The 2022-23 NFL season has come to an end, and it certainly proved to be a decisive one. After a tough, back-and-forth battle of a Super Bowl game, the Kansas City Chiefs came out on top over the Philadelphia Eagles. Here’s everything you need to know about the game, including Rihanna’s halftime show and other intriguing events.

First half

There was a lot of buzz going into this year’s Super Bowl. Not only was this a matchup between two strong teams who had not met during the regular season, but it would also be the first time two Black quarterbacks have faced off in the Super Bowl. Beyond that, brothers Travis (tight end) and Jason (center) Kelce, on the Chiefs and Eagles respectively, would be the first brothers to go against each other in a Super Bowl as well.

After a heartfelt national anthem performance by Chris Stapleton, the long-awaited matchup began. The Chiefs won the coin toss, and the Eagles would have the first possession. After a solid drive, the Eagles were put within one yard of the endzone, letting Hurts run it in for the touchdown. With the following extra point, the Eagles led by seven.

The Chiefs followed up with an equally strong drive, finishing with an 18-yard pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce for the touchdown. The Eagles were unable to score in the next possession and were forced to punt. However, the Chiefs could not capitalize on this, as kicker Harrison Butker narrowly missed a field goal after they got within range.

The Eagles began their next drive just before the first quarter ended. On their first play of the second quarter, Hurts launched a 45-yard pass to wide receiver A.J. Brown in the endzone. The Chiefs, down 14-7, were forced to punt during the next possession. Soon after, Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton forced a Hurts fumble, recovered the ball, and ran it 36 yards for the touchdown to tie.

Hurts quickly recovered, leading a 71-yard drive and running it in for his second touchdown. On the next Chiefs drive, Mahomes seemed to reaggravate his ankle injury, which he had been recovering from over the past weeks. The Chiefs were forced to punt with time running down, but the Eagles were able to score a field goal, taking a 24-14 lead going into the second half.

Halftime 

This year’s halftime show saw the pop superstar Rihanna return to the live stage for the first time in seven years. Since her album “ANTI” in 2016, she has released no new music besides two songs for the 2022 movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Needless to say, fans anticipated her performance.

The show featured an elaborately-designed set consisting of floating platforms on wires and various stages and ramps for the backup dancers to perform on. Rihanna stood in the middle of a crowd of dancers in white coats, wearing a red coat herself, with a tracklist jam-packed with some of her biggest hits.

The full setlist included “B**** Better Have My Money,” “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In The World),” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Pour It Up,” “All of the Lights,” “Run This Town,” “Umbrella,” and “Diamonds.” These songs cover the entire scope of Rihanna’s discography and can appeal to anyone with their varied musical styles.

Rihanna’s performance blew up on social media afterward. Mainly, this was because the singer’s second pregnancy was revealed after viewers speculated on her appearance during the show. This came as a surprise after Rihanna’s first child was born early last year.

Opinions on Rihanna’s performance seem to be generally positive. Some seemed dissatisfied regarding the absence of a surprise musical guest (which has become expected in recent years), although Rihanna’s return herself can be enough to satiate fans. Either way, she made a bombastic comeback and gave Super Bowl viewers a good show.

Second half

The Chiefs started the second half, leading a smooth 75-yard drive to the endzone, with running back Isiah Pacheco scoring the touchdown. The Eagles led a strong drive of their own, but they ultimately had to settle with a field goal. The Chiefs were just a touchdown away from being able to take the lead, beginning their next drive just before the end of the third quarter.

Shortly after the fourth quarter began, Mahomes was able to land a touchdown pass to wide receiver Kadarius Toney, giving the Chiefs their first lead, 28-27. The Eagles were forced to punt on the next possession, where Toney returned the ball 65 yards, the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. Wide receiver Skyy Moore got the touchdown to help extend the Chiefs’ lead to eight points.

The Eagles ran down the clock with their possession culminating in another Hurts touchdown. Looking to tie the game, Hurts ran again to score a two-point conversion. The game was now tied 35-35 with a little over five minutes left.

Mahomes was able to take the Chiefs just past the Eagles’ 17-yard line toward the end zone, but he was unable to land a pass on the fourth down. However, the referees called a holding penalty on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, giving the Chiefs a first down. This call has been the subject of much debate in the days following the Super Bowl.

Many believe that call to have been unnecessarily harsh due to the significant nature of this game (and the fact that refs will naturally miss other important calls during a game). Nonetheless, the ruling would stand, and even Bradberry himself later admitted to committing the holding foul. 

He told reporters after the game, “It was a holding. I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”

The Chiefs took advantage of the situation to run within two yards of the endzone, taking a knee to waste time and kicking the easy field goal. The Eagles had eight seconds left on the clock, forcing Hurts to throw a hail mary pass. The attempt was incomplete, and the game ended as a 38-35 victory for Kansas City.

Despite the controversy surrounding the late-game holding call, this was an incredibly exciting back-and-forth game. Football fans can only wait until the 2023-24 season kicks off later in September.