts’ performance could potentially be lost in the archives because he was truly electric. The Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni said that it was the best game he’s seen Hurts play while the two have been working together and it’s hard to disagree.
The moment never seemed too big for him as he completed 27-of-38 passes for 304 yards and 1 touchdown and was completely dialled in for the entire game (save for a game-changing fumble early on). Just as it’s been all season, Hurts had more than a part to play outside the pocket, adding a further 70 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, averaging 4.7 yards a clip.
It wasn’t scrambling for the sake of scrambling, either. Hurts’ game has evolved from where it was as recently as a year ago, he’s no longer a one-read-and-go quarterback. Even when he’s flushed out of the pocket, there’s an intention to try and make something happen with his arm first and foremost.
This is really a quarterback who has found his groove in 2022. Having the play calling of Shane Steichen has helped Hurts take a leap – and losing him to the Indianapolis Colts will be scary but the offense will still be among the league’s best in 2023. Hurts is a big reason for that. He made some incredible throws, kept plays alive with his arm and legs, was super efficient, and was incredibly gutsy.
The Chiefs defense continuously challenged him all evening. They flushed him out of the pocket to his weak side, dared him to push the ball downfield, and wanted to hit him. He answered every question that was asked of him. If the Eagles had won that game, we’d be talking about Hurts’ performance as one of the all-time greats.
The Chiefs’ offensive line plays a huge part
The matchup between the Eagles’ defensive front and the Chiefs’ offensive line was a major talking point before the game. If the Eagles’ front could pressure Mahomes and hurry up his process, they could severely limit his impact and ability to extend plays – the comparisons to Super Bowl 56 felt apt. That defensive front had 78 sacks in the regular season and postseason combined heading into Sunday – the third-most in the Super Bowl era. Everyone knows the value of that defensive line. But as we mentioned in our preview article, Mahomes generally doesn’t take sacks. He’s extremely effective at manipulating the pocket to evade pressure, and his offensive line is one of the league’s premier units.
When Mahomes got up awkwardly after being wrapped up by T.J. Edwards in the second quarter and hobbled off the field, there was genuine concern. He had already injured his ankle earlier in the postseason and was fighting through the pain, so a less-than-mobile Mahomes vs the Eagles front for another two quarters felt like a real turning point – especially given the Eagles led by 10 points coming into halftime. But that worry never fully translated. Mahomes was under very little duress the entire game with the Eagles registering no sacks for the first time since Week 6 against the Cowboys.
Andrew Wylie, especially, deserves immense credit. His performances have been the subject of criticism this season, but he gave Haason Reddick everything he could handle and walked away the victor on Sunday. The line’s dominance in the run game was pivotal. They consistently won at the edge and created running lanes for Isiah Pacheco, who ran like a man possessed. After the way their last trip to the Super Bowl ended, the Chiefs knew that they had to solidify the offensive line. They’re reaping the rewards two years later.
An incredibly efficient game from both offenses
This should come as no surprise considering the Chiefs’ and Eagles’ offenses were 1st and 2nd in EPA per play throughout the entire 2022 season, but both units were incredibly efficient on Sunday night. The Eagles had the intention of controlling the clock, converting on third-and-short opportunities as often as possible, and keeping the ball out of Mahomes’ hands.
They held up their end of the bargain. The Eagles dominated the time of possession, holding onto the ball for 35 minutes and 47 seconds and converting on 11-of-18 third-down attempts and both of their fourth-down attempts, all while averaging 5.8 yards per play, right along with their season average. But it wasn’t just the run game that got the clock rolling, the Eagles moved the ball effectively in the air too, with both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith having big games. In total, the Eagles ran 72 total plays and averaged 0.14 EPA/play.
Not to be outdone, the Chiefs and Mahomes were just as exceptional on offense – but what makes it even more impressive is how they did it. The Chiefs stayed ahead of the sticks all night, getting to third down just eight times and converting on 50 percent of their attempts. Mahomes didn’t hold onto the ball too long, and the Chiefs mostly nickel and dimed their way down the field, beating the Eagles’ defense with tendency beaters as opposed to shot plays. For the more casual viewer, it’s not the performance you’ve typically come to expect from Mahomes. The flashy plays existed more within his ability to gut out the lingering ankle injury by scrambling up and out of the pocket. The fact he was injured and still didn’t get sacked is a testament to his ability to avoid pressure.
These were the two best offenses in the NFL flexing their muscles and throwing haymaker after haymaker. There could only be one winner and on this night it was the Chiefs.
We’re witnessing a dynasty unfold
The “D” word is probably dropped into the conversation too easily now. People just want to be able to witness greatness and it’s understandable. We thought the Eagles of 2017 could be a potential dynasty – and the same with the Rams last year, to a lesser degree. But now with their second Super Bowl win in five years, the Chiefs really fit the bill as an unfolding dynasty.
They have Patrick Mahomes, the best player in the NFL by a country mile, under center and that makes them a genuine Super Bowl contender every year. Something not many teams can attest to, but the Chiefs have won at least 12 games a season since Mahomes stepped in as the starter and have made it to 5 straight AFC Championship Games – all of which they’ve had home-field advantage for. That sort of consistency is just unheard of. Even if it’s only resulted in two Super Bowl wins, winning and even putting yourself into winning positions year after year is hard. But the Chiefs manage to do it with relative ease.
It’s not just because of Mahomes. Andy Reid has proven to be the Godfather of modern offensive football and will go down as one of the all-time greats. If he sticks around for another couple of years, the Mahomes-Reid tandem can continue to plant their flag as a dynasty in the making. Other than the New England Patriots, the Chiefs are the only team to win two Super Bowls in the last 10 years. They don’t quite compare to the Patriots just yet, and maybe they never will, but the Patriots’ two decades of dominance isn’t the only barometer for a dynasty – but they have set the bar unrealistically high. That’s because the NFL isn’t built for dynasties. However, the Chiefs could be the next team in line to break that mould.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Jeffrey Beall. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.