The Eagles and Jalen Hurts Came as Close as Close Can Get

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Sometimes, a workforce can win the common season and lose the postseason. That’s what the Philadelphia Eagles realized on Sunday, when the Kansas City Chiefs and their hobbled but transcendent quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, ripped the Lombardi Trophy out of their grasp and gained their second Super Bowl title in 4 years.

The Eagles had been using excessive all 12 months with a top-tier offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts and receiver A.J. Brown and with a dominant protection. They steamrollered by way of the common season to earn the highest seed within the N.F.C. and dominated their first two playoff video games. Then they raced out to a 10-point lead within the first half of the Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., and gave the impression to be on their technique to a championship when Mahomes aggravated a right ankle injury simply earlier than halftime.

But within the second half, Mahomes confirmed why he’s the perfect participant within the N.F.L., even on a nasty ankle. He engineered 4 scoring drives with grit, creativity and, presumably, a whole lot of ache, main Kansas City to a 38-35 victory. Like a bunch of N.B.A. groups that misplaced to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls within the Nineties, the Eagles ran right into a once-in-a-generation participant on the prime of his sport.

“They have one of the best players on the planet, so he’s going to make some big plays,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni stated of Mahomes.

The Eagles middle, Jason Kelce, had nothing however admiration for Mahomes and the Chiefs.

“That team has everything that’s coming to them,” he stated in a somber Eagles press zone after the sport.

The Eagles didn’t lose due to a scarcity of effort. But like in so many title video games, errors can change the trajectory. By all accounts, Hurts had the perfect sport of his skilled profession, and towards one other workforce, his effort may need been sufficient to salt away the sport.

“It did hurt us, it hurt us,” Hurts stated afterward.

Still, the Eagles went into halftime forward by 10 factors, and with their entrance line dominant and Mahomes hobbled, Philadelphia appeared in a very good place.

But the 29-minute break gave the Chiefs time to gather themselves, and for trainers to work on Mahomes’s ankle.

“That 29 minutes literally brought us together,” Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster stated.

On the opening drive of the second half, Mahomes led Kansas City on a 10-play drive that included, to the amazement of practically everybody, a 14-yard scramble by Mahomes to the Eagles’ 4-yard line.

“He made some great plays,” Eagles linebacker Hasson Reddick stated of Mahomes. “He dropped some dimes in there.”

The Eagles didn’t go quietly. Hurts engineered an eight-play, 75-yard drive in simply over 4 minutes, capped with him operating for a 2-yard landing and then scoring a 2-point conversion by operating the ball into the tip zone. Those efforts tied the sport at 35-35.

In N.F.L. video games with evenly matched opponents, the workforce with the ball final usually wins. Mahomes and the Chiefs used practically all the 5:15 remaining after that rating to march down the sector and arrange a game-winning 27-yard area objective by kicker Harrison Butker.

After Kansas City’s late drive and area objective, the Eagles had one final probability. But Hurts’s Hail Mary go fell far brief, and the sport ended with pink and yellow confetti falling from the rafters.

Hurts walked slowly to the bench — alone. Then he put his helmet down and paced again and forth — alone. His teammates appeared to sense that he wanted some house. A coach approached him and appeared to say one thing, however solely briefly. For a short time, Hurts watched Kansas City’s gamers and coaches rejoice amid the falling confetti. Then, he made his method off the sector, breaking right into a gradual trot on his method out — alone once more.

“You either win or you learn,” Hurts stated. “We had a big-time goal that we wanted to accomplish, and we came up short.”

Kurt Streeter contributed reporting.