In the showdown of the NFL superstars in the championship final, Patrick Mahomes wins with his Kansas City Chiefs because the Cincinnati Bengals around quarterback Joe Burrow make a very late mistake. The ankle of the nation of Mahomes holds. There is a lot of tragedy and injuries between the extremely defensive Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers, for which even the fourth quarterback has to work.
The Philadelphia Eagles enter the Super Bowl with a 31-7 win over a hopeless San Francisco. The 2017 champion overruns the 49ers with quarterback rookie Brock Purdy in a dramatic game due to tragic injuries in front of first lady Jill Biden. But man of the match is a tough defender.
scene of the game
What a disaster! The first fumble of Brock Purdy's career may well be the most bitter of his entire career. Right in the first drive of the 49ers, outside linebacker Haason Reddick, who has been a threat to quarterbacks all season, strikes the hour. He aggressively charges at Purdy and knocks the football out of his hand as he tries to throw it. After checking, the officials declared it was a fumble. Possession of the Eagles. But what a tragedy for the Californians: The quarterback rookie, who brilliantly took over the team in the season after the injuries of the first and second playmakers, Trey Lance and Jimmy Garappolo, injured his elbow after just eight minutes of play . First of all, he has to watch on the sidelines.
Doubly tragic: In the previous drive, the 49ers failed to challenge an acrobatic 29-yard reception by DeVonta Smith that could easily make it into the Matrix franchise. It looked like the Eagles receiver lost control of the ball as it went down. Then Philadelphia runs to an early 7:0, the score lasted until the middle of the second quarter.
The actually unbelievable follows: The replacement of the replacement of the replacement has to go. The team's fourth quarterback. Wow. A certain Josh Johnson is playing in the finals of the NFC Championship. A real "journeyman", for almost all NFL teams, hasn't really found his place anywhere. In early December, the 49ers brought in the 36-year-old after Jimmy Garappolo's injury. His fourth engagement at San Francisco since entering the league in 2008.
After that, nothing goes offensively with the Californians. Johnson is usually overwhelmed with the important game, misses open passes and causes bitter ball losses. His team is getting more and more nervous and racking up penalty after penalty. But that's not all with the tragedy: Johnson is tackled hard on a throw. He bangs his head hard on the ground. Indescribable, he also retires injured. In the catacombs, he is checked for a concussion. He doesn't come back.
Purdy has to go back. But because he can hardly throw with his injured elbow, the 49ers' game is far too limited and easy to calculate. Quarterback legend Steve Young, a three-time champion with the 49ers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, wrote on Twitter: "I'm warming up in the parking lot. Let me know if you need me."
player of the game
Haason Reddick, the defensive monster. The Eagles' outside linebacker wreaked such havoc on the 49ers' offense in the first half that it was game over. In the opponent's first drive, the 28-year-old secured an important ball win with a sack and (unintentionally) injured Purdy, which turned the game upside down.
When Johnson comes on in place of Purdy, Reddick sacks him on a second down play that basically ended the drive. The agile and aggressive 250-pound defenseman even snatched the ball out of the hands of the 49ers' fourth quarterback, albeit shortly after it went down through contact. Otherwise the Eagle would have put on the triple crown of sack, forced fumble and ball win. As if that wasn't enough, Reddick capped his dominant first half with a fumble recovery. Instead of catching a possible equalizer, Boston Scott runs for the next touchdown 16 seconds before the break. The score is 21:7 and the half-time whistle sounds. Purdy's dream and the 49ers' dream are shattered. The fact remains: No quarterback rookie has ever reached the Super Bowl.
Chance for the title in the Super Bowl
Of course, the Eagles benefit from Purdy's injury. But the once again strong defensive performance gives hope for the Super Bowl. Quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't manage his dangerous runs at all against the 49ers in the first half. Even if he improves in the second round, he doesn't throw many long shots. Still, the Eagles dominate the line of scrimmage thanks to the strong defensive front. Quarterback superstar Patrick Mahomes may be warned. Probably the most complete team in the entire NFL is waiting for him.
In the showdown of the absolute NFL superstars, Patrick Mahomes prevails and for the first time defeats the bogeyman Joe Burrow with his Cincinnati Bengals, who previously had three wins in three games against the Chiefs. A game that is not particularly attractive at first develops into an exciting exchange of blows - and at the very end into a dramatic thriller.
scene of the game
The scene of the game is a foul. An absolutely unnecessary one. An incredibly stupid one. The Chiefs get the ball again with 41 seconds left at 8:20, a strong punt return takes them almost to the center line. But superstar Mahomes cannot generate enough yards for another first down in two attempts, the distance is still too far for a field goal. On the third try, the ankle-injured quarterback suddenly runs himself - and now Joseph Ossai comes on the scene.
The Bengals defensive end is tempted to knock Mahomes over who is already limping out. There's a 15-yard penalty, perhaps the greatest gift to the Chiefs in franchise history. Now kicker Harrison Butker can easily shoot in for a 23:20 victory. The 22-year-old Ossai sits crying on the sidelines.
The foul is the dramatic climax of a thriller that begins as a cramped, unsightly game with few points. Both superstars rarely manage to bring their skills onto the pitch in the first half. Mahomes had his first flash of inspiration four minutes before half-time: The Chiefs made a fourth attempt on the 14-yard line after several good drives deep into the opposing half had only resulted in field goals twice. The quarterback promptly found his tight end Travis Kelce, the other star on the offensive, who recently had to pause for a few days with back problems, for the first touchdown to make it 13:3.
After the break, the game picks up speed, first an exchange of blows - and at the end the thriller that every football fan has been waiting for. Burrow's long and perfect touchdown pass to Tee Higgins, who sprints right into the end zone and climbs up between two defenders at just the right moment, catching the ball at the highest point. Mahomes' first fumble in a playoff game near the end of the third quarter. The egg slips out of his fingers, the Bengals save the ball and equalize in return to 20:20. The tight decisions that don't allow any more points until the last few seconds.
And in the end the all-important foul. The unlucky Ossai will remain inconsolable for a long time.
player of the game
The player of the game is just a body part. The most important of superstar Mahomes. No, this time it's not his wonderful throwing arm, but his right ankle. An ankle sprain from the previous game against the Jacksonville Jaguars -- an injury that can take four to six weeks for mere mortals to heal -- can't stop the quarterback.
The ankle of the nation, or at least the US Midwest, is holding. Mahomes is a little out of round, throws from a somewhat unsafe position and only with his arm strength. He always tries to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible, but the injury limits him far less than expected. At halftime, it's him, not Nemesis Burrow, who throws the only touchdown pass. At the break he had 13 of 19 throws for 165 yards, in the end it was 29 of 43 for 326 yards. Burrow throws two interceptions, the Chiefs star not one.
When the momentum threatened to tip over to the Bengals at the end of the third quarter, Mahomes responded with a 77-yard drive over eleven plays, which resulted in a throw over 19 yards to make it 20:13. And at the very end, the ankle invalid begins one last heroic run. He leaves everything on the field, gets fouled and the rest is history.
Chance for the title in the Super Bowl
With Mahomes, anything is possible in any game. Also against the strong Eagles defense. Healing of his ankle is expected to progress over the next two weeks. The first win over the bogeyman Burrow will give Mahomes even more confidence. The quarterback crown is his again, the Chiefs definitely have the stronger playmaker in the Super Bowl. The superstar. And the Chief's defense against Cincinnati also shows that they can defend the run very well, which can be a weapon against the Eagles and the Hurts who love to run.
(This article was first published on Monday, January 30, 2023.)
