Jalen Hurts leads second-half rally as Eagles beat Chiefs 21-17 in Super Bowl rematch

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Jalen Hurts ran for a pair of touchdowns, including a go-ahead tush-push score in the fourth quarter, and the Philadelphia Eagles rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Kansas City Chiefs 21-17 in a Super Bowl rematch Monday night.

The Eagles (9-1) insisted all week that they were not out for revenge for their 38-35 loss in February, but Nick Sirianni’s bunch exacted a bit of it anyway. They shut out Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (7-3) in the second half while defeating former coach Andy Reid for the first time in five games since he was fired by Philadelphia and landed in Kansas City.

Eagles center Jason Kelce also got the best of little brother Travis Kelce for the first time. The Chiefs tight end could have used some luck from pop star and love interest Taylor Swift, who had to miss the game – he fumbled the ball away in the red zone in the fourth quarter, when Kansas City was trying to extend a 17-14 lead.

The Chiefs still had a chance with less than 2 minutes to go, converting on fourth down and then getting help from a roughing-the-passer penalty. But a perfectly placed ball from Mahomes went right through the hands of Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a would-be 51-yard touchdown, and the Eagles stopped Kansas City on fourth down to put the game away.

Hurts threw for just 150 yards with a pick, but he made the plays Mahomes could not in the second half. He also got some help from D’Andre Swift, who ran for 76 yards and a score, and DeVonta Smith, who caught six balls for 99 yards.

It was only the ninth time that two teams that played in the Super Bowl met in the regular season the following year, and the champion had won the previous four matchups. The last to lose was Dallas against Buffalo during the 1993 season.

Mahomes was held to 177 yards passing with two touchdowns and an interception in the end zone. Isiah Pacheco added 89 yards rushing for the Chiefs, who couldn’t overcome their two red-zone turnovers and a plethora of penalties.

Unlike the Super Bowl, when the Eagles blew a 10-point halftime lead, the Chiefs took a 17-7 lead to the break Monday night.

It was knotted 7-all after Hurts and Mahomes traded first-quarter touchdown throws, and it was still tied when Mahomes hit Kelce on third down for the go-ahead TD with 1:45 left. And when the Eagles got the ball back, sacks by Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis made them give it right back with 44 seconds remaining.

Plenty of time for Mahomes to get the Chiefs within range for Harrison Butker to add a 43-yard field goal.

But for all the praise the Chiefs get for their prolific offense, they’ve been abysmal in the second half this season, scoring a league-low 53 points entering Monday night. And after two quick punts to start the half, Philadelphia finally capitalized on the good field position, marching downfield before Hurts finished the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run.

The Chiefs kept beating themselves – and the Eagles kept taking advantage.

Along with penalties that derailed their first two drives of the second half, Kelce fumbled the ball away at the Philadelphia 8 early in the fourth quarter. And when the Chiefs got the ball back and had to punt a few minutes later, Justin Watson was unable to down the ball at the Philadelphia 1, resulting in a touchback that gave Hurts and Co. some breathing room.

They proceeded to go 80 yards the other way, and Hurts’ sneak gave Philadelphia a 21-17 lead with 6:20 left.

INJURIES:

Eagles TE Grant Calcaterra hurt his ankle in the third quarter. DT Fletcher Cox briefly left after a hard collision on a tackle.

Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman left in the first quarter with a thumb injury but returned to the game.

UP NEXT

Eagles: Host Buffalo on Sunday.

Chiefs: At Las Vegas on Sunday.

EAGLES FAN REACTIONS

Many Eagles fans who couldn’t make it to Kansas City watched the highly-anticipated rematch at local bars.

“Go Birds!” fans cheered in Chickie’s and Pete’s.

“I think we are the most awesome team!” one woman told Action News.

The game served as revenge for many Birds fans for the last Super Bowl, when the Eagles fell to the Chiefs 38-35.

“We want revenge from when they lost the Super Bowl,” said Ron Hood from South Philadelphia.