Mahomes and the Chiefs return to win the Super Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — When it comes to Patrick Mahomes, there’s not enough crippling pain, no wide enough handicap and no big enough stage. On Sunday in Arizona, Mahomes put the M on MVP and the crown for Kansas City.

Mahomes became the first reigning MVP to win the Super Bowl title since 1999 by throwing three touchdown passes, including two in less than three minutes to start the fourth quarter, as the Kansas City Chiefs erased a 10 deficit points to defeat Philadelphia. Eagles 38-35 Sunday for the second time in four years.

“He’s the MVP, Reid said of his quarterback. That’s all there is to it. MVP. You saw him tonight.”

Harrison Butker’s leg put the final points on the scoreboard with a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds left, but it was Jerrick McKinnon’s head – and legs – that put Kansas City in position to win the game, slipping to a yard line with 1:54 remaining, allowing the Chiefs to run out of time.

They needed every second they could spare. The Eagles were dominant on offense. Quarterback Jalen Hurts finished with 304 passing yards and a touchdown and had 70 extra yards, three scores and a two-point running conversion to tie the score at 35 with 5:15 left.

But Mahomes just shook off the stigma of his previous two Super Bowl outings, where he had 65.2 ranking points with two touchdowns and four interceptions. Not so this Sunday in the Arizona desert.

The final down was kept alive with cornerback James Bradberry’s controversial holding penalty on JuJu Smith-Schuster on third down that gave the Chiefs a chance to miss time. Bradberry himself put an end to any controversy.

“I held it. I grabbed his shirt. I was hoping (the referees) would give up,” he admitted.

The two-time MVP was methodical with 21 of 27 completions for 182 yards, rushing for 44 more on six carries and steadily improving to hold off a defense that entered the game with 70 sacks in the regular season and returned on Sunday. home empty-handed and heartbroken.

After entering the halftime show down 24-14, the Chiefs launched into the swing in the second half. Still trailing 27-21, Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the space of three minutes, to Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore on identical plays, to capitalize on the comeback and put the Eagles behind for the first time ever. the post-season.

“Everybody had that determination, that look in their eyes,” said Travis Kelce, who finished with six catches for 81 yards, a touchdown and a big win over his older brother, Eagles center Jason.

For much of the game, it seemed like it would be the other way around.

Despite Nick Bolton’s fumbled return to the end zone to briefly level the score 14-14 in the second quarter, the Eagles looked dominant, controlling the ball for nearly 22 minutes in the first half and racking up more than 270 yards.

But they couldn’t finish the job. And when you have Mahomes and Reid against it, it’s a mortal sin. Philadelphia became the second team in history to take a lead of at least 10 points in the second half of the Super Bowl, joining the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51.

Reid’s second title in his 24-year career also has a special flavor, against the team that gave him his first chance as head coach and the one that fired him a decade ago after years on the key. No more. Reid has two rings and a big smile

“We wanted it so badly for him,” Kelce said. “His legacy in Philadelphia is eternal. The organization loves him.”