After 18 weeks and a postseason of NFL Football, most teams are left with an early vacation. Except for two.

The Super Bowl is the biggest NFL event every year, and this year was no different, as the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles squared off on Feb- ruary 12, 2023. Going into the game, this would be Kansas City’s fifth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, and third with Quarterback Patrick Mahomes at the wheel. Philadelphia would be playing for a chance at the Lombardi for the fourth time in franchise history, hoping to find their second championship.

What most people were talking about, however, were the Kelce brothers, Travis and Jason, who would be playing against each other. Jason Kelce is the Eagles’ center, while Travis Kelce is the Chiefs’ tight end. This would be the first time two brothers would play each other in the big game, and to capitalize on the opportuni- ty, fans quickly began using the nickname “Kelce Bowl.” This was not the only big storyline going into the game, however, as Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had been the Philadelphia Eagles’ coach when they went to the Super Bowl in 2005. With the sibling and former coach rivalries set, most people expected Super Bowl LVII to be a competitive event, which would ultimately be decided in the final minutes, or even seconds.

Initially, the game looked like it would be decided at the end of the first half. Philadelphia, who got the ball to start, quickly scored after a 75 yard drive, —a Jalen Hurts one-yard touchdown. Kansas City would tie the game to end the first quarter seven to seven, but the Eagles would take off in quarter two, scoring an additional 17 points going into half-time. The only thing seemingly keeping Kansas City in the game was a Nick Bolton scoop-and-score fumble recovery that placed the score at 14-24 by the end of the second quarter.

Before the half was finished, Patrick Mahomes had taken a serious hit to his leg, which he had already injured with a high ankle sprain earlier in the postsea- son. The Chiefs were down at half, and Patrick Mahomes’ was questionable as to whether or not he could play the rest of the game. When the Chiefs came out of the locker room, it was clear something would have to change if they wanted to hold the Lombardi trophy for the second time in 4 years.

In the second half, not only did Patrick Mahomes come back, but he returned playing better than ever. The Eagles’ de- fense could do nothing to stop him, and quickly the Chiefs were back in the game. Kansas City took the lead at the start of the fourth quarter with a score of 28-27, and it was clear that Philadelphia’s defense had no way to counter the Chief ’s power in the air and on the ground.

To make matters worse, Kansas City was given a short field to all but put the game away, after the Eagles special teams unit was unable to stop wide receiver Kadarius Toney from getting 65 yards off of a punt return. The Chiefs held an eight-point lead, and all eyes were on Jalen Hurts, who calmly led the Eagles down the field, scoring the necessary touchdown and two-point conversion to make this game a classic.

Tied 35-35, Patrick Mahomes took to the field for the final time, and quickly marched his offense down to the redzone. Philadelphia’s defense met him there, however, and forced an incompletion on a crucial third down. The game suddenly seemed like it was not out of reach for the Birds, until a streak of yellow was seen on the field.

On the aforementioned third down, Eagles cornerback James Bradberry had grabbed onto the jersey of Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster, which was ruled by the referees as holding. This gave the Chiefs a first down, which they used to run down the clock, before scoring the game-winning field goal with eight seconds left. Hurts, who had over three hundred yards in the game, was unable to do anything in the final seconds, and the Kansas City Chiefs became world champions once again.

Ultimately, Travis Kelce would be the victorious Kelce sibling, and Andy Reid would beat his former team. The holding call has since become controversial, but Eagles fans were mostly undeterred by the loss. Until this point, they had proven themselves to be one of the best teams in the league, and capable of playing in the big games. As mentioned before, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts had over 300 yards in the air, as well as three rushing touchdowns, and one passing touch- down, cementing his place as an elite quarterback. Receiver A.J. Brown was the recipient of his single passing touchdown, and had an additional 96 yards in the air, having several crucial first down plays. On the other hand, Mahomes had 182 yards and 3 passing touchdowns, which led him to be crowned Super Bowl MVP, after he had already been named the 2022 NFL MVP. Now that the Super Bowl is over, and the offseason can start, the Chiefs have a target on their back, and the Vince Lombardi Trophy is once again anyone’s to claim. Will Super Bowl LVII be remembered as one of the greatest of all time? Probably not, but it has proved that the future of the NFL is bright with young leaders such as Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts leading the way.