Super Bowl LVII: Recap and Review

Super Bowl LVII, which took place on February 12th in Glendale, Arizona, got off to a beautiful start. There were a variety of vocal performances leading up to the actual game, such as Sheryl Lee Ralph’s “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and Kenneth Edmonds’ rendition of “America the Beautiful.” After that was the jet flyover, which was crewed entirely by women in order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of women flying in the U.S. Navy. And finally, the coin toss ceremony was held by the Pat Tillman Foundation, an organization dedicated to honoring the former NFL player who was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

After the coin toss ceremony, the game officially began, and wow was it fast-paced. The Kansas City Chiefs won the toss but elected to give the Philadelphia Eagles the ball first, a crucial mistake. The Eagles went on to drive for 75 yards in 11 plays, finishing with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by quarterback Jalen Hurts. However, Chiefs' quarterback Patrick Mahomes answered right back with a touchdown of his own to tight end Travis Kelce. After that, the scoring never let up, with the Eagles leading 24-14 going into halftime.

The halftime show, led by the hit singer Rihanna, was really good, at least in my opinion. While pregnant, she looked stunning and put on a phenomenal performance. She played portions of twelve of her hit songs, including “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “Work,” and “Umbrella.” Although some have said that her performance was uneventful and even a little bit boring, I disagree. Her incredible voice, the talented background dancers, and the simple stage-setting combined to form a really memorable experience for me (and hopefully many others).

After the halftime show, the teams wasted no time in scoring again, beginning with a touchdown run by Chiefs' running back Isiah Pacheco. That made the score 24-21, although it wouldn’t stay that way for long. Shortly after, Eagles' kicker Jake Elliott knocked in a 33-yard field goal to make it 27-21 in favor of the Eagles. It stayed that way going into the third quarter. But right as the fourth quarter began, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs came up with another touchdown, this time caught by Kadarius Toney, a former New York Giant. This gave the Chiefs their first lead of the game, 28-27.

The Chiefs continued their hot streak by forcing Hurts and the Eagles to take a three-and-out, making them punt deep in their own territory. The Chiefs then made history with the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, a 65-yard return led by once again, Kadarius Toney. This led to another quick touchdown by the Chiefs, increasing their lead to 35-27. With time winding down, the Eagles staged one final drive, ending with Hurts’ third rushing touchdown of the game (another Super Bowl record). Add a two-point conversion to that, and the Eagles tied the game 35-35 in the last couple minutes.

Despite the amazing effort by Hurts, Mahomes was not done yet. He and his teammates drove down the field for over 60 yards in a variety of plays, including one in which a controversial holding call was given to Eagles' cornerback James Bradberry. This call is still being debated on social media to this day. Nevertheless, Mahomes got the Chiefs in field goal range with very little time left, essentially ending the game. The field goal, a 27-yarder by Chiefs' kicker Harrison Butker, polished off the game as a Chiefs victory, 38-35. To no one’s surprise, Patrick Mahomes was named the Super Bowl MVP, a well-deserved award.