From the first kick-off, football fans knew that Super Bowl LVII was going to be packed with action and excitement. Headlining two of the best teams in the NFL— the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs — fans saw an offensive shoot-out for the ages. 

After receiving the ball to start the game, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles thundered down the field to get on the board early. 

Hurts, who was an MVP finalist for this past season, looked like he was ready for the big stage. However, it wasn’t long before quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs answered the call by scoring on the very next drive. Mahomes was able to find his best friend and best target Travis Kelce for an 18-yard touchdown reception to get the Chiefs’ offense rolling. 

A majority of the first half was dominated by the Eagles. On the opening play of the second quarter, Hurts threw up a deep ball and found his number one target, wide receiver A.J. Brown, for a 45-yard touchdown. At this point in the game, the Eagles’ offense looked unstoppable. However, on their next drive, Hurts stumbled and fumbled, which gave Nick Bolton of the Chiefs an easy scoop-and-score touchdown to even the game at 14-14. 

Hurts didn’t let the mistake hang over his head too long, as he marched his team down the field to score with under three minutes left in the first half. With time winding down in the second quarter, Mahomes scrambled out of the pocket before being taken down by an Eagles defender. A hush went over the crowd as Mahomes limped off the field with an apparent leg injury. 

In the Chiefs’ early playoff match-up against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mahomes suffered a high ankle sprain, which he has played with throughout their entire playoff run. Football fans feared the worst as they watched the recently named MVP writhe in pain on the sidelines at the end of the second quarter. Eagles kicker Jake Elliot notched a 35-yard field goal to enter half with a lead of 24-14. 

The Chiefs’ athletic trainer must have done something special during the Rihanna halftime show, because Mahomes looked like a man on a mission when he left the locker room at the start of the second half. Wasting no time, the Chiefs stomped their way down the field and ended their drive with a one-yard touchdown from running back Isiah Pacheco. 

Following another Elliot field goal from the Eagles, the Chiefs responded with touchdowns from Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore to take a 35-27 lead with less than 10 minutes left on the clock. Hurts had a little more magic left in the tank to get his team in the end zone, along with a two-point conversion to level the scoreline. 

Following the two-minute warning, the Chiefs were deep into Eagles territory. On a crucial third down, Chiefs wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster, tried to get around Eagles cornerback James Bradberry. Mahomes sailed the ball past Smith-Schuster, and the pass was incomplete. Before Eagles fans could celebrate, a yellow flag ruined their party. Bradberry was called for defensive holding and the Chiefs were given an automatic first down. Mahomes ran down the clock, and gave kicker Harrison Butker an easy game-winning field goal. 

After an amazing battle between two of football's best talents, fans might have felt like they were cheated out of a storybook ending. The holding call was controversial, but Bradberry even confirmed the validity of the penalty himself. No matter the final score, both these teams, and both of these cities, should be proud of the season they have each had. 

As confetti rained down, and Mahomes lifted the Super Bowl MVP trophy, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce, Eagles center, shared a moment on the field. After battling for 60 minutes, the brothers embraced one another. Although the game was unbelievable, this moment was what the game was all about. Football is family. The players are part of a brotherhood, and every player can appreciate the work and effort it takes to reach football’s biggest stage.