Analysis
2/12/23
6 min read
Wildest Stats from Super Bowl LVII
The wildest and most impressive stats from the Kansas City Chiefs' 38-35 victory against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
MVP Doubles Down
Patrick Mahomes is the first regular-season NFL MVP in more than 20 years to win the Super Bowl.
Kurt Warner was the previous player to win the league MVP and win the Super Bowl, accomplishing the double in 1999. Since then, nine NFL MVPs have gone to the Super Bowl, and each has lost: Warner (2001), Rich Gannon (2002), Shaun Alexander (2005), Tom Brady (2007, 2017), Peyton Manning (2009, 2013), Cam Newton (2015) and Matt Ryan (2016).
Young Stud
Mahomes also added his second career Super Bowl MVP to his resume on Sunday night, which pairs nicely with his two regular season MVPs. In fact, he joins an elite group of players who have won both the Super Bowl MVP and regular season MVP, including Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Emmitt Smith, Terrell Davis, Marcus Allen, Steve Young, John Elway, Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning.
READ: Ranking Every Super Bowl MVP
What do all of those players have in common? They're all in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The only players with more Super Bowl MVP awards are Tom Brady (five) and Montana (three). Bradshaw, Eli Manning and Starr also won the award twice.
The Running Man
Jalen Hurts spent the entire night breaking Super Bowl quarterback rushing records.
He finished the game with 75 yards rushing, surpassing Steve McNair for the most single-game yards rushing by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. Hurts' three touchdowns also broke the single-game record for the most by a quarterback in the Super Bowl and tied the overall mark, established by Denver Broncos running back Terrell Davis in 1998.
Late in the second quarter, Hurts scored on a quarterback draw, putting the Eagles ahead, 21-14. That touchdown made him the first player in Super Bowl history to rush for two first-half touchdowns.
Points Record Near Miss
Sunday's game was the third-highest-scoring game in Super Bowl history. The Chiefs and Eagles combined for 73 points, two shy of the NFL record set by the San Francisco 49ers and then-San Diego Chargers in the 49ers' 49-26 rout in Super Bowl XXIX. The Eagles and New England Patriots combined for 74 points in Philadelphia's 41-33 victory five years ago.
That also makes the Eagles the only team to be involved in the two Super Bowls in which both teams scored at least 30 points.
Roll Tide?
Alabama has produced a ton of NFL talent in recent seasons but not a lot of Super Bowl scorers.
Hurts’ touchdown on the Eagles' opening drive of the game made him the first former Alabama player to score a non-passing touchdown in the Super Bowl. Hurts did it the way he has all season — using the quarterback sneak.
Early Fireworks
On Sunday, both teams got off to a fast start.
Super Bowl LVII was only the sixth Super Bowl with an opening-possession touchdown and just the third where both teams scored touchdowns on their opening possessions. For good measure, the Chiefs also scored a touchdown on the opening possession of the second half, and the Eagles kicked a field goal on their first possession after halftime.
The most recent team to score on its opening drive was the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, when they kicked an opening-drive field goal against the Patriots.
Mahomes Keeps Climbing
Mahomes’ first-quarter touchdown pass to Travis Kelce put him ahead of Miami Dolphins icon Dan Marino in playoff touchdown passes.
Mahomes, who is 27 years old, is eighth in NFL history with 35 touchdown passes after just five seasons as the Chiefs' starting QB. Mahomes needs two more to move into seventh place and pass former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
With five more postseason touchdown passes, Mahomes will tie Peyton Manning.
Kelce Moves Closer to NFL Legend
Mahomes’ first-quarter touchdown pass that put him ahead of Marino also moved Kelce ahead of Rob Gronkowski for second all-time in postseason touchdown catches with 16.
Kelce now trails only Jerry Rice, who had 22 postseason touchdown catches across his career with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders.
17 Again
With Super Bowl glory in their sights, the Eagles took possession midway through the third quarter, up by three, and marched down the field on a Super Bowl record-tying, 17-play drive. The Eagles went 60 yards and chewed up almost eight minutes of game clock Mahomes could have used to mount Kansas City’s comeback.
The only downside? The Eagles netted just three points. Jake Elliot converted a 33-yard field goal to conclude the drive, giving Philadelphia a 27-21 lead, which, ultimately, wasn't enough.
Special Teams History
Kadarius Toney pulled off one of the game’s most exciting plays and etched his name in Super Bowl history with an electrifying fourth-quarter punt return that went for a record 65 yards.
KADARIUS TONEY TAKES IT DOWN TO THE 5 YARD LINE.
THIS GAME. 🔥🔥🔥
📺: #SBLVII on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/d8gBDzRt2m pic.twitter.com/bFMl6VQPUA— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2023
The return set Kansas City up at the Philadelphia five-yard line and led to a Mahomes touchdown pass extending the Chiefs’ lead to eight.
Toney broke the record previously held by Jordan Norwood of the Denver Broncos, who had a 61-yard return in Super Bowl 50.
Double-Digit Deficit Erased
The Kansas City Chiefs became just the second team in Super Bowl history to come back from a double-digit deficit at halftime.
Twenty-six teams have taken a lead of 10 or more into the locker room, and only two have squandered the Lombardi Trophy: The Eagles on Sunday night and, of course, the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. The Falcons led the Patriots, 21-3, at halftime and later led, 28-3, before eventually falling, 34-28, in overtime.
Mahomes Has Mastered Second-Half Comebacks
Perhaps the Chiefs' comeback should've been expected. Mahomes is the only quarterback to have a winning record since 1950 when his team is trailing by 10 or more points. Sunday night's win makes him 14-10 in his career in those situations.
Two of those wins have come on the NFL's biggest stage — the Super Bowl.
WATCH: Why Kelce's Super Bowl TD Looked Familiar
