Super Bowl LVII grades | Yardbarker

Following his latest ankle flareup, Patrick Mahomes completed 13 of his final 14 passes to lead a second 10-point comeback in a Super Bowl second half. The two-time MVP’s 182 passing yards were a season-low, but his scramble on the third quarter’s opening drive and season-long 26-yard gain on Kansas City’s clinching march displayed his value and his status as the most important player in Chiefs history. The Chiefs (17-3) traded a future Hall of Fame wide receiver and did not replace him with anyone close to that level, and Mahomes limped through the playoffs. It still didn’t matter. The only NFLer with two MVPs and two rings in his first six seasons, Mahomes just finished the best five-year run to start a QB1 career. The Kansas City icon has work to do to match the all-time greats; he is on pace to get there.

CHIEFS OFFENSE GRADE: A 

Jalen Hurts made more plays than his QB adversary in his first Super Bowl effort. The two-time national championship game starter was ready for this stage, carrying the Eagles’ run game and outdoing Mahomes through the air. Hurts’ 374 total yards and Super Bowl record-tying three rushing TDs pushed the Eagles (16-4) into a 35-all tie. But Philadelphia’s offense needed more firepower after halftime. Its Super Bowl record-matching 17-play drive produced a field goal, and although the vaunted Philly O-line allowed only two hits on Hurts, Eagles backs combined for 45 rushing yards. Miles Sanders tallied a season-low 16. While Nick Bolton‘s would-be fumble-six on Sanders did not count, Hurts’ miscue keying the linebacker’s recorded TD stung the NFC champs and set up a comeback.

EAGLES OFFENSE GRADE: B 

In their previous Super Bowl trip, the Chiefs folded after halftime in a stunning Buccaneers blowout. Their retooled defense made mistakes — A.J. Brown beating two DBs for a score, DeVonta Smith streaking wide open to set up another — but held off the Eagles. The Chiefs notched a breakpoint of sorts by forcing a fourth-quarter three-and-out, and while Chris Jones did not take over the game as he did against the Bengals, the All-Pro disrupted a Philly ground game that did not do enough. Bolton’s scoop-and-score will be remembered, but the second-year linebacker’s third-down stop of Kenneth Gainwell brought out the Eagles’ field goal unit. After a game-high nine tackles, the Mizzou product will deservedly be a much bigger name entering the 2023 slate.

CHIEFS DEFENSE GRADE: B-minus

Totaling 24 points, Kansas City’s second-half offense vexed a Philadelphia defense that ranked in the top eight in yards, points, and DVOA. An unacceptable field surface affected the Eagles’ pass rush, but after a 78-sack romp through 19 games, finishing with zero against a team with a gimpy QB will be a tough ending to stomach for a deep D-line. The Chiefs only attempted eight third downs, and the Eagles’ miscommunications on Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore’s touchdowns were inexcusable. Teams with double-digit halftime leads were previously 26-1 in Super Bowl history. While this unraveling did not match Atlanta’s six years ago, it reminds of Seattle and San Francisco’s big-stage undoings in Super Bowls XLIX and LIV. Philly’s veteran-laden defense failed Jalen Hurts.

EAGLES DEFENSE GRADE: D 

Reid has a history of snazzy goal-line calls — including in Super Bowls — and his play sheet regularly increases the danger defenses face upon encountering Mahomes. While Reid’s “Snow Globe” redux failed, Reid redeemed himself with two late-game gems. Philly’s defense breaking down on Toney and Moore’s short-motion plays highlighted Reid’s genius and allowed for two of the easiest TDs in Super Bowl history. Mahomes did not turn out to be as compromised as his facial expressions during these playoffs would suggest, but Reid adjusting to suit a less dynamic version of his quarterback adds another memorable chapter to his Hall of Fame resume. Steve Spagnuolo also earned ring No. 3; K.C. bottling up Philly’s backs reflects well on the veteran coordinator.

CHIEFS COACHING GRADE: A-minus

As his decision to go for it on fourth-and-5 at the Chiefs’ 44-yard line best displayed, Nick Sirianni showed consistent aggression and wisely leaned on Hurts’ legs as the Chiefs minimized the Eagles’ running backs. Hurts’ aerial display also showcased play-caller (and potential Colts HC-to-be) Shane Steichen, but if Gannon joins the Cardinals, he will exit after a tough night. The Eagles followed the Jaguars’ and Bengals’ leads in being unable to prey on Mahomes’ injury, despite leading the NFL by a staggering sack margin. The short-motion plays producing shockingly easy scores obviously ding Philly’s coaching effort. The Eagles, despite Vic Fangio’s stopover, played man coverage on a season-high 56% of their snaps. Mahomes made them pay, giving Gannon a Matt Patricia-like exit path.

EAGLES COACHING GRADE: C-minus 

Talent-wise, this is not the best Chiefs team of the Mahomes era. Perhaps not in the top three. That distinction illustrates how high Chiefs floors have been over the past five years. But this group did benefit from two of the most ill-timed penalties in NFL history. Joseph Ossai‘s out-of-bounds Mahomes shove and James Bradberry’s hold on JuJu Smith-Schuster were technically correct calls, though the latter whistle deciding a Super Bowl generated pushback from some in the coaching community. Having fast-tracked the AFC kingpins’ final two wins, the penalties will be tethered to this Chiefs championship. Bradberry did admit his mistake, but the whistle turned a top-tier Super Bowl into an anticlimactic season-ender. Bad timing? Yes. Rigged? Yikes. Some good men and women went down with that fan-steered ship this season.

One area where this Chiefs team separated from its recent predecessors showed up Sunday. A hard-charging argument against drafting a running back high or doling out a second contract, Isiah Pacheco punished Eagle tacklers. Landing Pacheco in the seventh round diminishes the mistake the Chiefs made with Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Round 1. The Eagles’ failure to sufficiently pressure Mahomes differs wildly from the Bucs’ Super Bowl LV effort. Brett Veach’s overhaul led to four new starters from that ugly night. Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith protecting Mahomes and helping the pass-happy Chiefs outrush the Eagles (158-115) made an eye-opening statement. Pacheco, on an NFL-minimum deal through 2025, will fit perfectly on an increasingly expensive roster.

Bludgeoning defenses with its scrum ignitions all season, the Eagles introduced it to the masses Sunday. The NFC champs were 5-0 in converting out of their rugby-like formation. This included two Jalen Hurts rushing TDs. Of course, Isaac Seumalo‘s false start foiling Philadelphia’s automatic chain-mover keyed disastrous results; the shift to third-and-6 preceded Nick Bolton’s goalward sprint. Still, the Eagles were so successful here it was worth wondering if they would try to push Hurts in on their two-point try. The Eagles took full advantage of the NFL allowing players to push ball carriers — a 2006 rule change –, but the play’s success rate and scant resemblance to modern football could warrant the league to revisit the rule in the offseason. 

Veteran NFL reporter Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings slotted the Eagles 31st and the Chiefs 32nd. Moving past a run of regular-season miscues, the Chiefs saved their best special teams salvos for the biggest spots. After Skyy Moore’s 29-yard punt return set up Kansas City’s closeout drive against Cincinnati, Toney’s 65-yard return broke Jordan Norwood’s Super Bowl record; the 2021 first-round pick’s crisscrossing sprint gave the Chiefs a five-yard field to traverse. Injury prone to the point the Giants gave up on him and the Chiefs needed to limit his touches, Toney cannot be considered a Tyreek Hill replacement. But the Giants shipping the Chiefs an elite gadget player indeed impacted the NFL’s latest championship.

This Chiefs’ championship charge ended both Hurts and Joe Burrow’s third seasons. The Bengals and Eagles now have extension-eligible quarterbacks that will command $50 million-per-year deals. Hurts transformed his stock this season and increased his value in Philly’s Super Bowl defeat. After the Eagles pursued Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, they settled for building the NFL’s best roster around Hurts’ rookie deal. This familiar formula — one that worked five years ago around Carson Wentz’s rookie pact — will make roster-building tougher for popular GM Howie Roseman. With Hurts paid, the Eagles will be unable to flood their team with vets as they did in 2022. Ditto the Bengals, whose path to paying Burrow will bring more scrutiny based on their history.

In early March 2022, the Chiefs began negotiations on a third Tyreek Hill deal. On March 17, the Raiders traded for Davante Adams and gave him a record-setting $28 million-per-year extension. This directly led to Hill changing his price point and the Chiefs balking. Kansas City trading Hill to Miami altered its equation. The Chiefs’ plan to exchange the era’s premier deep threat for receiver depth and first-round cornerback Trent McDuffie gave way to a dominant Hill season in Miami. The trade remains a gamble; Hill outpaced every Chiefs wideout by at least 750 yards. Mahomes threw deep at a career-low rate (8.2%) this season, but Kansas City found a new route to a championship. Smith-Schuster’s six Super Bowl catches (and seminal non-catch) finished this route.

The idea to swap a top-three NFL wideout for a platter of capable but unremarkable veterans placed a heavy burden on Kelce. The Hill-Kelce tag team is one of the best pass-catching duos in NFL annals; it totaled four 1,000-1,000 seasons and was vital to Mahomes’ rapid rise. The Chiefs needed A-plus Kelce to justify their decision to rely on Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling at receiver. Their 33-year-old tight end delivered. Kelce tacked on 257 receiving yards and four TDs in the playoffs, finishing the season with a combined total of 1,595 yards and 16 scores. Kelce’s 16 playoff TDs now trail only Jerry Rice (22). Considering the circumstances, this season was Kelce’s masterpiece. It removed any doubt about first-ballot Hall of Fame status.

Howie Roseman rebuilt the Eagles after a disastrous 2020 led to Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz’s departures. While the 2022 Executive of the Year infused this Eagles edition with a bevy of young talent, veteran stalwarts supplemented it. Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, and Brandon Graham represent four of the greatest players in team history. The Kelce-Cox-Johnson trio has earned 12 combined All-Pro honors. Johnson and Kelce added to their respective ledgers this year. The four Super Bowl LII starters are all at least 32, with Kelce turning 35 this season. This Eagles team benefited greatly from its aging greats. Of the four, only Johnson is a lock to be back. 

Fired after 2011’s failed “Dream Team” experiment and a 4-12 2012 season, Andy Reid has steered the Chiefs to nine playoff berths in 10 seasons. Ending this season three wins away from No. 4 all-time (Tom Landry, at 250), Reid became the 13th head coach to win multiple Super Bowls. Kansas City hiring Reid in 2013 proved a coup, immediately reviving a downtrodden franchise. In an AFC oozing quarterback talent, Mahomes possesses an annual advantage over his rivals. Reid’s retirement rumblings ran counter to how the 14-year Eagles leader addressed this matter back in 2020 when he said he would be open to coaching past 70. Fortunately for the Chiefs, their 64-year-old HC brushed off retirement talk postgame. This operation would look quite different without this century’s most accomplished offensive innovator.

Going from a team well off the contender radar after the 2020 season to a No. 1-seeded outfit two years later, the Roseman-era Eagles have journeyed to Super Bowls with nearly two entirely different rosters. The GM constructing another contender seems a certainty. The team can push hefty Hurts cap numbers — coming via his likely extension — beyond 2023 as it did with Wentz’s contract. While the Eagles have a few free-agent starters, only DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson is a top priority. The NFC’s QB landscape — one that lost Tom Brady and might finally lose Aaron Rodgers, darkness-driven decision pending — pales in comparison to the Chiefs’ neighborhood. The NFC’s present state and the Eagles’ roster-building reputation may even make them a better bet to be back here compared to the champs.

As could be expected, the Chiefs exit the NFL’s 103rd season favored to win Super Bowl LVIII . Not restructuring Mahomes’ contract this year, the Chiefs assembled a champion despite their QB’s cap figure spiking from $7.4 million to $35.8M. Navigating that and winning a title without Tyreek Hill will make maintaining this excellence less complicated. The champs will again have an Orlando Brown franchise tag decision to make, and how much less will Smith-Schuster actually take to stay in Kansas City? Otherwise, the team is in great shape. Eight offensive starters are under contract, and its young secondary should improve. How Kelce looks at 34 may be the team’s top variable, as a deeper AFC contender glut likely awaits. Regardless of rivals’ moves, the Chiefs will be secure in their spot as the 2023 frontrunners.