Super Bowl 2023 was supposed to be one of the better championship matchups that we have seen in recent years, and it certainly lived up to the billing. The last couple of minutes didn’t pass without controversy with the much-talked about defensive holding call, which may have stopped us from witnessing an instant classic.
But the Kansas City Chiefs were successful in overcoming their underdog status for the game, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in a high-scoring affair. Patrick Mahomes and company hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the second time in four years, and it look one of the more impressive comebacks in Super Bowl history to make it happen.
Eagles Join ’16 Falcons In This Unfortunate Super Bowl Stat
The Eagles looked like they might run away with it at one point. Their offense was clicking from the start, and aside from one 3-and-out and the unfortunate fumble that was returned for a touchdown, Philadelphia scored on each of its first half possessions. The game was tied at 14 midway through the 2nd quarter, the Eagles were able to squeeze in a score-stop-score situation to end the half, and they entered the locker room with a 24-14 lead.
What would happen next would make the Eagles join the 2016 Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl lore, which is company that you certainly don’t want to find yourself in.
The Chiefs went on a second half barrage, scoring on every possession, adding three touchdowns in the first 18 minutes after halftime. During that stretch, the Eagles added just a field goal, and suddenly found themselves down by 8 points after holding a double-digit lead at halftime.
Teams leading by double digits at halftime are 26-1 in Super Bowl history. The lone loss was by the Falcons in Super Bowl LI (led by 18) pic.twitter.com/VD2MKCIwhy
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 13, 2023
Philadelphia would make things interesting by tying the game with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion, but they were unable to stop the Chiefs and the referees on what wound up being the final scoring drive of the game. Kansas City kicked a field goal with just seconds to spare, and the comeback was complete.
Last night’s Super Bowl was the 28th time that a team led by ten or more points at halftime, with the leader having gone 26-1 in the previous attempts. That 1 loss was the 2016 Falcons. The 2022-23 Philadelphia Eagles now join them in championship misery, pushing that record to 26-2, and solidifying Patrick Mahomes as one of the greatest players ever in the process.
