Just a couple of days before Super Bowl LVII, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won his second career AP MVP award. Though the award is a marvelous achievement, there has been a stigma associated with the MVP runner-up getting the best of the winner in the Super Bowl, which happened to be his opponent, Jalen Hurts. On February 12, Mahomes looked to flip the script, striving to end the 3-0 record for runner-ups getting the best of their “big brother” in the most important game of the year.

    Last Sunday broke the anxiousness and long anticipation for the big game. Super Bowl LVII started off fast, with a 75-yard opening drive touchdown from Philadelphia, then matched by a Kansas City 75-yard drive of their own. Within the blink of an eye, the score read 7-7 with just 6:57 left in the first quarter.

     After back-to-back touchdowns, the scoring stalled for just one drive; these teams’ drives included a Philadelphia Eagles punt and a missed field goal by Harrison Butker, making Kansas City unable to capitalize off of Philadelphia’s mistake.

    Philadelphia later regained the lead with a 45-yard touchdown from Jalen Hurts to A.J. Brown, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead. Philadelphia built off the momentum by forcing a Kansas City punt, giving them an opportunity to take a two-possession lead late in the first half. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Coach Nick Sirianni’s aggressive fourth down approach would come back to haunt him as Jalen Hurts coughed up the ball, which would be returned by Nick Bolton for a 36-yard Kansas City Chiefs touchdown. Shockingly, this would be the end of Kansas City’s first-half run. The end of the first half was an endless list of disasters for Kansas City: a 75-yard touchdown drive, fourth down 5-yard penalty, a punt, a last-second field goal, and scariest of all, Patrick Mahomes re-aggravating the high ankle sprain he suffered in the AFC Championship game.

    Halftime was highlighted by a stunning performance from one of hip-hop’s finest artists, Rihanna. The show featured little outfit changes, likely due to her announcing a new pregnancy in one of the most entertaining ways possible. The musical talent of Rihanna was a great follow-up to the amazing national anthem, performed by Country’s best, Chris Stapleton.

     After an amazing performance, it was time for the start of the second half. Kansas City won the opening coin toss and elected to defer, giving them the ball down 24-14 at the start of the new half. The second half was a golden opportunity for the Chiefs to clean up the mess they created in the first.

    Historically, the Kansas City Chiefs have a long-established resume of complying double-digit comebacks. As they faced a 10-point deficit to start the third quarter, Kansas City was on the hunt for yet another magical comeback. Though the Chiefs have had a deep-rooted comeback ability in recent years, the odds were so far against them, as they were given a mere 21.6% chance to pull out the win.

     The second half began with a Chiefs 75-yard drive, capped off by an Isiah Pacheco 1-yard touchdown run. The score now read 24-21, boosting their win probability to 42.7%. The Eagles answered Kansas City’s score with a field goal, even though they had their goals set on something bigger, the field goal expanded their lead to 27-21. The explosive ability of these high-powered offenses was the story of the night, which was no different for Kansas City’s 9-play, 75-drive, capped off by a Kadarius Toney 5-yard touchdown catch. The score now read 28-27 Kansas City, marking the game’s 9th lead change. The defense of Kansas City would then force a Philadelphia punt, giving the magical Mahomes a shot to cushion their lead. Like years prior, the Chiefs would find the endzone in the most crucial moments. The men in red, led by Patrick Mahomes, would scamper into the endzone in less than a minute, courtesy of Kadarius Toney’s 65-yard punt return, which was concluded just 3 plays later, with a Skyy Moore receiving touchdown. Toney’s 65-yard effort set a new record for the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, cementing his name with some of the games greats. If the Eagles wanted any shot of pulling this game out they needed someone special, that special piece of the puzzle seemed to be their quarterback, Jalen Hurts. As there were just under 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, it was the witching hour; a time “where wins become losses and losses become wins”, a phrase coined by Scott Hansen. Usually, a team down eight points with little time left isn’t able to secure the victory, but the 2022-23 season had been nothing close to ordinary for Philly. Luckily for Philadelphia, they were used to the odds being stacked against them, as their preseason odds to win the Super Bowl were +2,440. Nick Sirianni’s group was credited for their resilience all season, this trait given to Philadelphia was no different in this big moment. Their MVP runner-up, Jalen Hurts, was impeccable down the stretch. The star quarterback orchestrated his third 75-yard touchdown drive, being responsible for both the touchdown and ​two-point conversion. Now 35-35, Super Bowl LVII was shaping up to be one of the greatest battles ever. Mahomes and the Chief’s offense were then given the ball, with just over five minutes left in regulation. At this point, the newly implemented NFL playoff overtime scoring rules lingered at the back of every spectator’s mind, but the Chiefs hoped to spoil the fun. Kansas City would do just that by going the length of the field, with a little help from the officials, ultimately setting up a 27-yard Harrison Butker game-winning field goal, sticking a fork in the Eagle’s memorable season.

    Just like that, the game was final, the Kansas City Chiefs had won Super Bowl LVII 38-35. The win ended many long-discussed story lines: giving Andy Reid the last laugh against his former organization, Travis Kelce the throne in the “Kelce Bowl”, and granted Mahomes the winner of the first Super Bowl featuring two quarterbacks of African American descent.

    Postgame, the Kansas City quarterback was asked if there was any difference between Super Bowl victories one and two, Mahomes elaborated on how the newly acquired ring gave him a greater appreciation and would put any speculations of luck to rest.

     “I thought the first Super Bowl was kind of like ‘Oh, this is amazing. We won the Super Bowl!,'” Mahomes said. “You’re just like a little kid winning a prize at the fair. Whereas this one, you’ve dealt with failure. You understand how hard it is to get back on this stage and win this game. I’ve played a Super Bowl where I got blown out. I got all hyped up, then you go out there and you don’t do anything. Then I lose the AFC Championship Game in overtime when I thought we had a chance to win the Super Bowl that year. To have a full, brand-new team and have to go through the strain of being better and better every single day, it gives you a greater appreciation of winning this game.”

     With little to no surprise, Patrick Mahomes would be granted the honor of Super Bowl MVP, earned because of his solid performance: 21/27 on his pass attempts, 182 yards, and 3 passing touchdowns. Making history has become second nature to Patrick Mahomes, which was the case once again. The win made Mahomes the first quarterback to be named league MVP and Super Bowl champion in the same season since Kurt Warner in 1999.

     For most quarterbacks, a second Super Bowl victory would be quite the conclusion to a career, yet for Mahomes, it’s just one piece of his complex puzzle of his own.

     The night was capped off by the annual trophy ceremony, hours of celebration, and Mahomes reciting the nationally-renowned phrase, “I’m going to Disneyland”.