Super Bowl LVII was held at the stadium of the Arizona Cardinals, in Glendale, Arizona, between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. Fans from all around the world tuned in to watch the matchup between these two juggernaut teams. The Chiefs have been Super Bowl contenders since the reign of their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, began back when he started for the team in 2018. Meanwhile, the Eagles have been in a slump since their Super Bowl LI win versus Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. That slump ended this year; the team started the season with eight wins, and no losses, led by their quarterback, Jalen Hurts. Hurts was taken in the second round, with the fifty-third overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft. After sitting on the bench for most of his rookie season, Hurts finally got his opportunity to lead the Eagles. The 2021 season was one of rebuilding for the team, as they now had a new quarterback, and a new coach. However, this year, they have been one of the best teams in the league, beating powerhouse teams such as the Dallas Cowboys, the Green Bay Packers, and the San Francisco 49ers, among others. 

One storyline that comes with this matchup is that it is the first time that two brothers have played on opposing teams at a Super Bowl. These brothers are Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, and Eagles’ center Jason Kelce. These brothers hail from the Cleveland area, and both played their college football years for the University of Cincinnati. While Travis is currently single, Jason is married, and has a son and daughter of his own, with a third child on the way. Despite being thirty-eight weeks pregnant, Jason’s wife, Kylie, was still in attendance at the Super Bowl, and brought her obstetrician with her for the trip, just in case. 

The game began with the national anthem, sung by country singer Chris Stapleton. His singing of the anthem brought multiple players, coaches, and fans to tears with its beauty. 

After the coin toss, the kickoff happened, which had the Chiefs kicking off to the Eagles. The Eagles struck first, and struck hard, scoring a touchdown, which was a quarterback-sneak up the center of the offensive line by Jalen Hurts. The very next drive however, the Chiefs struck back, also striking hard, with a pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce. After Chiefs’ kicker Harrison Butker missed a forty-two yard field goal attempt on the Chiefs’ second drive, the Eagles scored a touchdown on a fifty-yard pass from Hurts to receiver AJ Brown. On the Eagles’ next drive, Hurts fumbled the snap, and it was picked up by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton, who ran all the way for the game-tying touchdown. Towards the end of the half, Mahomes hurt his already-injured ankle, and was seen limping off of the field. As time expired in the half, Eagles’ kicker Jake Elliott made a thirty-five yard field goal attempt, bringing the Eagles ahead by ten points going into halftime. 

The halftime show was performed by Rihanna. The performance included pieces of many of Rihanna’s top hits, and included a grand entrance on a large platform, which was suspended from the top of the stadium by wires. Her background dancers wore white puffer packets, and cargo pants, while she had a similar outfit in red. 

The second half was when the Chiefs came roaring back and despite playing poorly in the first half, the Chiefs came from behind to win the game. Their victory came with a game-winning field goal from Harrison Butker, pulling the Chiefs ahead for the first time in that game. With four seconds left, there wasn’t anything that the Eagles could do, and despite putting up an amazing fight, the Chiefs pulled away with the victory after making a huge comeback.

The victory celebration began as the Chiefs players rushed the field, and the confetti rained down. The team received the Vince Lombardi trophy, which is given to the Super Bowl champions each year. As they hoisted it up, their fans went crazy. For hours after the game, the Chiefs players got to celebrate their huge victory alongside their families. Overall, the game had many ups and downs for both teams, and while it was very close the entire time, the Chiefs were able to capitalize on many opportunities that came from penalties on the Eagles’ defense (lots of these calls were very controversial, and some say shouldn’t have been called), and were able to come out with a huge win, just three years after their last Super Bowl win, and two years after their last Super Bowl appearance! 

Kristina Klauzinski ‘24, Assistant Sports Editor

24kklauzinski@montroseschool.org