Points have been plentiful in Super Bowl LVII, which got off to a frenetic pace Sunday and didn’t let up, with strong offensive displays showing why the Eagles and the Chiefs got to this highly anticipated matchup.
After going into halftime down 24-14, the Chiefs came roaring back in the second half, taking a 28-27 lead off a five-yard touchdown pass from reigning MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes to wide receiver Kadarius Toney.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was also putting on a show of his own, with two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown so far.
Chiefs fans held their breaths, when, with about 1:30 to go in the first half, Mahomes came up limping badly following a tackle on a third-down play. Mahomes, who has been dealing with a high-ankle sprain since the divisional round of the playoffs, appeared to be grimacing in pain as he came off the field.
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However, Mahomes answered all questions about his health status when he came out after halftime and immediately lead the Chiefs down the field on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.
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Both teams scored touchdowns on their opening drives of the game. Jalen Hurts made up for a costly fumble early in the second quarter, which helped the Chiefs tie the game at 14-points apiece, with his second rushing touchdown of the evening a few minutes later that gave the Eagles a 21-14 lead. They added to it with a 35-yard field goal to go into halftime up 24-14.
Meanwhile, with his 18-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce passed Rob Gronkowski for the second-most receiving touchdowns in playoff history, with 16. San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice holds the record with 22.
History was also also made Sunday by Mahomes and Hurts, marking the first time that a Super Bowl featured two starting Black quarterbacks.
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The Super Bowl Halftime Show was headlined by Grammy Award-winning pop star Rihanna. In a bright red ensemble with a matching red lip she performed hits “Where Have You Been,” “We Found Love in a Hopeless Place” and “Rude Boy,” among many others.
Her performance had been highly anticipated because it has been nearly seven years since she last performed on stage. She has also not released an album since 2016’s “Anti.”
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Grammy-winning country music star Chris Stapleton performed the pregame national anthem, and Grammy-winning R&B artist Babyface performed “America the Beautiful” before kickoff.
Prior to the game, Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports wrote that the game “features two of the most prolific offenses the NFL has seen this year, with Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts set to square off in a battle of MVP candidates. Not only that, but the championship showdown will pit Chiefs coach Andy Reid against Philadelphia, the city in which he built his NFL career; and Pro Bowl brothers Travis and Jason Kelce against each other for a chance at their second respective Lombardi trophies.”
