Patrick Mahomes silencing the Eagles defense -- not a flag -- decided the Super Bowl, plus ranking commercials

Good morning to everyone but especially to...

THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Sometimes, when Patrick Mahomes is cooking up something magical, you can feel it in the air. An escape act here, a quick completion there, a perfect shot downfield or a big scramble. You feel like it's only a matter of time. Sometimes numbers can't qualify it.

But sometimes numbers can qualify it. And here's one for you: Since 2018, when Mahomes took over as the full-time starter in KC...

• He is 14-10 (.583 win pct) in games his team trails by double digits.
• All other quarterbacks are 192-1003-5 (.162 win pct) in games their team trails by double digits.

Mahomes did it once again in Super Bowl LVII, leading the Chiefs to a thrilling 38-35 Super Bowl LVII win over the Eagles. It's the Chiefs' second Super Bowl victory in four years, and it's no surprise both have been with Mahomes at the helm.

• The Chiefs trailed 24-14 at halftime, but more concerning was Mahomes limping off on his sprained right ankle.
• But after halftime, Mahomes came alive: First, he directed a 10-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 1-yard Isiah Pacheco touchdown. After the Chiefs held the Eagles to a field goal, Mahomes led a 9-play, 75-yard drive, capping it with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kadarius Toney.
• Then the Eagles went three-and-out, and Toney returned the punt a Super Bowl-record 65 yards, setting up a Mahomes 4-yard touchdown pass to Skyy Moore on the same concept Toney had scored on.
• After a Jalen Hurts rushing touchdown and two-point conversion tied things up, Kansas City went 12 plays and 66 yards to set up Harrison Butker's game-winner with eight seconds left. The highlight was Mahomes' 26-yard scramble, his longest run this season.

Mahomes' legacy continues to grow leaps and bounds, writes our John Breech.

• Breech: "At 27 years old, he might not quite be in the conversation for the best quarterback of all-time, but he's certainly inching his way there. ... Mahomes led the NFL in passing yards and won the Super Bowl in the same year. Tom Brady never did that. (Actually, no QB in NFL history had ever done that before this year.) Mahomes has now won two Super Bowls and two regular-season MVPs in a five-year span. Brady never did that. (Actually, no QB in NFL history had ever done that.)"

Mahomes' second Lombardi Trophy puts him in some very select company. Also in some select company? Andy Reid, with two Super Bowl triumphs of his own. It's more than coach and player, though, no matter how much spotlight that duo gets.

Here's more from our excellent NFL writers on what else stood out:

• The Chiefs' wide receivers aren't big names, but they produced big-time results -- none more so than Toney, a midseason acquisition.
• Having Travis Kelce helps, too.
• Of all the numbers, how about this one: Zero sacks. The Chiefs' offensive line was excellent.
• The X's and O's of another Mahomes/Reid/Eric Bieniemy masterpiece.
• Here's how the Chiefs' dynasty stacks up.
• Here's what other teams can learn from the Chiefs and Eagles.
• The Kelce brother embrace was heartwarming and hilarious.

Whew. What a night. What a season. What a team, and what a quarterback.

Honorable mentions

• Damar Hamlin attended the Super Bowl.
• Chad Henne went out on top.
• The NBA buyout market is busy: Danny Green to Cleveland, Reggie Jackson to Denver and Terrance Ross to Dallas. Here's our buyout guide.
• The Gary Payton II trade went through.
• Scottie Scheffler won the WM Phoenix Open for the second straight year and is back at No. 1 in the world.

And not such a good morning for...

THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

James Bradberry admitted after the game that he had hoped the officials hadn't seen it. But they had. And with his crucial (if perhaps controversial) penalty, the Eagles' hopes for a second Super Bowl were gone.

That was the story of the game for the Eagles: an inability to get stops when they absolutely needed to. This was the first time all season they allowed a score on every single second-half drive.

Never mind that Hurts broke multiple records, posted one of the best losing performances in Super Bowl history and amazed Mahomes. Never mind that the offense hummed almost all night -- save for Hurts' awful fumble, which Nick Bolton scooped-and-scored. Never mind that Nick Sirianni's aggressiveness paid off with two 4th-down conversions. Never mind that the Eagles ran 19 more plays, had the ball for over 11 more minutes and finished with 77 more yards.

In the end, a defense that created havoc all season was stunningly quiet:

• Aside from two Mahomes kneeldowns, the Chiefs had exactly one play that lost yards.
• Oh, and Kansas City absolutely torched Philadelphia's man defense.

In the end, it's a tough loss to swallow. It was there for the taking, but only the Chiefs took it.

... And it's another oh-so-close sports moment for the City of Brotherly love.

Not so honorable mentions

• The playing surface at the Super Bowl was awful.

Rihanna crushes halftime show... while pregnant! Plus the best commercials that aired 🏈

If Mahomes was the best performer at the Super Bowl, Rihanna certainly wasn't far behind. Her halftime show was outstanding as she reached deep into her bag of hits while hovering over the field. You can watch it all here and read our Shanna McCarriston's review here.

As if Rihanna's 12-song performance wasn't enough, she did it all while pregnant! One of her representatives confirmed the news after the game, so Rihanna's promise of a special guest turned out to be the fact that her second child is on the way.

For the commercials, there were some really solid ones. Our Austin Nivison ranked his top five, and I mostly agree -- though I would love more dog content (who wouldn't?!)

Colts plan to hire Eagles OC Shane Steichen as head coach 🏈

The Colts' long and strange coaching search is nearing an end. Indianapolis has zeroed in on Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, according to our Jonathan Jones. However, due to league rules, Steichen cannot be formally hired until after the Super Bowl.

The Colts spent the weekend informing other candidates of their decision. Jones reported that the two sides still have to hammer out a deal but all indications are that Steichen, if all goes well, will be the next Colts head coach.

• The Colts' search started with over a dozen names, and Jeff Saturday, who went 1-7 as interim head coach this past season, was the hot name at one point.
• Steichen, 37, has been Philadelphia's offensive coordinator the past two seasons. In 2022, the Eagles led the league in yards per game and set records with their running game.

Steichen's biggest task will be finding a quarterback. The Colts started Matt Ryan, Sam Ehlinger and Nick Foles in 2022 alone, and next season will be their seventh straight with a different Week 1 starter.

Zion Williamson will miss more time after re-aggravating hamstring 🏀

Pelicans star Zion Williamson will miss multiple weeks after the All-Star break. He re-aggravated a prior hamstring injury.

• Williamson has not played since straining his hamstring Jan. 2 against the 76ers.
• The Pelicans are 6-14 since. Overall, they're 17-12 with Williamson this season and 12-16 without him.
• Williamson was healing "as expected" in late January, but he re-aggravated the injury during on-court 3-on-3 work.

It's the latest chapter in what's already a long injury history for Williamson. He played just 24 games in 2019-20 as a rookie due to knee issues, dealt with toe, finger and thumb injuries in 2020-21 and missed all of 2021-22 with a foot injury. He has played in 114 of the Pelicans' 283 games since being drafted first overall.

College basketball recap: Northwestern tops No. 1 Purdue, Duke gets hosed 🏀

With the Super Bowl over and the craziness of the NBA trade deadline passed, it's officially time to lock in on college basketball. No more excuses.

And no, I'm not just saying that because my alma mater beat the nation's top team for the first time ever... but that certainly didn't hurt. Yes, Northwestern beat No. 1 Purdue, 64-58, for the Wildcats' first ever win in 19 tries against an AP No. 1-ranked opponent.

• Boo Buie (26 points) and Chase Audige (15 points, all in the second half) led the way.
• Northwestern finished the game on a 12-1 run over the final 3:12. Purdue had five turnovers over that stretch.
• Likely national player of the year Zach Edey (24 points, eight rebounds) was the only player in double figures for the Boilermakers, who have now lost two of three.

That capped a wild weekend across the country. Here are more headlines.

• Duke lost to No. 8 Virginia in overtime after a controversial ending that the ACC said the referees handled incorrectly.
• No. 6 Tennessee lost on a 3-point buzzer-beater... AGAIN. What a shot by DeAndre Gholston.
• But Gholston had nothing on this unbelievable buzzer-beater by Portland State's Isaiah Johnson.
• Kentucky's NCAA Tournament hopes are in peril after a loss to Georgia.
• In women's hoops, No. 1 South Carolina dominated No. 3 LSU.
• Here are our winners and losers and our weekly grades.

Finally, New Mexico State suspended its program for the rest of the season after reports of hazing. Three players are facing a trio of offenses, including one count of false imprisonment, one count of harassment and two counts of criminal sexual contact.

What we're watching Monday 📺

🏀 No. 19 Miami at North Carolina, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 2 Indiana at No. 13 Ohio State, 7 p.m. on BTN
🏀 Nuggets at Heat, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV