Patrick Mahomes battles through ankle injury to lead Chiefs to another Super Bowl title
He finished 21 of 27 for 182 yards with three touchdowns to win his second Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes is the first player since Rams quarterback Kurt Warner to win a regular season MVP and a Super Bowl in the same year. Mahomes played through the injury during the 23-20 AFC Championship victory against the Bengals as Mahomes helped the Chiefs advance to the Super Bowl...
Super Bowl LVII against the Eagles marked the third time Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have played in the big game in four years.
Mahomes was also looking for his second championship after winning in 2019. Bad ankle and all Mahomes gutted out a victory as Kansas City won its third-ever Lombardi Trophy.
The Chiefs defeated the Eagles 38-35 as Mahomes and his counterpart, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, put on a show in front of thousands in attendance and millions watching at home. He finished 21 of 27 for 182 yards with three touchdowns to win his second Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes was also named MVP following the Chiefs 31–20 victory against the 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
Mahomes is the first player since Rams quarterback Kurt Warner to win a regular season MVP and a Super Bowl in the same year.
Mahomes entered Sunday’s game less than 100% as he has been playing the last two games with a high ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in the AFC Divisional round against the Jaguars. Mahomes played through the injury during the 23-20 AFC Championship victory against the Bengals as Mahomes helped the Chiefs advance to the Super Bowl once again.
“It’s the competitor in you,” Mahomes said after the game to NFL Network. “It’s what you work for your entire life. I knew I wasn’t coming out of this game.
“Even with that high ankle sprain and kind of reaggravated it a little, but I will worry about that during the offseason.”
With a little over two minutes left before halftime against the Eagles, Mahomes limped off the field. He appeared to have reaggravated his previous ankle injury after being tackled by Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards. But he persevered and helped the Chiefs win their second Super Bowl Championship in four seasons.
Following an Eagles opening drive touchdown, the Chiefs offense responded by finding the end zone on their first drive. However, Philadelphia’s best defense was its offense as they kept Kansas City and Mahomes on the sideline for the majority of the first half.
The Eagles held the ball for 22 out of the 30 minutes in the first half. The Chiefs offense only scored that one touchdown, as their second touchdown was on a 36-yard Nick Bolton fumble recovery.
The Eagles’ ball control left Mahomes sitting on the sideline, where it is difficult to maintain a rhythm and keep an injured ankle warmed up.
However, Chiefs offense looked like an entirely different team following the half-hour halftime break trailing 24-14. Kansas City got the ball first and immediately following a 10-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in an Isiah Pacheco one-yard touchdown.
The Chiefs offense continued its offensive explosion in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns to take the lead. First, Mahomes’s five-yard touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney gave them a 28-27 advantage. Then following Toney’s 65-yard return that brought the ball down to the Eagles’ five-yard line, Mahomes found Skyy Moore for a four-yard touchdown to extend the Chiefs lead to 35-27.
The Eagles tied the game on their next drive after a 42-yard pass to DeVonta Smith helped set up a Hurts quarterback sneak for a touchdown and a two-point conversion tied the game.
With the game tied 35-35 and less than 100%, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a legendary game-winning drive.
On 1st and 10 on the Eagles 43-yard-line, Mahomes, noticeably limping, ran up the middle 26 yards, putting Kansas City in field goal range on the 17. On 3rd and 8 on the 15, the Eagles defense forced an incompletion, but cornerback James Bradberry was called for defensive holding, which gave the Chiefs a new set of downs.
From there, Mahomes and Kansas City milked the clock, allowing Harrison Butker to kick a game-winning 27-yard field goal.
“I told Trav [Travis Kelce] right there on the side, let’s go do this thing,” Mahomes said. “We been in these moments before and I believe in a lot of my teammates around me.
“You can’t make it all about yourself, you have to rely a lot on those guys you go to battle with every single week and those guys responded. The offensive line and how they played in the second half, that’s the reason we won this game.”
Mahomes continues to rewrite the record books as he makes his case as one of the best quarterbacks of all time. During his five seasons as starter, all Mahomes has done is win two Super Bowl championships, two Super Bowl MVPs, two AP NFL MVP Awards, and a three-time All-Pro.
Next season, Mahomes will be 28 years old and there’s no reason why he and the Chiefs can’t win four or five more Super Bowls when his career is all said and done. Tom Brady, who retired two weeks ago, has seven Super Bowl titles. If anybody can catch or surpass Brady’s total, it’s Mahomes.
“He’s a pleasure to work with, he’s humble,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “He bust his tail and he was on a mission to get back so he could enjoy this one.”
Until further notice, the road to the Super Bowl continues to go through Chiefs Kingdom.
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