Patrick Mahomes proved why he is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player as he shrugged off an ankle injury to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a dramatic 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles and a second Super Bowl in four years.
Kansas City’s hopes of returning home with the Lombardi Trophy looked bleak late in the opening half when quarterback Mahomes appeared to re-injure the right ankle that had been a major worry coming into the game.
Grimacing in pain after a tackle, he hobbled off the field and slammed his helmet to the turf as the Chiefs went into half-time trailing 24-14.
But when the teams returned after the break a resilient Mahomes, who also threw for a touchdown in the first half, produced a heroic effort, tossing two fourth-quarter touchdowns and engineering a final drive to set up Harrison Butker’s 27-yard game-winning field goal with eight seconds to play.
There could be no better end to the NFL season than a showdown between the two teams with the best records and two dynamic young leaders in Mahomes and the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts – the first time two black quarterbacks had started in the same Super Bowl.
Hurts, another candidate for the MVP award, turned in a dazzling display, running for three touchdowns and a Super Bowl record 70 yards, but it was Mahomes who triumphed.
‘I told you all this week there was nothing going to keep me off this football field,’ the 27-year-old said after adding the MVP award to the NFL MVP honour he received on Thursday.
‘It’s the Super Bowl. You can worry about getting healthy in the off-season.’
Chiefs coach Andy Reid lauded his star, saying: ‘Well he’s the MVP. That’s all the needs to be said, right? MVP. And you saw it tonight.’
The game was also notable for the meeting between the Chiefs’ star tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, who plays center for the Eagles. The siblings embraced at full-time and, asked what he had told his brother, Jason Kelce said: ‘F*** you… But congratulations.’
Travis Kelce said: ‘There’s nothing you can really say in a situation like that. You joke around and say you want to beat your brother on the biggest stage, but it’s a weird feeling.’
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