We were treated to a great Super Bowl last night. It featured the two best teams in the NFL fighting it out to the finish, with both quarterbacks delivering impressive performances. The penalty on the last drive was unfortunate because it prevented a final drive from Jalen Hurts and the Eagles to tie or win the game, but the holding call was probably correct. In the end, the Kansas City Chiefs were able to pull out a win over a tough Philadelphia Eagles team that came to play.

Point Spread

Going into the game, the Eagles were a 1.5 point favorite with the over/under at around 50. The game was very close and lived up to the billing of the two best teams in the NFL making it to the game. The Eagles were the sexy pick to cover, and the Patrick Mahomes injury was certainly a factor, but as we pointed out, the Eagles hadn’t faced a very tough schedule. Could their defense hold up against Mahomes if he was relatively healthy?

Chiefs Running Game

Andy Reid is known as an offensive genius, but he’s also known for abandoning the run too quickly at times. It’s hard to blame him when he has top quarterbacks like Mahomes and Donovan McNabb, but running the ball can be important at times. This was one of those times. The Eagles run defense isn’t very good, and they also have an excellent pass rush. Running the ball effectively would be crucial to take some pressure off of Mahomes and the offensive line, and Reid committed to the run, particularly in the second half.

Horrible Field Conditions

That said, the condition of the field may have also been a factor in slowing down the Eagles pass rush. They didn’t register a sack of Mahomes for the entire game, which few would have predicted. You can see Eagles defensive linemen slipping on a number of plays throughout the game, and that lack of pressure certainly helped a hobbled Mahomes.

Red Zone Calls

Reid, with the help of offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, drew up two beautiful plays that gave the Chiefs critical touchdowns in the red zone. In two very similar plays against different Eagles defensive coverages, Kadarius Toney and then Skyy Moore went in motion towards the quarterback and then sharply revered course to the outside, completely faking out the Eagles defenders for wide open touchdowns.

Jalen Hurts Performance

While Patrick Mahomes put on a show and certainly deserved the Super Bowl MVP trophy, Hurts was magnificent in defeat. Some argued he should have won the MVP award even as the losing QB. It’s amazing how far Hurts has come as a passer, and he’s a lethal threat as a runner as well. He’s not as flashy as Lamar Jackson, but he’s become the player many thought Lamar could be. Unfortunately for Hurts and the Eagles, one mistake marred his performance. A fumble that resulted in a scoop and score TD for the Chiefs was a critical error in this close game, even if it was a fluke play.