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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Hunter Felt and Tom Lutz

Super Bowl LVII: Kansas City Chiefs 38-35 Philadelphia Eagles – as it happened

Eagles Chiefs Patrick Mahomes Philadelphia (Organization) Andy Reid NFL Jalen Hurts Kansas City Super Bowl Super Bowl LVII
Patrick Mahomes celebrates his team’s victory
Patrick Mahomes celebrates his team’s victory. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Final thoughts

The Guardian will continue to have coverage of the Chiefs’ 38-35 victory over the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII over the course of the next few days. In fact, you can read Bryan Graham’s game report below.

However, this will be the end of today’s live coverage. Thanks to all who read, especially those who contributed (sorry I couldn’t use all of your emails). Ciao!

And the presentation ends with a Beastie Boys reference. I believe, however, the Chiefs have already fought for their right to party, they can skip that part of the process and go right to celebrating.

Nope. It was pretty much written in stone that if the Chiefs managed to beat these Eagles, Patrick Mahomes would win the MVP and that’s exactly what happens.

“I’m not going to say dynasty yet. We’re not done!” Mahomes says after being asked about whether they’re a dynasty yet. This is a good answer.

Andy Reid gets the trophy and he sounds way calmer than a Super Bowl winning head coach should be. He is not retiring, apparently.

This will probably be the main topic of conversation on Philadelphia sports talk radio for the foreseeable future.

In any case, as is our custom, we will be keeping this live blog going for the upcoming trophy presentation and postgame celebrations.

Email from S Fuller:

Hey my mid 30s score prediction is not looking bad right now. Cheers, s

Eagles 36-34 Chiefs is the right range, indeed, although not the actual winner. Of course, the Eagles were favored, so there’s no shame in that.

The Eagles left a few receivers wide open in the second half and that might have been the game. Mahomes is very very good, you don’t need to give him any help.

The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions!

It looked hopeless for the Chiefs when Mahomes hobbled off the field at the end of the first half. Instead, the Chiefs came in and scored in every single one of their possessions in the second half.

Chiefs 38-35 Eagles, FINAL

The Eagles get the ball at their 36 and have four seconds left for a final play. Hurts throws one hopeless pass and that’s that, the Kansas City Chiefs have won Super Bowl LVII!

Field goal (Chiefs)! Chiefs 38-35 Eagles, :08, 4th quarter

The hold on the Eagles’ James Bradberry will certainly be the story of this game, should the Chiefs hang on to win here. Was that something that should get called in the last two minutes of a Super Bowl? Well, it was. Those are the facts here.

In any case, Butkis is up for the game-winning 27-yard field goal and it is good with just eight seconds left on the clock!

Updated

Chiefs 35-35 Eagles, :54, 4th quarter

McKinnon does a good job at stopping at the two-yard line rather than running in for a touchdown that would give the ball back to the Eagles. The clock is everything right now. Mahomes kneels and gets pushed back five yards.

Chiefs 35-35 Eagles, 1:54, 4th quarter

Mahomes passes to J.S.S., who gains nothing on the play. It’s 3rd and 8. The Chiefs take a timeout. Mahomes lofts a ball up towards the end zone where there’s nobody to catch it.

And there’s defensive holding on the play! That’s a five-yard penalty and an automatic first down for Kansas City.

I see this being decided right here and right now although this may be wishful thinking on my part given that I’m not paid extra for overtime.

Chiefs 35-35 Eagles, 2:00, 4th quarter

It looks like the Eagles defense is about to stop Mahomes, but he scrambles and runs for 26 yards. The Chiefs are at the Eagles 17. They hand the ball to Pacheco who takes the ball to the Philadelphia 15.

And we’re at the two-minute warning with the Chiefs getting ready to take a very late lead.

Chiefs 35-35 Eagles, 2:53, 4th quarter

Mahomes finds Kelce for… just shy of a first down. It’s 3rd and 1 at the KC 47. Pacheco returns to the game, but Kelce is taken out. On the next play, Pacheco proves he’s okay by exploding for 10 yards, only to be stopped further by Gardner-Johnson.

Chiefs 35-35 Eagles, 4:32, 4th quarter

Another kick, another touchback.

On first down, Pacheco picks up three yards. 2nd and 7. Mahomes finds J.S.S. again (it’s easier than typing Smith-Schuster, just let me call him that) and the two combine for a first down.

On the next play, Pacheco picks up two yards to get the Chiefs to their own 38 but he’s hurt on the play after taking a hit. We take an injury timeout.

Email from Roger Kay:

Hi Hunter,

Love the coverage. I’m sitting on a sofa in California with 2 Irish, 2 Scots and a French person plus a few Americans. I’d just like to say for the record that I called the KC last play - just run that same play action as the last TD but switch the side! I’m

Worth at least a few $ million a year :)

Go Chiefs!

Good job but I’m guessing, as a Chiefs fan, the joy was transient in nature.

Touchdown and two-point conversion (Eagles)! Chiefs 35-35 Eagles, 6:07, 4th quarter

Jalen Hurts gets the two-point conversion
Jalen Hurts gets the two-point conversion. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images

Hurts finds Smith for a 47 yard gain! That puts the Eagles at the Kansas City 1. On the next play, Hurts rushes in for a touchdown. They still need a two-point conversion to tie this up, but Hurts runs it in himself and we are tied up!

Are you not entertained?

Updated

Chiefs 35-27 Eagles, 6:07, 4th quarter

Hurts is sacked for a yard on first down. 1st and 11, Philly at their own 35. Hurts finds Brown with a short pass, Brown ends up picking up seven yards. 3rd and 5. Hurts connects with Brown again and he picks up 11 yards and brings the Eagles to the Kansas City 47.

Chiefs 35-27 Eagles, 8:08, 4th quarter

Okay, another kick, another touchback. Philadelphia’s time to respond, if they can. On 1st and 10, Sanders picks up five yards. On second down, he picks up an additional three. Another 3rd and 1. They run the quarterback sneak and Hurts just barely gets the first down at the last second.

If I’m Andy Reid I’m absolutely retiring at the end of this game if this score holds up. Go out on top.

Touchdown (Chiefs)! Chiefs 35-27 Eagles, 9:22, 4th quarter

The Chiefs are at the Philadelphia 5. Pacheco picks up a yard. 2nd and goal. Mahomes has to throw to nowhere. 3rd and goal, Mahomes finds Moore who runs it in for a touchdown and that punt return might just end up being the play of the game.

The extra point is good and the Eagles desperately need to answer in this next possession.

Chiefs 28-27 Eagles, 10:33, 4th quarter

Hurts finds Pascal for a two-yard gain. 3rd and 2. Hurts has to run from defenders and has to throw the ball away. Fantastic coverage there from Kansas City, putting him in no man’s land. That’s a three-and-out and we get a rare sight of the Eagles punter.

Oh no. Toney returns the punt all the way to the Philadelphia 5! Oh wow, that’s 65 yards and it almost was a TD!

Chiefs 28-27 Eagles, 11:50, 4th quarter

Another kickoff. Another touchback. The Eagles are going to be at their own 25 and they no longer have the luxury of playing with the lead. Hurts finds Goedert for a five-yard gain on first down.

This is officially the game us neutral fans were hoping to see. My sincerest apologies, however, to fans of either team

Touchdown (Chiefs)! Chiefs 28-27 Eagles, 12:04, 4th quarter

Patrick Mahomes celebrates his team’s touchdown
Patrick Mahomes celebrates his team’s touchdown. Photograph: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Mahomes keeps going to Simon-Schuster. The two get the ball to the Philadelphia 9. Next play, McKinnon gets to the Philadelphia 5. 3rd and 3, Mahomes finds a ridiculously alone Toney for a walk-in touchdown. The extra point is good and Kansas City has a one-point lead!

Updated

Chiefs 21-27 Eagles, 14:04, 4th quarter

Mahomes gets plenty of time to throw, which is not good news for Philadelphia. He finds Smith-Schuster for a 14-yard gain. The Chiefs are at the Eagles 30. On the next play, the yellow flags lie. It’s offsides on the defense, a five-yard penalty on Philly.

1st and 5 at the Philadelphia 25. Mahomes and J.S.S. connect for the second straight time, this one gets the Chiefs to the Philadelphia 12.

Doomsday scenario in play!

Chiefs 21-27 Eagles, end of the 3rd quarter

Mahomes’s next pass is to Smith-Schuster and it’s just enough for a first down. The Chiefs are at their own 36, Pacheco rushes for nine yards to set up a 2nd and 1. Pacheco gets in eleven yards before the end of the third quarter. The Chiefs will begin the fourth quarter at the Eagles 44.

Chiefs 21-27 Eagles, 1:10, 3rd quarter

That drive was nearly eight minutes. The Eagles are definitely winning the time-of-possession battle. Elliot’s kick goes into the end zone for (all together now) A TOUCHBACK.

Mahomes’s first pass is caught by Kelce for a three-yard gain.

Field goal (Eagles)! Chiefs 21-27 Eagles, 1:45, 3rd quarter

Hurts finds Gainwell who gets stopped by Bolton before picking up a first down. Elliott is up to kick a field goal. It’s good, but this feels like a moral victory for Kansas City.

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 2:36, 3rd quarter

With a fresh set of downs, Hurts gets sacked. The first of the game! It’s only a yard, however, and the Eagles have three more downs. After an incomplete pass, they’re down to a 3rd and 11 situation. This would be a huge moment for the Chiefs to hold them to a field goal.

The Eagles call a timeout after having trouble getting a play off.

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 4:01, 3rd quarter

Sanders runs it again, just short of a first down. It’s 3rd and 1 at the KC 21 for Philadelphia. The Eagles do not quarterback sneak! Maybe they should have, Sanders is stopped for no gain. A huge 4th and 1 call? Not really, Hurts is automatic when he just needs a yard.

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 5:55, 3rd quarter

The ruling on the field stands! The Chiefs lose their challenge and a timeout! The Eagles are at the Kansas City 30. No, make that the 26 after Sanders picks up four more yards.

I really hope that the Breaking Bad actors got paid ridiculous money for the Super Bowl ad that just aired in the US because that was maybe the most embarrassing one I’ve seen in my years liveblogging these things.

Updated

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 6:13, 3rd quarter

And Andy Reid has challenged it, so maybe the Eagles didn’t get away with anything! Let’s see how the zebras rule, this might be a crucial turning point.

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 6:13, 3rd quarter

Hurts scrambles on first down, picking up a yard. Hurts airs one out to Watkins, who has the ball briefly but drops it. Oof that would have put them on the doorstep of a touchdown. 3rd and 9. There’s a flag on the play: the Eagles couldn’t get the play off on time. Delay of game. Five yard penalty.

Hurts needs to make a big throw here and he does! He finds Goedert at the Kansas City 30! (He bobbles it slightly, but the officials don’t catch it.)

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 7:44, 3rd quarter

Hurts finds Quez Watkins for an eight-yard gain. 2nd and 2. Gainwell doesn’t get anything on his carry but he manages to pick up three on 3rd and 2.

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 8:43, 3rd quarter

2nd and 10. Hurts finds Brown for a four-yard gain. 3rd and 6, Hurts finds Goedert at the Philadelphia 46! That’s a first down.

Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 9:30, 3rd quarter

The Eagles start at their own 25 after another touchback. It looks like Jalen Hurts throws a pass to Sanders that gets dropped and returned for a touchdown. HOWEVER. The play is under review.

And the receiver did not have possession, so it was indeed just an incomplete pass.

That’s what’s called a “reverse jinx” in the business. Now can the Eagles respond?

Touchdown! (Chiefs) Chiefs 21-24 Eagles, 9:30, 3rd quarter

Isiah Pacheco scores on the Chiefs’ opening second-half drive
Isiah Pacheco scores on the Chiefs’ opening second-half drive. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images

McKinnon picks up seven yards. On 2nd and 3, Mahomes sees the play collapse around him and runs for a gain of 14 yards. That’s very encouraging for the Chiefs. Mahomes finds McKinnon, hoping for the end zone. Instead, he picks up just a yard. It doesn’t matter, on the next play, Pacheco rushes it in for a touchdown.

This isn’t over yet! The extra point is good and we have just a three-point game.

Updated

Chiefs 14-24 Eagles, 12:12, 3rd quarter

Mahomes throws an uncatchable ball under pressure that Kelce nevertheless catches. It’s a 11-yard gain and the Chiefs are at the Philadelphia 41. Skyy More picks up four yards on first down. 2nd and 6. Mahomes throws to Watson for a 12-yard gain. The Chiefs are at the Philadelphia 25 and Mahomes looks like he’s doing okay at the moment.

Chiefs 14-24 Eagles, 13:54, 3rd quarter

Pacheco gets the ball first, he takes off for seven yards. He takes the ball on the next down, picking up two yards. They’re relying on the running backs here, for obvious reasons. McKinnon goes off for 14 yards and a first down at the KC 48.

Start of the second half!

Chiefs 14-24 Eagles, 15:00, 3rd quarter

The Chiefs will get the ball to start the second half. Elliott’s kickoff is… a touchback. Of course! Why break with tradition? Mahomes is coming back on the fied.

Updated

Okay, time to focus back on the football side of things.

Email from Andy O’Shaughnessy:

Everything points to a Philadelphia win.

I’d be in bed only for my 10yo son who is up watching his 1st Super Bowl.

It really feels titled in Philadelphia’s favor, if it weren’t for Hurts’s fumble, this would be one-sided and it all comes down to Mahomes’s ankle. Again.

Email from Colin Hamilton:

Surely the halftime headline should be

Mahomes Hurts

Best
Colin Hamilton

I strongly appreciate your pun game.

For a more focused breakdown on Rihanna’s halftime show, please check out the Guardian’s non-football Super Bowl live blog:

No guests, not a lot of gimmicks, just hit after hit after hit. A fantastic halftime show from Rihanna. I still wish she had slipped in S&M but perhaps a wise decision. 9/10.

Updated

Email from Simon Nice:

Loving the show, particularly the support dancers in the costumes which I’m assuming are a tribute to East 17.

Simon

I didn’t make the connection, but you could be right.

And yes, we got “Umbrella,” and that alone makes this whole thing worthwhile for me.

Rihanna performs her parts from “All Of The Lights,” which we’re all just going to pretend is not a Kanye West track for the purposes of this NFL halftime event.

And we have an extremely buttocks-centric bit of choreography for Rude Boy.

And, sigh, we have Work. which she absolutely does zoom through without much effort. I feel like my Halftime Prediction, at the very least, wasn’t dead wrong.

Updated

Rihanna makes her entrance
Rihanna makes her entrance. Photograph: Michael Chow/USA Today Sports

We’re already on The Only Girl In The World, what’s the over/under of songs in this medley?

We Found Love. I feel like I’m zooming through the 2010s here.

Updated

Okay, Rihanna is here. Time for the Super Bowl halftime show! The first song is about how a certain someone better have her money. She is performing on the kind of hovering platforms you’d expect on a side-scrolling 8-bit video game.

Updated

Email from Justin Kavanagh:

Having recently watched the Phillies blow a lead in the World Series and the Union lose the MLS Cup on penalties having led til late, I’m watching this from behind the sofa through fingers with nails bitten down to the quick. Is it over yet?

Your answer will depend on how Patrick Mahomes looks when the Chiefs come out to start the second half. If he’s clearly not himself, it feels like this one is close to over. If not, this is going to go to the wire.

My colleague Beau Dure emails us with some commentary on the pop culture side of things. (I, thankfully, have been too busy recapping to pay attention to most of the ads.):

Will Ferrell, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph ... big day for Saturday Night Live alumni.

And Chris Stapleton? 10/10. 11/10. Best national anthem that wasn’t obviously pre-recorded.

And Pete Davidson.

At this point, I expect Tina Fey to sing at halftime.

Halftime thoughts

Well, we’re getting the offensive battle that we were all expecting. Which is good.

Patrick Mahomes was injured in the first half, however. Which is not good.

Now the question is whether Rihanna’s halftime show will be long enough for Mahomes to recover. Otherwise, we could see the Eagles literally run away with this in the second half.

Field goal (Eagles) Chiefs 14-24 Eagles, end of the first half

It’s 3rd and 4, Hurts finds Brown who makes the catch and then runs for a few additional yards to the Kansas City 19. 1st and 10. Gainwell picks up two yards. Eagles call a timeout and bring out the field goal unit with the first-half clock nearly wound down.

Elliott’s field goal attempt is… good at 35 yards! The Eagles extend their lead with time expiring!

Chiefs 14-21 Eagles, :23, 2nd quarter

After a very long delay, the call is reversed and it’s not a catch for Smith. It’s probably the right call, but it’s also weird that they felt there was sufficient evidence to overturn an on-field call. It’s 3rd and 1, so Hurts tries for a quarterback sneak.

You will not be surprised to learn that it was successful. The Eagles are at the Kansas City 46 with a fresh set of downs but a dwindling clock. Hurts’s pass is incomplete. 2nd and 10. Hurts finds Smith. The Eagles take a timeout.

Chiefs 14-21 Eagles, 1:00, 2nd quarter

Hurts finds Gainwell for a, well, nine-yard gain. The Eagles are trying to score right here and this next play might help them do that: Hurts finds Smith for a huge 35-yard gain… but the play is under review.

If Mahomes isn’t at least at 80%, this is going to be very difficult for the Chiefs to win.

Updated

Chiefs 14-21 Eagles, 1:33, 2nd quarter

Patrick Mahomes looks in pain after returning to the bench
Patrick Mahomes looks in pain after returning to the bench. Photograph: Rob Carr/Getty Images

Mahomes throws incomplete, wildly so. 2nd and 10. False start, this time on the Chiefs. That’s a five-yard penalty. 2nd and 15, Mahomes escapes pressure but has to throw it away. 3rd and 15 at the KC 31. The Chiefs are going to need some Mahomes Magic here to keep this drive alive.

Instead he gets rattled by the Eagles’ defense and scrambles until he’s taken down. Oh no, he gets up and he’s clearly hobbled. Meanwhile, the Eagles call a timeout before the Chiefs punt. Covey returns the punt to the Philadelphia 43: it’s a 27-yard gain for Philly while the Kansas City staff attends to the MVP.

Updated

Chiefs 14-21 Eagles, 2:00, 2nd quarter

I said that the Eagles’ best bet to win this matchup was to run the ball. So far that’s what they’re doing, that’s two rushing touchdowns for Jalen Hurts in the first half. Elliott’s kick… yes, another touchback.

Mahomes passes to McKinnon on first down, the Chiefs get five yards. Mahomes finds Justin Watson for another five yards and a first down. The Chiefs are at their own 35 and we are at the two-minute warning. We’re getting close to Rihanna! I’m psyched!

That’s how you respond after making a crucial error. Also, I have to say I’m starting to agree with David Good’s comments about how maybe going for it on fourth down is the right strategy in this particular Super Bowl.

Touchdown! (Eagles) Chiefs 14-21 Eagles, 2:20, 2nd quarter

Jalen Hurts puts his team into the lead
Jalen Hurts puts his team into the lead. Photograph: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

1st and 10. Gainwell picks up three yards. 2nd and 7, Hurts finds Smith for a four-yard gain. Crucial 3rd and 3 at the Kansas City 9. Scott only picks up a single yard. 4th and 2, the Eagles offense lines up and they get the Chiefs’ defense to jump for a penalty.

The neutral zone infraction gives the Eagles a first down. On the very next play, Hurts slips through the defense and is in for a touchdown! The extra point is good and the Eagles have the lead.

Updated

Chiefs 14-14 Eagles, 5:28, 2nd quarter

Eagles at the Kansas City 49. Gainwell picks up four yards. 2nd and 6. Hurts gets nowhere, loses a few yards in fact. 3rd and 7. Gainwell picks up two yards. 4th and 5, the Eagles offense stays on. Hurts takes care of it himself and he runs all the way to the Kansas City 16!

Chiefs 14-14 Eagles, 7:45, 2nd quarter

Hurts throws a long pass that almost gets intercepted by Kansas City. Maybe he’s playing a little on-tilt. 2nd and 10, Boston Scott gets the ball to the Eagles 48 which sets up another 3rd and 1. Quarterback sneak? Yep, and a successful one.

Chiefs 14-14 Eagles, 9:09, 2nd quarter

Another kickoff. Another touchback. The Eagles offense is back out here at their 25. Hurts runs for a 14-yard gain and a first down.

Email from David Good:

Hope you’re enjoying the game so far. It’s looking like it might have been a mistake for the Chiefs to try for a field goal at all, as even if it went over it’s looking like a shoot-out.

Cheers,

David

Maybe a mistake but it looks like the Chiefs recovered from it nicely.

Fumble recovery touchdown (Chiefs) Chiefs 14-14 Eagles, 9:39, 2nd quarter

Jalen Hurts fumbles the ball to let the Chiefs score
Jalen Hurts fumbles the ball to let the Chiefs score. Photograph: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Gainwell picks up nine yards and brings Philadelphia into Kansas City territory. On 2nd and 1, Gainwell gets stuffed. On 3rd and 1, the Eagles get hit with a false start. On 3rd and 5… the ball comes loose! Hurt dropped it! Chiefs have it! Nick Bolton carries it into the end zone for a Chiefs touchdown! The extra point is good and this game is tied up!

Updated

Chiefs 7-14 Eagles, 11:58, 2nd quarter

Sanders gets stuffed for a loss on first down. 2nd and 11. Hurts finds Goedert, who gets tackled by Jaylen Watson immediately. 3rd and 8. Hurts has to throw under pressure and, wow, he throws a bullet to Zach Pascal for a first down. The Eagles are at their own 44.

Chiefs 7-14 Eagles, 13:31, 2nd quarter

Mahomes passes to Juju Smith-Schuster for a five-yard gain. 3rd and 8. Mahomes tries to find Smith-Schuster again but it’s incomplete. The Chiefs punt for the first time today. Tommy Townsend’s punt gets carried by Britain Covey to the Eagles 33 where Philadelphia will start their next drive.

Chiefs 7-14 Eagles, 14:25, 2nd quarter

Elliott’s kick is in the end zone. Chiefs will start at their 25. Pacheco gets the first carry and he gets pushed back two yards.

Touchdown! (Eagles) Chiefs 7-14 Eagles, 14:52, 2nd quarter

Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver AJ Brown puts his team ahead
Philadelphia Eagles' wide receiver AJ Brown puts his team ahead. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Hurts finds Brown in the end zone! That’s how you start a quarter! 45-yard touchdown catch. The extra point is good! The Eagles double up on the Chiefs!

Updated

How is the Ezra Miller Flash movie – just featured in Super Bowl ads here in the US – the only DC project that survived cancellation? It’s not an original thought, I know, but man it’s a nagging one.

Updated

Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, end of the 1st quarter

Hurts finds Goedert for a four-yard gain to the Philadelphia 48. On the next play, Hurts finds A.J. Brown for seven yards that will put the Eagles on the KC 45 and take us to the end of the first quarter.

Updated

Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, 1:08, 1st quarter

Okay, now this game officially becomes amusing if the Chiefs lose by three points are less. I feel bad for kickers, I really do. The Eagles start at their own 32. Hurts runs for a five-yard gain. 2nd and 5, Kansas City’s defense swarms and holds Hurts to a single yard. 3rd and 4. There are flags, offsides on the defense. That’s a five-yard penalty that gives the Eagles a first down.

That was a great game. Speaking from the New England perspective, it was a very good day to be rooting against Peyton Manning.

Failed field goal attempt (Chiefs) Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, 2:27, 1st quarter

Harrison Butker’s kick was unsuccessful
Harrison Butker’s kick was unsuccessful. Photograph: Patrick Breen/USA Today Sports

1st and 10. Mahomes throws incomplete. 2nd and 10. Mahomes finds Jerick McKinnon for a seven-yard gain. On third down, Mahomes throws incomplete. A fourth-down decision looms. Head coach Andy Reid decides to settle for a field goal, which bounces off the post!

Butker’s 42-yard attempt ends with a mighty doink. Still a tied game.

Updated

Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, 3:48, 1st quarter

Mahomes runs for six yards on first down. 2nd and 4, Pacheco goes up the middle for a two yard gain. On the play, Ndamukong Suh gets called for illegal use of hands, meaning that it’s an automatic first down for Kansas City. On the next play, Mahomes finds a silly open Kelce again, this time for a 22-yard gain that takes the Chiefs to the Philadelphia 31.

Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, 5:00, 1st quarter

Gainwell picks up a yard. 2nd and 9. Hurts finds Smith for a five-yard gain, but it’s 3rd and 14 thanks to the killer early penalty. Hurts can’t find anywhere to go on third down, so here comes the punt unit. Arryn Siposs’s punt gets returned to the Chiefs 34 by Kadarius Toney.

Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, 6:44, 1st quarter

Harrison Butker’s kick also goes into the end zone. Another touchback. When are we going to see our first punt is the question now.

On the first play of this drive, the Eagles get hit with offensive pass interference that will push them back 10 yards.

Nicky Bandini on the rooting interest question:

There’s a curious (kinda fun) split in the stadium, with mostly Chiefs fans occupying the east side of the stadium and mostly Eagles fans the west. There’s pockets for both teams everywhere but it was really noticeable, from where our press section are behind the south end zone, how all the noise was coming from away to our left while the stand to our right was almost silent. Already noticing the reverse now on this Kansas City drive!


Touchdown! (Chiefs) Chiefs 7-7 Eagles, 6:57, 1st quarter

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce catches the ball and runs to score a touchdown during Super Bowl LVII
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce catches the ball and runs to score a touchdown during Super Bowl LVII. Photograph: Timothy A Clary/AFP/Getty Images

Pacheco takes off for a 24-yard gain and the Chiefs, in a blink, are already at the Philadelphia 20. We might be in for a high-scoring game here. On the next play, Pacheco picks up an additional two yards. On the very next play, Mahomes finds Kelce. One successful PAT later and we’re already tied up. Whew!

Updated

Chiefs 0-7 Eagles, 9:33, 1st quarter

Elliott’s kickoff goes into the end zone, so the Chiefs too will be starting at their own 25. Isiah Pacheco rushes for a three-yard gain on first down. Next up, Mahomes throws to his favorite receiver (that would be Travis Kelce) for a 20 yard gain! The Chiefs are almost at midfield already.

The first quarterback sneak of the Super Bowl and certainly not the last.

Email from Mark Hooper:

Lady Gaga sang This Land is Your Land at her Superbowl performance in 2017 - telling given who the President was then

I forgot that, but it makes sense that Lady Gaga would be the one to dust that off.

Touchdown! (Eagles) Chiefs 0-7 Eagles, 10:09, 1st quarter

OK, now that’s a touchdown. Hurts goes with the old-fashioned quarterback sneak to get into the end zone and Jake Elliott’s extra-point attempt is good. Philadelphia instantly takes a seven-point lead.

Philly have been so good using rugby-like tactics to get over the line all season. Here’s a little more on the subject:

Updated

Chiefs 0-0 Eagles, 10:22, 1st quarter

Eagles going lightning fast. Boston Scott gets the ball on the next play, gets it to the Kansas City 2. On the next play, Scott gets taken for a loss. They can still pick up a first down here which they do. At first, the Eagles think they have a touchdown after a Kenneth Gainwell carry but it’s called just short after a review.

Chiefs 0-0 Eagles, 12:02, 1st quarter

Hurts finds Dallas Goedert for a 13-yard gain. Impressive opening drive. On the next play, Hurts finds Smith to get to the Kansas City 11.

Chiefs 0-0 Eagles, 12:33, 1st quarter

Hurts throws incomplete to A.J. Brown on first down. On 2nd and 10, Jalen Hurts takes off for an 11-yard gain to the Kansas City 47.

Chiefs 0-0 Eagles, 13:44, 1st quarter

Miles Sanders loses a yard on his first carry. 2nd and 11. Hurts passes to DeVonta Smith for a six yard gain. 3rd and 5, Smith picks up 12 yards for the first first down of the game.

Opening kickoff

Chiefs 0-0 Eagles, 15:00, 1st quarter

The action begins…
The action begins… Photograph: Matt Kartozian/USA Today Sports

The Eagles will start on their own 25-yard line after a touchback. We have real football!

Updated

Why are we talking about the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation before the game has even started? They’ll be time for that later. Can we just play?

Nicky Bandini checks in on the awkwardness of name-checking the late Pat Tillman during the coin toss following all sorts of military pomp and circumstance:

I feel like I can’t make this point any better than Mike has:

Coin toss

The Chiefs call “tails.” The coin lands on tails and Kansas City wisely defers. The Philadelphia Eagles will get the ball first!

Email from David Singerman:

Great song but when are we going to open the Super Bowl with Battle Hymn of the Republic followed by This Land is Your Land? That seems like a synthesis of religion and socialism that could bring the country together.

David

Virginia

I would kill to have the anti-private property verse of This Land Is Your Land sung at a Super Bowl, but I don’t see it happening.

Updated

The coin toss is next! And then we will have real football! Hang in there, we’re almost at the beginning!

National anthem

Your national anthem, courtesy of Chris Stapleton
Your national anthem, courtesy of Chris Stapleton. Photograph: Dave Shopland/REX/Shutterstock

Good for the NFL for having ASL signers for every musical performance. Finally we have Chris Stapleton, who doesn’t do too much with The Star Spangled Banner, which is usually the best approach unless you’re the late Whitney Houston. Very laidback. 7/10.

Updated

First, we have Babyface performing America the Beautiful, which is objectively a better song than The Star Spangled Banner. Babyface sings it like a lullaby at first and then an extremely obvious pre-recorded backing track kicks in. Great start, an iffy finish. 6/10.

Updated

We’re almost at the national anthem, which will be performed by Chris Stapleton. A wise choice: country enough for country fans, rootsy enough that he’s well-liked by non-country fans.

An Eagles fan makes himself heard
An Eagles fan makes himself heard. Photograph: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

The Philadelphia Eagles take the field to a mixed reaction, but there are definitely more cheers here than boos. We’ll see if this is a factor when the game proper starts (kickoff is theoretically in ten minutes, but you know how TV start times go).

Updated

The Kansas City Chiefs take the field to a mixture of tomahawk chops from Chiefs fans and boos from Eagles fans. Definitely sounds like the Eagles have a slight home-field advantage in what’s supposed to be a neutral playing field.

I’m not saying that the stadium is filled with Eagles fans but Dak Prescott got booed accepting the freaking Walter Payton Award, so my guess is that it’s not 50-50 as far as rooting interests go.

Sheryl Lee Ralph just sang Lift Every Voice And Sing and wow she absolutely nailed it. 9/10. Also, I approve of this tradition and hope this continues in future Super Bowls.

Updated

I always remember the losers of the first few Super Bowls I watched because it was literally always the Buffalo Bills.

Damar Hamlin walks on the sideline before Super Bowl LVII
Damar Hamlin walks on the sideline before Super Bowl LVII. Photograph: Mark J Rebilas/USA Today Sports

And we’re starting to see action on the field! Damar Hamlin, surrounded by first responders, was given a loving ovation. Now, we have the Walter Payton Man of the Year presentation coming up. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is this year’s recipient.

Updated

An update from AP on the cable/internet outage in Philadelphia:

Comcast spokesperson Jen Bilotta said physical damage that severed fiberoptic cable in the Kensington section of northeast Philadelphia on Saturday afternoon resulted in an outage affecting a few thousand households in the Kensington and Fishtown neighborhoods and some surrounding areas.

She said crews have been “working furiously” for several hours to resolve the problem and some customers have started to come back online — they are hoping to restore service to everyone by kickoff.

It feels like we’ve talked about both teams’ offenses here without going into depth about their defenses or their offensive lines. So, with a half-hour to go before kickoff is scheduled, this is a great time to read the great Melissa Jacobs’s breakdowns of the battles between these opposing forces:

The following email from S Fuller contains both a prediction and a useful bit of advice about how to avoid desire. In this case, a desire to see one of these teams beat the other one:

My prediction: The Philly Eagles 36 KC Chiefs 34.

I also like the outcome predicated on what my Buddhist Abbot suggests.

As you will know, Buddhism is not a religion but a skillful way of living in the world. He says best when watching sport events to take both sides scores at the end and add them up, so that one never feels a sense of loss.

Win/win

Cheers,
S

I feel there is some wisdom to be found here.

Every Super Bowl it feels like a sports personality attempts to draw coverage away from the game and toward himself. If you bet that this year it would be current Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers well… okay, that was kind of a layup but you nonetheless would be correct.

Mahomes vs Hurts

For a more historical take on today’s quarterback matchup, I highly recommend Andrew Lawrence’s take on what will go down as the first Super Bowl where two Black quarterbacks face off against each other:

This year’s Super Bowl is more than mere validation of the Black quarterback. It’s proof of their evolution into a proper institution. It used to be that a Black quarterback had to be an otherworldly talent (Michael Vick, Cam Newton) or an undeniable one (McNabb, Warren Moon) for teams to justify a starting spot for them. Now, it’s plain common sense. Four years ago the Baltimore Ravens were in a long post-championship swoon, and coach John Harbaugh appeared as good as gone. To save his neck, Harbaugh benched Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco and elevated Lamar Jackson, then just a rookie out still figuring out the game, and the Ravens have been AFC threats ever since.

Kansas City’s Andy Reid pulled a similar move earlier that same year, subbing out former top pick Alex Smith for Mahomes as soon as the latter’s talent became undeniable. Instead of finding fault with the younger QB’s quirks, Reid let them inform his imaginative schemes and embolden his playcalling. As Mahomes prepares to start his third Super Bowl in four years, already, he looks like the best to ever do it.

We have some early predictions!

I voted Eagles but am extremely not confident. This might be the most difficult Super Bowl to predict since I began covering them.

And we have an email from Fekata D. Tolcha that keeps things simple:

Chiefs 27---20 Eagles


Something very nice to see at the Super Bowl is a healthy Damar Hamlin enjoying himself. The Buffalo Bills safety suffered cardiac arrest in a game against the Bengals on 2 January, a moment that emphasized the fact that NFL players are taking a huge risk every time they step onto the field. This is probably an important thing to keep in mind as game time slowly approaches.

Updated

Our Nicky Bandini has an update regarding one of the most hallowed Super Bowl traditions: overcharging for alcoholic beverages.

Okay, I’m going to be honest with you all: I do not remember such a thing as “canned wine” during my drinking days. Of course, I do not remember much of anything from that time period.

Send your predictions

We already included our predictions at the start of this live blog. So, now it’s your turn! Think you can predict what’s about to happen in today’s game? Well, email us your forecast to hunter.felt.freelance@theguardian.com or tweet it to @HunterFelt and we’ll include it here.

Since I’ve already given my football-related predictions, so here are my predictions for today’s halftime show: if Rihanna has pressured to include Work in the inevitable “greatest hits medley,” she will zip through it as quickly as possible just to get it over with. Also, if she performs S&M, she will inspire a week-long panic on Fox News.

Updated

The pregame talk about Mahomes is that his ankle is as good as it has felt since the injury. If that’s true, that’s big for the Chiefs. Of course, that’s also what they would say to throw the Eagles defense off their scent.

If our coverage seems a tad Patrick Mahomes-centric, well he was just awarded the NFL MVP for a reason. Our Oliver Connolly had the lowdown on what makes him the most dominant player in the league:

Teams who face Mahomes face a decision: Do they try to keep him in the pocket or expose themselves to the organized chaos when he breaks it? “Shoot, the problem with him is that he can live in both worlds,” Nick Rallis, the Eagles’ linebacker coach, told the Guardian on Monday. “And he’s a great player regardless of what you ask of him.”

Not only has he rewritten the quarterback handbook, he’s also changed how defenses approach the game too.

How did the Chiefs get here?

The Chiefs took a similar path as the Eagles. After going 14-3 in the regular season, the AFC’s top seed enjoyed a bye week. However, they ran into some issues in the postseason, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a high-ankle sprain in their 27-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round.

In the AFC Championship Game, Mahomes looked better against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Chiefs just barely vanquished their rivals 23-20. These extra two weeks of rest should help with Mahomes’s ankle, but if he’s not on the top of his game that could tilt things in the Eagles’ favor.

How did the Eagles get here?

It started in the regular season, where the Eagles ended with a 14-3 record after an 8-0 start, with just one of those losses occurring with Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback. The postseason hasn’t been much of an issue with them either. After taking a well-deserved bye week, the Eagles revealed the New York Giants to be pretenders in a 38-7 romp. Then, they took advantage of a San Francisco 49ers team that lost literally all of its quarterbacks in a 31-7 win in the NFC Championship Game. It’s been smooth sailing so far, but one imagines that the Chiefs are about to hand the Eagles their biggest challenge all year long.

Clearly, the Chiefs are practicing just in case they decide to switch sports at halftime. Listen, the government is shooting down mysterious objects in the sky, might as well prepare for even the most remote possibilities.

This game could come down to its tight ends, so it’s probably a solid idea to read Andrew Lawrence on the contrast between Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert:

After pipping Cincinnati in the AFC championship game, Kelce let loose his inner WWE wrestler while calling out Cincinnati’s mayor for redubbing Arrowhead Stadium “Burrowhead” – a not-so-sly reference to Joe Burrow’s run of recent success on the Chiefs’ home field. “Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni,” he shouted – on national television.

Where Kelce brims with bravado, Goedert comes off like Scooby Doo while obsessing about sandwiches in a commercial for the Delaware valley’s premier convenience store. Before he was Jalen Hurts’s security blanket, Goedert cruised South Dakota parades aboard a unicycle to entertain the masses. Even at 260lbs, he claims he could still pedal a 6ft unicycle, although it would take some leaning on a truck to help him get going. “It’s like riding a bike,” he once joked.

Tom already mentioned Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, but at the start of our Super Bowl coverage, Dave Caldwell gave some much-deserved love to Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni:

“With all new coaches, you got to create a relationship, from coach to player and player to coach. You can’t help but want to go out and play for him,” said defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, one of four linemen who have played for the Eagles for 10 years, most notably the team’s Super Bowl-winning season five years ago.

The Eagles don’t have an apparent weakness, but that has been said about some previous teams that failed to finish the job. Sirianni is a coach, as the cornerback Darius Slay said, “who actually cares about you and wants the best for you. That’s what triggers a player.”

Win or lose, this promises to be a huge game for Philadelphia. Well, assuming that the local population actually has a chance to watch the game in question. Reports are currently spreading of a particularly ill-timed cable/internet outage in the area.

Preamble

Hello, my name is Hunter Felt and I will be your guide throughout the rest of the Big Game (as companies who aren’t official sponsors of it must legally call it).

One thing that’s occasionally tricky to remember given everything else that accompanies it is that the Super Bowl is a football game above all else. For today’s Super Bowl LVII, the Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a game between the two best teams in the NFL, a close battle that will literally pit brother against brother (as you have just read).

On one side, we have Patrick Mahomes: the NFL MVP who just got through dragging his team to the Super Bowl on one leg. On the other hand, we have the Philadelphia Eagles, who have been essentially unbeatable when duel-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts has been healthy. We couldn’t ask for a better final matchup to end what has been a long, eventful and occasionally frightening NFL season.

The hype is always big when it comes to the Super Bowl but, given the opponents, it feels like it’s beyond warranted this time around from a purely football-related perspective. It really does feel like this one game will determine the league’s best team. Both squads are going to face their fiercest opponent of the season in the next few hours and whoever ends up holding the trophy will have truly deserved it.

So, it feels like this will either live up to the hype or be one of the most disappointing Super Bowls in recent years, with nothing in-between. For our purposes, let’s hope for a tight contest and as few on-field delays as possible. If there’s one thing we can all hope for, it’s that it’s not marred by injuries to key players or officiating controversies. You always want the on-field action to determine the final outcome in a championship game.

We’ll be taking your commentary throughout the Super Bowl. If you have questions, comments, predictions or jokes feel free to send them here either via email (to Hunter.Felt.Freelance@theguardian.com) or Twitter (to @HunterFelt). This is assuming that Twitter actually holds up for the next few hours. That’s perhaps not the safest of bets.

In any case, it’s Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Glendale, Arizona’s State Farm Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled to start at 6:30 pm EST but keep right here in the meantime as the Guardian gets you caught up before the start of the game itself.

The mother of Travis Kelce (Chiefs) and Jason Kelce (Eagles) has a dilemma about who to root for today. So she is sitting on the fence. She can’t win or lose today:

Australia will have two players in the Super Bowl for the first time this year. The very large and very talented rugby league convert Jordan Mailata, who is part of a formidable Eagles offensive line, and former AFL player Arryn Siposs who, predictably, is a punter (for the Eagles too).

Dave Caldwell has a closer look at Mailata’s story here:

Nearly five years into his NFL odyssey, Jordan Mailata is still full of surprises. The rugby-league convert from Bankstown in Sydney’s south-west, along with two Philadelphia Eagles teammates, were the stars of a seven-track Christmas charity album in December. The 6ft 8in, 165kg Australian had already appeared last March in the US version of The Masked Singer but the beautiful, crisp falsetto he delivered on a version of White Christmas stunned listeners.

Now Mailata, 25, has moved on to a bigger stage: Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, where he will help the favoured Eagles in their bid to beat the Kansas City Chiefs. The left tackle said he used to skip school back home to watch the big game on Mondays but the football was secondary. When asked who he enjoyed watching, he smiled and said: “Queen Bee: Beyoncé.”

“I thought about being in one but definitely not playing in it,” Mailata said last week of the Super Bowl. Singing in the half-time show? “Oh, I’m just playing with you guys,” he told a group of reporters in the Eagles’ locker room. “I never thought I’d be in the Super Bowl when I was watching it.”

Read the full story below:

The Eagles have a formidable run game, and they are experts at getting quarterback Jalen Hurts over the line in short yardage situations. Should opposing teams look to rugby for a solution? Nicky Bandini asked the former England rugby union coach what he thinks the Chiefs should do to stop them:

Heartwarming News Department, courtesy of my colleague Ramon Antonio Vargas:

When Billy Welsh went on social media more than two years ago and said he urgently needed a new kidney, his former US marines comrade John Gladwell stepped up and donated one of his.

Little did the two men know that Gladwell’s act of friendship – which preceded a monumental health crisis of his own – would give both men the chance to share a once-in-a-lifetime trip: attending Sunday’s Super Bowl to see their favorite football teams face each other in the big game.

“He’s my hero,” Welsh said of Gladwell in a local television news story about the pair’s connection. Meanwhile, of Welsh, Gladwell said: “He’s family.”

You can read the full story here:

Patrick Mahomes has arrived at the stadium and is looking rather dapper in a plaid jacket.

Patrick Mahomes arrives at the stadium
Patrick Mahomes arrives at the stadium. Photograph: Michael Chow/USA Today Sports

His opposite number, Jalen Hurts, is also at the stadium but has gone for the more casual look. But has really gone for it on the headphones front.

Jalen Hurts: ready for action
Jalen Hurts: ready for action. Photograph: Michael Chow/USA Today Sports

Interestingly enough, UFOs are trending on Twitter above the Super Bowl in the US right now due to some kind of activity above the Great Lakes. We spent a lot of money commissioning previews for this year’s game so the Guardian’s asking for its money back from Mars if they decided to invade during the game. Afterwards is fine.

Hello! And welcome to our coverage of Super Bowl LVII or, for non-ancient Roman readers, Super Bowl 57. Or Chiefs v Eagles if you prefer that. Or Jalen Hurts v Patrick Mahomes if you’re a quarterback fan. Or Rick Lovato v James Winchester if you have something for long snappers (plenty of people to do).

A little bit of breaking news out of Arizona. Chiefs coach Andy Reid has hinted he may retire after today’s game.

“I’m not getting any younger,” Fox’s Jay Glazer said Reid told him. “I still have a young quarterback. I have a decision I have to make after this game.”

Reid is 64 and, if the Chiefs win today, he’ll have two NFL championships and 41 years of top-level coaching under his belt. On the other hand, he’s coaching Patrick Mahomes, which makes the job a little easier.

Updated

Tom will be here shortly. In the meantime, here are Guardian writers’ predictions for today’s game.

Chiefs 23-20 Eagles. On paper, Philly are the better team. That offensive line is just so strong, and they will have success establishing the run to control the clock early on. But close games are decided by the moments when everything goes off script, and who manages those better than Mahomes? It’s not just about him, either. Are we yet ready to put Sirianni above Reid, who has given Kansas City one of the best decades of any team in NFL history? Nicky Bandini

Eagles 34-28 Chiefs. Philadelphia top Kansas City in almost every department. They have the best offensive line in the NFL by some distance. They have the best, most effective defensive front. Front to back, they have the best defense in the league. Mahomes is still battling a high ankle sprain. The Chiefs receiving corps is depleted. And they’re playing a historic number of rookies on defense. All signs point to the Eagles running over an undermanned KC side. But the Chiefs have the best quarterback in the game, playing at the apex of his powers. The Eagles should win, but Mahomes, Kelce and Jones will keep it close. Oliver Connolly

Eagles 29-24 Chiefs. The Chiefs are going to score touchdowns in this game, that’s the only prediction here that this writer is 100% confident about. The Eagles, however, have been the most complete team all regular season and have plowed their way through the competition in the postseason. If this game hinges on a handful of mistakes, it feels like the Eagles are the team best qualified to turn those into points. That may well be the difference in a Super Bowl that should go down to the wire. Hunter Felt

Eagles 33-16 Chiefs. Philadelphia have the NFL’s best offensive line and the best defensive line. They have been the deepest and most complete team across the board all season and they’re the healthier side entering Sunday’s game. And yet somehow the experts are still underestimating them: the Chiefs were installed as two-and-a-half-point favorites before the public spoke with their wallets, swinging the line in the Eagles’ direction within 15 minutes. As long as the ankle holds up, Mahomes’ routine incandescence paired with one of the sport’s best ever game-planners in Reid will keep the outcome in doubt until the championship rounds, where the body blows will mount and the Eagles’ class will tell. Bryan Graham

Eagles 31-22 Chiefs. The Eagles are better and deeper across almost every unit. Offensive line? Check. Receiving corps? Running game? Secondary? Check. Check. Check. The Chiefs, of course, boast the best quarterback in the game, not to mention the best tight end. But with Mahomes three weeks removed from a high ankle sprain, his receivers banged up and an inexperienced corner group, the Eagles have more viable lanes where they can prevail. Melissa Jacobs

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