The Super Bowl matchup is set– the Philadelphia Eagles vs. the Kansas City Chiefs as both teams are filled with storylines going into a duel in the desert
PHILADELPHIA, P.A.– In a duality of games on Sunday, we saw two tales of teams that are Super Bowl bound and eager to etch their name into history. The storylines are vast and deep. The Eagles took down the 2nd seeded San Francisco 49ers in a rout 7-31 where Jalen Hurts and company looked like they solidified their reputation as 2022’s super team.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs won a thriller in Arrowhead kicking a game winning field goal to advance to the Super Bowl over the Cincinnati Bengals in a highly touted matchup which proved to live up to the hype. Here are the headlines and events that took firm grasp of the 2023 NFL Championship Weekend– all wrapped up.
Eagles Demolish the 49ers’ Quarterback Situation
The Eagles pulled off a dismantling of the 49ers offense at Lincoln Financial Field, establishing their presence as a dominant all-around team. The Eagles took quarterback Brock Purdy out of the game early by way of a strip sack by Hassan Reddick and it was all downhill from there.
Journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson had to take the reins in his first ever playoff game in which the offense looked anemic. The team had to mainly rely on running back Christian McCaffery, who took snaps as the team’s emergency quarterback. McCaffery scored the solo touchdown for San Francisco, before Josh Johnson left the game with a concussion and was ruled out.
A LOOK BACK: Giants Struggle in Blowout Loss to Eagles; Philadelphia Looks Poised For a Super Run
Despite McCaffery’s best effort, the Eagles were too much to handle, even on offense. Jalen Hurts went off and looked surgical in his dissection of the NFL’s top defense. Hurts completed 15-of-21 passes for 121 yards and a rushing touchdown. Miles Sanders once again showed why he’s the NFL’s most prolific rusher in the playoffs with 2 touchdowns paired for 42 yards.
Brock Purdy’s Cinderella run comes to an end, finishing off a magical undefeated run. The last pick of the NFL Draft has turned what seemed like a season relegated to being the third string, career backup role into a near Super Bowl appearance. San Francisco finishes the year with an even bigger enigma– what to do with Purdy, Lance, and Garoppolo as all have showed the makings of being a solid starting quarterback.
Chiefs Win Infamous Thriller Set To Go Down In History
On a chilly night in Arrowhead, this game proved to be the more competitive one of the day. With both teams exchanging backhanded pleasantries between themselves, the stakes proved to be immense. The Bengals won their original Week 12 matchup versus the Chiefs in Cincinnati, but got off to a sluggish start here.
Patrick Mahomes came into the matchup badly battered, and storylines swirled about a badly hurt ankle suffered versus their Divisional Round game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Injuries kept mounting for both sides as Joe Burrow lost three of his receivers throughout and prior to the game, yet made good work of the KC defense in the second half with 270 yards and a touchdown. He did throw two interceptions, however his second resembled and served the purpose of a punt flipping the field on a third down.
A HIDDEN KEY PLAYER: Kadarius Toney Set To Get Much Bigger Role In Kansas City’s Offense
The infamy came during the final minutes of the game where on their second-to-last drive, the Chiefs offense was supposedly bailed out by several penalties on a 20-yard to go series. On the final drive of the game, a clutch punt return by Chiefs’ returner Skyy Moore set Kansas City in prime position. A scramble by Patrick Mahomes which ended in Bengals’ linebacker Joseph Ossai shoving Mahomes while out of bounds– which the referees called and was met with immediate scrutiny. The extra 15 yards allowed Harrison Butker to trot on the field and nail a 45-yard game winning field goal to send the Chiefs to Arizona.
Mahomes completed 26 passes out of 43 for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Ja’Marr Chase and Tyler Boyd put on a master class at the receiver position with 75 and 83 yards respectively. Burrow impressed at QB, showing off his arm on multiple occasions throughout the game, including a gutsy deep shot to Ja’Marr Chase on 4th down into double coverage.
A Little Bit of Trash Talk Never Hurt Anyone
“Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni!”
— NFL on CBS ? (@NFLonCBS) January 30, 2023
– Travis Kelce to the Cincinnati Mayor ? @TheRock pic.twitter.com/9XGQ06Zpew
The two teams were at war before the game even started. The newlyfound rivalry started last year when the Bengals won in the AFC Championship Game to punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. Now, the two organzations have been bickering online and through various media outlets.
Several Bengals players refered to the Chiefs’ home stadium– Arrowhead Stadium as Burrowhead Stadium. A statement that didn’t sit well with certain Chiefs, “”Let me tell y’all something. Don’t ever, ever, ever, and I’m gonna look in the camera while I say this, disrespect Arrowhead,” Chiefs’ defensive lineman Chris Jones said. “I don’t care how many times you’ve beat us – don’t ever disrespect Arrowhead Stadium at G.E.H.A. Field.”
Chris Jones earlier in the week had a message to every Arrowhead naysayer stating that, “[he’ll] see y’all at Burrowhead.”
The trashtalk even went as far as to implicate the mayor of Cincinnati Aftab Pureval who declared a proclamation requesting a paternity test of Patrick Mahomes– insinuating that Joe Burrow might be his father.
See Y’all in Arizona
The Eagles and the Chiefs now head to Glendale, Arizona for Super Bowl LVII, the 57th iteration of America’s favorite game. Several talking points enter the game– including Travis Kelce of the Chiefs and lineman Jason Kelce of the Eagles being the first brothers to play each other in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs defense will look to shut down Jalen Hurts and the high flying Eagles offense while the Kansas City offense will try to take on Philly’s stout defensive front helmed by Jordan Davis and Fletcher Cox.
