As we get set for the showdown between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, the hype for Super Bowl LVII from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is only growing as we're just moments away from kickoff. Given how epic this game is projected to be, there's naturally going to be some impatience that boils over, which I can attest to. If you're like me and can't wait to get your football fix in, allow me to bring you a bit of relief in the form of our CBS Sports simulation of Super Bowl LVII.
If you've been following these sims for the past couple of Super Bowls, you know that it has quite the knack for nailing these games. Last season, it correctly had the Los Angeles Rams winning it all over the Cincinnati Bengals and predicted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers victory over the Chiefs the year prior.
Will it go three for three this year? If you're an Eagles fan, you'll hope not. That's because this "Madden NFL 23" simulation had the Chiefs rolling away with a rather convincing 24-11 win, giving Patrick Mahomes his second Super Bowl title.
Mahomes was masterful right out of the gate, helping K.C. begin the night on a 14-0 run that featured the quarterback completing his first 14 passes which included a 12-for-12 run during those consecutive touchdown drives.
After an initial three-and-out, Philadelphia did show some signs of life in the first half as Jalen Hurts was able to connect with DeVonta Smith for a 55-yard reception that immediately put the Eagles within scoring range before the half. However, Kansas City's defense would hang tough and hold them to a field goal, entering halftime up, 14-3.
The opening drive of the second half was where the Eagles made their best push against the Chiefs. Hurts led a 75-yard touchdown drive that ended with a Miles Sanders goal-line score. With the score 14-9 after that Sanders touchdown, Nick Sirianni left his offense on the field for a two-point conversion to cut the lead to a mere field goal. He again put the club's fate into the hands of Sanders and was able to tack two points on the board, making it a 14-11 game midway through the third quarter.
While Philly started to build momentum, the Chiefs decided to slow the game down with an ensuing drive that chewed 4:46 off the clock over the course of 11 plays. To make matters even worse for the Eagles and their comeback hopes, that drive ended with a Mahomes touchdown to tight end Noah Gray that pushed the lead back to double digits.
The nail in the coffin came on the next Philly drive as the offense botched a screen pass and ultimately resulted in a turnover. Hurts dropped back and threw the ball before his lineman or back could get out in space, and rocketed the ball off the back of Lane Johnson's helmet, which Chiefs linebacker and Super Bowl LVII MVP Nick Bolton was able to pick off at the 3:11 mark of the fourth quarter. That led to a field goal drive by K.C. to put the Chiefs up by 13 and on the inside track of winning.
However, there was a brief sense that the Eagles could work some late-game magic, particularly after Hurts ripped off a 53-yard run that put the Philly offense on the 1-yard line with less than a minute to play in regulation.
If they could manage a quick score there, an onside kick would then be in play, right? Well, we never got to see what would happen next as safety Bryan Cook eventually picked off Hurts at the goal line to ice the game for Kansas City.
Mahomes completed 19 of his 20 passes for 158 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in the win. Isiah Pacheco rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. Meanwhile, Super Bowl MVP Nick Bolton had six total tackles and that clutch interception on Hurts to eliminate any comeback hopes.
Phew!
If you're a Chiefs fan, you'll be quite happy if the actual game follows this blueprint. If you're an Eagles fan, don't worry too much as it is just a video game. In any event, if we get anything close to the action that we saw here, we'll be in for an entertaining night from Glendale, Arizona.
