The Kansas City Chiefs fought back to beat the Philadelphia Eagles in a classic Super Bowl that will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time.
The Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes shrugged off an ankle injury to lead his side to a dramatic 38 to 35 victory and claim their second Super Bowl in four years.
The contest at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was the first Super Bowl to feature two black quarterbacks, with Mahomes making history alongside Jalen Hurts for the Eagles.
It was also the first to feature two brothers on opposing teams, with the Eagles centre Jason Kelce playing against his Chiefs tight end younger brother, Travis.
The game also featured the season’s best two teams and, in Mahomes and Hurts, the two best players.
Kansas City, who were seen as slight underdogs ahead of the Super Bowl and trailed for much of the game, were 27 to 21 down heading into the final quarter.
Things had been looking bleak for the Chiefs after Mahomes appeared to re-injure the right ankle that had been a major worry coming into the game.
Grimacing in pain after a tackle, Mahomes hobbled off the field and slammed his helmet to the turf as the Chiefs headed into halftime trailing 24 to 14.
However, when the teams returned after the break a resilient Mahomes produced a heroic effort and threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
He also set up Harrison Butker’s 27-yard game-winning field goal with eight seconds to play in front of 67,827 fans at the stadium in Arizona.
‘Nothing was going to keep me off the field’
Mahomes was handed the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (MVP) award after the game to go along with the NFL MVP honour he received on Thursday.
The 27-year-old said after the encounter: “I told you all this week there was nothing going to keep me off this football field.
“It’s the Super Bowl, you can worry about getting healthy in the off-season.
“I fought through, and we were able to win.”
Kansas City coach Andy Reid said: “Well he’s the MVP. That’s all the needs to be said, right? MVP. And you saw it tonight.”
Reid also said in post-match comments: “He wants to be the greatest player ever and that’s the way he goes about his business. And he does it humbly, there’s no bragging.
“The great quarterbacks make everybody around him better, including the head coach. So he’s done a heck of a job.”
Hurts, who was a leading candidate for the NFL MVP award, turned in an almost equally dazzling performance, running for three touchdowns and a Super Bowl record 70 yards. He also threw for a touchdown.
Sibling rivalry swept aside after Super Bowl drama
Meanwhile, the Kelce brothers embraced after the game as confetti flew for the Chiefs.
Travis, who had 81 receiving yards and a touchdown, told reporters he was left with a strange feeling after getting the win over his brother’s team.
“There’s nothing I can say to him other than I love him and he played a hell of a year, a hell of a season,” Travis told reporters.
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Their mother, Donna Kelce, had become a fan favourite and was sitting next to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell during the game.
Both brothers had previously earned a Super Bowl ring – Jason with the Eagles in 2018 and Travis with the Chiefs three years ago – but with bragging rights on the line there was no lack of motivation.
“It’s hard to get here,” Jason told reporters. “Obviously would have liked to win but (I’m) happy for Trav.”
The event attracted an array of famous faces to suburban Phoenix from entertainment and sports, with Elon Musk, Paul McCartney and LeBron James among the capacity crowd of 67,827.
Meanwhile, Rihanna revealed her pregnancy as she showed off a bump during her half-time show.