It was hardly Patrick Mahomes’ most sparkling night statistically.

In fact, the opposing team’s quarterback set a Super Bowl record and tied another.

Yet faced with a 10-point halftime deficit, with a right ankle injury still lingering, Mahomes guided the Chiefs on a comeback to win Super Bowl LVII 38-35 over the Philadelphia Eagles and stamped his name into NFL lore as one of the all-time greats.

In just his fifth season as a starter, Mahomes became the 13th starting quarterback to win multiple Super Bowls, and the 27-year-old megastar added his second Super Bowl MVP for his efforts.

Mahomes became the first player to win an NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season since Kurt Warner in 1999.

He finished the game 21-of-27 passing for 182 yards and three touchdowns. It marked the fewest passing yards for a quarterback who received Super Bowl MVP honors since Tom Brady threw just 145 in his Super Bowl debut in the 2001 season.

But in that second-half rally — shortly after he came up limping on the Chiefs’ final offensive play of the first half — Mahomes was surgical, completing 13 of 14 passes, the lone incompletion being a throw-away.

Mahomes added six carries for 44 yards, including the 26-yard scramble up the middle with less than three minutes remaining that got the Chiefs to the Philadelphia 17 and helped set up Harrison Butker’s game-winning field goal.

Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars in their Jan. 21 AFC divisional round game and seemed to reinjure the ankle when tackled while scrambling with 1:33 remaining in the first half. He was seen limping when jogging off the field at halftime.

The limp was gone during the second half, the injury barely a memory.

“I told y’all this week, there was nothing that was gonna keep me off that football field,” Mahomes said upon accepting the award.

“I just want to shout out my teammates, man. We challenged each other. It took everybody to win this football game.”

Teammates like Nick Bolton, the middle linebacker who led Kansas City with nine tackles and scored on a 36-yard fumble return in the second quarter. Or Kadarius Toney, who not only caught a wide-open touchdown in the fourth quarter to give the Chiefs their first lead, but then returned a punt a Super Bowl-record 65 yards to give Mahomes the shortest of short fields to work with on the next possession, just five yards.

Had the game swung the Eagles’ way, Jalen Hurts would have been the obvious pick for MVP. The do-everything quarterback ran in three TDs, tying Denver Broncos legend Terrell Davis for the Super Bowl record, and set a Super Bowl record for most rushing yards by a quarterback with 70. He went 27-for-38 passing for 304 yards and a 45-yard touchdown bomb to A.J. Brown that multiple Chiefs defensive backs couldn’t defend.

Mahomes had high praise for his counterpart after the game.

“If there was any doubters left, there shouldn’t be now,” Mahomes said of Hurts. “I mean, the way he stepped up on this stage and ran, threw the ball, whatever it took for his team to win. That was a special performance that I don’t want it to get lost in the loss that they had.

“It was a special performance by him, man. You make sure you appreciate that when you look back on this game.”

In just five seasons as a starter, Mahomes improved his career playoff record to 11-3, and he finished the 2022 postseason a neat 72-for-100 for 703 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions.

He also won the MVP award of Super Bowl LIV, when his Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers as he went for 286 passing yards, two touchdowns and a rushing score.

It’s still the early stages of what’s turning out to be a special career.

“He strives to be the greatest,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Without saying anything, that’s the way he works. He wants to be the greatest player ever. That’s what he wants to do 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.”

–Field Level Media

The Philadelphia Eagles fired coach Andy Reid one day after the conclusion of the 2012 season. Just over a decade later, it came back to bite them.

Reid led the Chiefs against his former team in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, and Kansas City rallied for a 38-35 victory to claim its second title in the past four seasons.

Things didn’t look promising for the Chiefs by halftime, as they trailed 24-14 after Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. But Kansas City was firing on all cylinders coming out of the locker room, scoring on all four of its second-half drives to clinch the win.

Harrison Butker provided the game-winning points, making good on a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left in regulation. Philadelphia got the ball back, but only had time for one play — a deep incompletion down the middle that officially put an end to the 2022 season.

–In a highly-anticipated matchup between star quarterbacks, Kansas City’s Mahomes threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns on 21-for-27 passing, while the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a score. Hurts did most of his damage on the ground, rushing for 70 yards and three scores on 15 carries. He had the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in Super Bowl history.

“I’m not gonna say dynasty yet. We’re not done,” Mahomes said while hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy. “So I’m not gonna say dynasty yet.”

–The Eagles’ DeVonta Smith led all receivers with seven catches for 100 yards. Travis Kelce led Kansas City with six catches for 81 yards and a score. Kelce was playing against his brother, Jason, who is a center for Philadelphia.

“You joke around all the time and say that you want to beat your brother in the biggest stage ever, but it’s a weird feeling,” Travis Kelce said. “It came down to the end, and we got all the respect in the world for those Eagles, man. But there’s nothing really I could say to (Jason) other than I love him and he played a hell of a year, a hell of a season.”

–Mahomes battled through an ankle injury, which he seemed to aggravate late in the second quarter. He had sustained a high ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Divisional game on Jan. 21, but was able to remain in Sunday’s game against the Eagles.

–Super Bowl teams that led by double digits at halftime were 26-1 entering Sunday, according to ESPN Stats & Info. By blowing their 10-point lead, the Eagles joined the Falcons — who blew an 18-point lead against the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI — as the only two teams to lose a Super Bowl game after leading by at least 10 at intermission.

–Kadarius Toney helped shift momentum in Kansas City’s favor with 10:11 left in the fourth quarter. Toney returned a punt 65 yards, the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. The previous record was held by Denver’s Jordan Norwood, who had a 61-yard return in Super Bowl 50. Toney’s return led to a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Skyy Moore to give the Chiefs a 35-27 lead.

–A controversial defensive holding call with 1:48 left in the game gave Kansas City an automatic first down on a third-and-8. Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was whistled for the penalty, which eventually led to Butker’s game-winning kick. He held JuJu Smith-Schuster on the play, and said following the game that it was the right call. “It was a holding. I tugged his jersey,” Bradberry said. “I was hoping they would let it slide.”

–Jerick McKinnon slid down at the Philadelphia 2 with 1:36 remaining to allow the Chiefs to chew more clock, but had he scored, the teams would have combined for the most points in Super Bowl history. In Super Bowl XXIX 28 years ago, the 49ers beat the Chargers 49-26 for a combined 75 points.

–Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP. He was also MVP of Super Bowl LIV, which concluded the 2019 season.

–Both teams complained about poor field conditions, with Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata stating that “it was like playing on a water park.” Mailata added that players from both sides were talking about how bad the conditions were during TV timeouts.

–Field Level Media

Patrick Mahomes limped off the field at halftime with the Kansas City Chiefs trailing by 10 points.

It turns out there was no need to fret, not with the Super Bowl having a 29-minute halftime.

Mahomes got treatment during the lengthy break and came out convinced his injured right ankle would hold up. His belief was correct, and he guided the Chiefs to a 38-35 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night in Glendale, Ariz.

Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left and Mahomes passed for two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter as Kansas City became just the second team in Super Bowl history to rally from a deficit of 10 or more points.

The Super Bowl title is the third for Kansas City. The Chiefs also won Super Bowl IV (1969 season) and Super Bowl LIV (2019).

Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the second time in four seasons, but he stopped short of calling the Chiefs the rulers of the NFL.

“I’m not going to say dynasty yet,” Mahomes said. “We’re not done.”

Midseason acquisition Kadarius Toney sparked Kansas City by catching a touchdown pass and setting up another score with a long punt return. Travis Kelce and Skyy Moore caught touchdown passes, Isiah Pacheco ran for a score and Nick Bolton returned a fumble for a touchdown for the Chiefs.

The result gave Kansas City coach Andy Reid a victory over the team he coached for 14 seasons from 1999-2012.

“I know that city loves him and that organization loves him,” Kelce said of Reid. “Call it what you want — there is a lot of pride that he has had success in two different organizations, but this is the better one.”

Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts tied a Super Bowl record with three rushing scores and also passed for one touchdown. Hurts was 27-of-38 passing for 304 yards and rushed for 70 while teaming up with Mahomes as the first pair of Black starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history.

Former Denver Broncos star Terrell Davis rushed for three touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.

Kansas City moved 66 yards on 12 plays for the winning field goal, receiving help from a third-down defensive holding penalty on Philadelphia’s James Bradberry. The cornerback briefly grabbed the jersey of Kansas City wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster.

“It was a holding,” Bradberry said. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”

Eagles coach Nick Sirianni declined to criticize the call.

“I know it always appears that it’s one call,” Sirianni said. “That’s not what it is. There are so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game. And today they were better than we were.”

Another key play was a 26-yard scramble by Mahomes, who earlier aggravated his right ankle injury on Kansas City’s final offensive snap of the first half.

“Whenever you aggravate those high ankles, it hurts,” Mahomes said. “It feels like it did the first time. … But you’ve got to play at the end of the day.”

A.J. Brown caught six passes for 96 yards and one touchdown and DeVonta Smith had seven receptions for 100 yards for the Eagles.

Teams that trailed by 10 or more points at halftime in the Super Bowl are now 2-26. The New England Patriots were the first team to accomplish it as they recovered from a 25-point hole to beat the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

Kansas City took its first lead of the contest at 28-27 when Mahomes completed a 5-yard scoring pass to a wide-open Toney with 12:04 left in the game. That also marked the first time Philadelphia had trailed the entire postseason.

The Chiefs then forced a three-and-out and cashed in big when Toney set a Super Bowl record with a 65-yard punt return. He fielded the ball at his 30-yard line and started left before reversing to the right with a wall of teammates blocking. He was stopped at the Eagles 5.

Three plays later, Mahomes had another wide-open target in Moore, who caught a 4-yard scoring pass to give Kansas City an eight-point lead with 9:22 remaining.

Philadelphia quickly responded as Hurts connected with Smith on a 45-yard pass to the Chiefs 2. Hurts scored on a quarterback sneak on the next play and then ran in the two-point conversion to tie it at 35 with 5:15 remaining.

Mahomes reinjured his right ankle when tackled with 1:33 left in the first half but he didn’t seem bothered by it when the Chiefs opened the second half with a 10-play, 75-yard drive. Pacheco capped the drive with a 1-yard run with 9:30 left in the third quarter to pull Kansas City within 24-21.

Philadelphia responded with a 17-play, 60-yard drive that took 7:45. Jake Elliott finished it by booting a 33-yard field goal to give the Eagles a six-point lead with 1:45 left in the period.

Hurts rushed for two touchdowns and threw for one in the first half to give Philadelphia a 24-14 advantage.

He made one big first-half miscue, dropping the ball while trying to run out of danger. It bounced up to Bolton, who easily scored on a 36-yard fumble return to tie it at 14 with 9:39 left in the half.

“I’m so proud of this team,” Hurts said. “We had a big-time goal in the end, and we came up short. The beautiful part is we experience different agony in life, and we decide how we want to move forward, how we want to learn. My only direction is to rise.”

Mahomes connected on an 18-yard scoring pass to Kelce in the first quarter. The touchdown reception was Kelce’s 16th in the postseason, second all-time behind legendary Jerry Rice (22).

Kelce also improved to 3-0 all-time in matchups against his older brother Jason, the Eagles’ standout center.

“I’m really, really happy for Trav,” Jason Kelce said. “That team deserves everything it had coming to them. They earned it. … You can’t win them all.”

–Field Level Media

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to reinjure his right ankle and came up hobbling late in the second quarter of Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night in Glendale, Ariz.

Mahomes was scrambling on a third-down play when he was tackled around the ankles by Philadelphia Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards with 1:33 remaining in the half. He got up limping and struggled to put weight on the ankle while leaving the field and was in visible pain on the Kansas City bench.

When the half ended, Mahomes was limping while jogging off the field.

Mahomes sustained a high ankle sprain against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Divisional game on Jan. 21 and briefly left the game in favor of Chad Henne before returning. He played the entire game eight days later when the Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.

Philadelphia led Kansas City 24-14 at halftime. Mahomes completed 8 of 13 passes for 89 yards and one touchdown and added two rushes for 11 yards in the half.

–Field Level Media