Welcome to the Monday edition of the Pick Six newsletter, especially to Chiefs fans, who probably haven't slept for a single minute since last night.
If that's the case, then you have something in common with me. My total sleep since last night was maybe eight minutes, but who cares, because it was all worth it. Last night's game was one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever and although Eagles fans will likely forever remember it as the game that the referees stole, Chiefs fans will likely look back on the 38-35 win as the unofficial start of Kansas City's dynasty.
As you can imagine, we have a lot to cover today and 80% of it is Super Bowl related, and yes, we'll even be talking about that controversial finish because how could we not talk about it. We'll also be taking a look at almost every aspect of the game, so let's get to the rundown.
As always, please tell everyone you know to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here and then share the link with them.
1. Today's show: Full recap of Super Bowl LVII
For the first time all season, I was not part of the Sunday night recap, but that's only because I was at the game and if I had shown up on the podcast, no one would have been able to hear anything because it was a total chaos at State Farm Stadium in the aftermath of Kansas City's 38-35 win. With me on the sideline for the show, we brought in Tyler Sullivan, who joined Will Brinson and Ryan Wilson to break down one of the craziest Super Bowls of all time.
Here's a look at some of the keys from the game that we touched on during the podcast.
- The Chiefs offensive line dominated the game. The Eagles went into this game with the third-most sacks in a single season in NFL history and they added exactly ZERO to that total on Sunday night. Even though Patrick Mahomes spent the second half playing on a gimpy ankle, the Eagles still couldn't get to him. Thanks to the play of the offensive line, Mahomes totaled 226 yards and three touchdowns. The Chiefs also rushed for 158 yards with 119 of that coming in the second half. The Chiefs averaged more than 6 yards per carry in the game thanks largely to Mahomes (44 yards on six rushes) and Isiah Pacheco (76 yards on 15 carries)
- Jalen Hurts was nearly unstoppable. If the Eagles had won, Hurts would have definitely been the MVP. Not only did he throw for 304 yards and a touchdown, but he also rushed for 70 yards and three touchdowns, making him the first QB in Super Bowl history to rush for three touchdowns in a single game. Hurts also scored a two-point conversion that tied the game at 35 with 5:15 left to play. Although Hurts was great, he did make one huge mistake in the second quarter when he lost a fumble that Kansas City's Nick Bolton returned 36 yards for a touchdown. Besides that, Hurts played a nearly flawless game and the biggest benefactors of that were DeVonta Smith (Seven catches, 100 yards) and A.J. Brown (six catches, 96 yards, 1 TD).
- Kadarius Toney was a major X factor. The Chiefs receiver only touched the ball three times in the Super Bowl, but he still ended up being a major factor. Toney's only reception on the night went for a 5-yard score that gave the Chiefs a 28-27 lead in the fourth quarter. His other two touches came on punt returns, and one of those went for a Super Bowl record 65 yards. Toney's return set the Chiefs up at Philly's 5-yard line and Kansas City ended up scoring a TD three plays later that gave the Chiefs a 35-27 lead with 9:22 left to play.
- Controversial finish. Four days before the Super Bowl, Roger Goodell claimed that NFL officiating was better than ever, but you'll probably have a hard time convincing anyone of that after this game. With just under two minutes to play in the game, James Bradberry was called for a defensive holding penalty on third-and-8 with 1:54 left that essentially gave the game to the Chiefs. Although Bradberry would later admit that he did "tug" on JuJu Smith-Schuster's jersey, he was hoping it wouldn't be called (You can see the play here). The problem is that there wasn't a single defensive holding call in the game and the refs chose the final minute to finally throw a flag on it. If you're going to officiate the game a certain way for 58 minutes and then flip it in the final minute, that's not fair to players. If you're going to let them play, then let them play, but the refs didn't do that, and for a second year in a row, a controversial holding call helped decide the Super Bowl.
- Harrison Butker redeems himself. After missing a field goal off the left upright in the first quarter, Butker absolutely redeemed himself by hitting the game-winning kick with just eight seconds left. The kick offered some major redemption for Butker, who struggled at times this season. Butker's season got off to an ugly start when he injured his ankle in Week 1 during a game in Arizona (That's right, he got hurt in the same stadium where he made his game-winner on Sunday night). I wrote more about Butker's big kick and you can check that out there.
- Super Bowl field was in bad shape. The NFL spent more than a year creating a new grass surface, but maybe they should spend five years next time, because the field was a disaster. Players were slipping all over the place, with Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata even saying it was like "playing in a water park." Eagles kicker Jake Elliott even wiped out on a kickoff due to the turf conditions (You can see that here).
To listen to today's episode -- and to subscribe to the best daily NFL podcast out there -- be sure to click here. If you want to see what it looks like for me to sulk for 35 straight minutes, then you can see that on the YouTube version of today's episode by clicking here.
2. Patrick Mahomes takes home MVP
There was definitely some debate about who the MVP was going to be on Sunday, but in the end, the award ended up going to Mahomes, who has now won two Super Bowl MVP awards in just four years.
Here's a look at why Mahomes won the award:
- Mahomes comes up in the clutch. The Chiefs pulled off a 10-point comeback, which is tied for the second-largest in Super Bowl history, and they were able to do it because Mahomes was nearly perfect in the second half. Over the final two quarters, Mahomes went 13 of 14 for 126 total yards and two passing touchdowns. On Kansas City's game-winning drive, Mahomes had an improbable 26-yard run that helped set up Harrison Butker's game-winning field goal. Overall, Mahomes was 21 of 27 for 182 yards and three touchdowns while also adding 44 yards on the ground.
- Mahomes does something he's never done before. The Chiefs scored on all four of their second-half drives, marking the first time in Mahomes' 94 career starts that they've scored on every drive in the second half. They were also just the second team in Super Bowl history to score on every drive in the second half of a game joining the 2017 Eagles.
- Mahomes was magical on the game-winning drive. With the Super Bowl hanging in the balance, Mahomes came up big. After the Eagles tied the game with 5:15 left, Mahomes drove the Chiefs into scoring territory with a 12-play, 66-yard drive that ate up 5:07 off the clock. One of the biggest plays of the drive was a 26-yard run BY MAHOMES ON AN INJURED ANKLE that completely caught the Eagles off guard (You can see the play here). That run took the Chiefs from Philadelphia's 43-yard line down to its 17-yard line and at that point, it felt like the game was over.
Mahomes has now won two Super Bowls MVPs and two regular-season MVPs in a five-year span, which is something no QB in NFL history has ever done before. If Mahomes retired tomorrow, he would almost certainly end up in the Hall of Fame.
3. Chiefs roundup: Andy Reid not retiring, Chad Henne does retire, babies born on Super Bowl Sunday
The postgame at the Super Bowl is always total chaos and this year was no different.
Here's a look at some of the things that went down before and after Chiefs' win:
- Andy Reid won't be retiring. Before the Super Bowl, Fox Sports reported that Reid might think about retirement if the Chiefs won. If Reid thought about it, he didn't have to think very long. Following the game, the 65-year-old said he'll be returning in 2023. "I got asked that 50 times here. Finally I just go, 'Whatever, man. Whatever.' ... I'm good with what I'm doing right now. ... Listen, if they'll have me, I'll stick around," Reid said.
- Chad Henne retired. Although Reid will be returning in 2023, Chad Henne won't be back with the Chiefs. The backup quarterback announced his retirement after the game. Following the win, Henne shared a picture on Instagram with a caption that said, "Capping it off with [a Bud Light] and another ring." Henne didn't play often, but he did play a key role in the playoffs when he led the Chiefs on a long TD drive against the Jaguars after Mahomes went down with his initial ankle injury injury.
- Super Bowl babies. Christina Allegretti, the wife of Chiefs offensive guard Nick Allegretti's, didn't get to attend Super Bowl LVII because she was in Chicago delivering twin girls at 3:30 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday. Allegretti and his parents FaceTimed in for the event (You can read more details here). Also, Mecole Hardman announced on Twitter that his girlfriend's water broke before the game on Sunday, and that there will be another future Chiefs fan born momentarily. And pregnancy must just be in the air, because Rihanna used the Super Bowl halftime show to announce her pregnancy to the world.
- Brotherly love. After the Chiefs' win, Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce gave each other a big hug on the field. After the embrace, Jason had the perfect brotherly compliment for Travis, "F--- you, congratulations." The Chiefs couldn't have won the Super Bowl without Travis, who caught six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown.
- Postgame party. The Chiefs were out until the wee hours of the morning here in Phoenix celebrating their Super Bowl win. If you want to see Kelce and Mahomes dancing on stage to "We Are the Champions" you can do that by clicking here.
With their second Super Bowl win in four years and their third Super Bowl appearance in Mahomes' five years as a starter, the Chiefs are starting to feel like a budding dynasty.
4. 14 crazy facts about Super Bowl LVII
Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts.
With that in mind, here are 14 crazy facts about Super Bowl LVII:
- The Chiefs and Eagles combined for 73 points, which was third-highest total in the history of the Super Bowl. The highest total came in Super Bowl XXIX (49ers 49-26 over Chargers) and the second-highest total came in Super Bowl LII (Eagles 41-33 over Patriots). The 38-35 final score marked the first time in Super Bowl history that both teams scored at least 35 points.
- The Chiefs came back from 10-point deficit at halftime (24-14), which is tied for the second-largest comeback in Super Bowl history. Mahomes now has two comebacks of at least 10 points in the Super Bowl, which is tied with Tom Brady for the most ever.
- Going into Super Bowl LVII, NFL teams were 26-1 when leading by at least 10 points at halftime. Before Sunday, the only loss had been by the Falcons in Super Bowl LI, but the Eagles now joined them with their blown lead. Apparently, birds of a feather flock together.
- Patrick Mahomes became the first quarterback to throw for three touchdowns along with zero interceptions while also taking zero sacks in Super Bowl history. Mahomes also became the first QB to lead the NFL in passing yards during the regular season AND win the Super Bowl in the same season, breaking a 56-year curse.
- Mahomes also broke the MVP curse. Since the 2000 season, MVPs had gone 0-9 in the Super Bowl. Before Mahomes on Sunday, the last player to win an MVP and win the Super Bowl in the same season was Kurt Warner, who led the Rams to a win in Super Bowl XXXIV.
- Jalen Hurts also made Super Bowl history. The Eagles QB scored three touchdowns, which was the most ever by a QB and tied with Terrell Davis for the most ever by any player in Super Bowl history. Hurts also set the QB rushing record with 70 yard, breaking Steve McNair's previous mark of 64.
- Of all the records Jalen Hurts set on Sunday night, this might have been his most impressive: He was the first player in NFL history -- regular season or playoffs -- with at least 300 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a game.
- Since 2000, the team that led the NFL in rushing touchdowns has made it to the Super Bowl six times and they've now gone 0-6 in those games (2001 Rams, 2005 Seahawks, 2014 Seahawks, 2015 Panthers, 2019 49ers, 2022 Eagles).
- Kadarius Toney set the Super Bowl record for longest punt return with a 65-yarder in the fourth quarter. Long punter returns are almost unheard of in the Super Bowl with Toney's play being just the third one in Super Bowl history that went for at least 45 yards. Toney came 5 yards away from scoring a TD, which would have also made history because no one has ever returned a punt for a TD in the Super Bowl.
- Although Toney had a big day returning punts, the Chiefs and Eagles only combined for 11 kickoff return yards, which is the fewest combined number in Super Bowl history. The Eagles tallied exactly zero of the those return yards.
- With the Chiefs win, Andy Reid is now just the fourth head coach in NFL history to win at least 200 regular-season games AND multiple Super Bowls. Reid joins Bill Belichick, Don Shula and Tom Landry as the only four guys to pull that off.
- Isiah Pacheco scored a rushing TD against the Eagles, making him just the second seventh-round pick to ever score in a Super Bowl. Before Pacheco came along, the only other seventh-rounder to score in a Super Bowl was Ahmad Bradshaw in Super Bowl XLVI.
- As the home team, the Eagles chose to not to wear white, which is something that Super Bowl teams might want to reconsider going forward. The team wearing white has now gone 16-3 in the past 19 Super Bowls.
- The coin toss curse finally came to an end. For eight straight years, the team that won the coin toss ended up losing the Super Bowl, but that streak is now over after the Chiefs won the coin toss on Sunday by calling tails.
If you see any other fun facts about the Super Bowl, feel free to shoot them my way on Twitter.
5. Eagles could be losing both coordinators
There are currently two head-coaching jobs in the NFL and it's starting to look like both of those jobs could be going to the two Eagles coordinators.
Here's what we learned over the weekend:
- Colts expected to hire Shane Steichen. For the past few weeks, it was speculated that the Colts were leaning toward hiring Jeff Saturday, but it appears that team is now going after Steichen. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones has reported that the Colts are now targeting Steichen and that they plan to hire him if they can hammer out a deal at some point this week. The Colts spent the weekend informing other candidates that they were out of the hunt, so they obviously expect to be able to get a deal done with Steichen.
- Cardinals eyeing Jonathan Gannon. Although Gannon has said multiple times over the past few weeks that he thought he would be staying in Philadelphia, that might not actually be the case. The Eagles defensive coordinator is expected to interview with the Cardinals TODAY. It's been more than a month since the Cardinals fired Kliff Kingsbury and the fact that they waited this long makes almost seem like they were waiting for Gannon's season to end. The other finalists for the job are Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, but at this point it would be surprising if Gannon doesn't get the nod.
When the offseason started, there were five coaching jobs available, but the Panthers (Frank Reich), Broncos (Sean Payton) and Texans (DeMeco Ryans) have filled their openings, which means everyone is just now waiting on the Cardinals and Colts.
If you want the latest updates on every coaching and GM interview being held this offseason, then be sure to click here so you can follow along in our tracker.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Derek Carr expected to be released
It was a busy weekend in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Derek Carr won't waive no-trade clause. The Raiders QB has informed the team that he won't be waiving his no-trade clause, and because of that, Carr is expected to be released this week. If Carr is still on the roster on Feb. 15, he'll have $40.4 million in future salary become guaranteed, which means the Raiders now have less than 48 hours to figure out what they want to do. With Carr refusing to waive his no-trade clause, releasing him seems like the team's only viable option.
- Jets have already inquired about Aaron Rodgers. With Rodgers' future up in the air, it's starting to sound very possible that he could be traded this offseason and if that happens, the Jets are definitely interested. According to ESPN.com, the Jets have already reached out to Green Bay about a possible trade. Of course, nothing will be happening until Rodgers gets back from his four-day darkness retreat, which is expected to start today. In other Jets news, they've hired former Titans offensive coordinator Todd Downing to serve as their passing game coordinator, according to NFL.com. Downing has coached both Carr and Ryan Tannehill, which certainly seems notable since the Jets are clearly in the market for a veteran QB and there's no guarantee they'll be able to land Rodgers.
- Broncos to interview Rex Ryan. Sean Payton is currently looking for a defensive coordinator and one name he's apparently eyeing is Rex Ryan. According to Fox Sports, the former NFL head coach is expected to interview with Payton at some point this week. Ryan has been a head coach twice (Jets, Bills) but is currently working for ESPN.
- Panthers make two hires. Frank Reich added to his new coaching staff in Carolina over the weekend by signing Josh McCown as his QB coach. The Panthers will also be hiring Dom Capers to serve as a senior defensive assistant.
- Browns owner looking to purchase part of the Milwaukee Bucks. Jimmy Haslam already the Browns, and now, he might own part of the NBA's Bucks. Haslam could end up purchasing as much as 25% of the team from co-owner Marc Lasry.
