It was the game everyone wanted, then the game everyone couldn't stop talking about, and honestly, the Eagles and Chiefs score from Super Bowl LVII—that 38-35 shootout—is still the ghost that haunts the NovaCare Complex and fuels the fire at Arrowhead. You remember the vibe. It wasn't just a football game; it was the "Kelce Bowl." It was Patrick Mahomes playing on one leg. It was Jalen Hurts putting up arguably the greatest losing performance in the history of the NFL.
Football is weird.
Sometimes a scoreboard tells you exactly what happened, and other times it lies through its teeth. If you just look at the 38-35 result, you see a close game. What you don't see is the field conditions in Glendale that had players sliding around like they were on a skating rink. You don't see the holding call on James Bradberry that basically broke the internet for three days. And you definitely don't see the shift in the league's power dynamic that happened the second the clock hit zero.
Breaking Down the Eagles and Chiefs Score: How 38-35 Actually Happened
Let’s get into the weeds of how we got to that specific number. The first half was all Philly. Jalen Hurts was a force of nature, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing a dime to A.J. Brown. At halftime, the Eagles were up 24-14. If you were a betting person, you were probably looking at your slip and feeling pretty good. Kansas City looked staggered. Mahomes was limping.
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Then the third quarter happened.
The Chiefs aren't like other teams. They don't need to dominate the time of possession to kill you; they just need to be efficient. Isiah Pacheco started carving through the defense. Nick Bolton’s scoop-and-score off a Hurts fumble—the only real mistake Jalen made all night—was the massive swing. Without that fumble, we aren't talking about a 38-35 Eagles and Chiefs score. We’re probably talking about a Philadelphia parade.
Kansas City’s second-half adjustments were a masterclass in coaching. Andy Reid, who obviously knows the Eagles better than anyone, found the soft spots in Jonathan Gannon’s defense. Those two "Corn Dog" plays—the ones where Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney were wide open because of a motion glitch in the Philly secondary—were just brutal to watch if you’re an Eagles fan.
The Scoring Timeline That Defined a Legacy
- First Quarter: Hurts opens with a 1-yard sneak. Kelce answers. 7-7.
- Second Quarter: Brown 45-yard TD. Hurts fumble-six to Bolton. Hurts 4-yard TD. Elliott FG. Philly leads 24-14.
- Third Quarter: Pacheco 1-yard TD. Elliott FG. Philly leads 27-21.
- Fourth Quarter: Toney TD. Moore TD. Hurts 2-yard TD plus a 2-point conversion. Tied 35-35. But then... the kick. Harrison Butker hits from 27 yards with 8 seconds left.
Final: 38-35.
That 35 points remains the highest score by a losing team in Super Bowl history. Hurts had four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing) and 304 yards in the air. On any other Sunday, in any other year, that’s an MVP performance. But he was playing against a guy who has turned "impossible" into a Tuesday afternoon routine.
Why This Specific Matchup Stays Relevant
The Eagles and Chiefs score isn't just a historical footnote because these two teams have stayed at the top of the mountain. Every time they meet now—like the 2023 regular-season rematch where Philly got a bit of revenge with a 21-17 win—the shadow of the Super Bowl looms large.
People forget how much that 38-35 game changed the way front offices build teams. After that loss, the Eagles went even harder into the "Georgia Bulldogs" defensive strategy, drafting Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. They realized they couldn't just have a good pass rush; they needed a transformational one. Meanwhile, the Chiefs proved they didn't need Tyreek Hill to win it all. They just needed Mahomes, Kelce, and a bunch of "role players" who knew exactly where to be at exactly the right time.
It's also about the brothers. Jason and Travis Kelce. That game was the peak of their "New Heights" era. It turned a sports story into a pop culture phenomenon. When you look back at that score, you're looking at the moment the NFL successfully bridged the gap between die-hard film junkies and casual viewers who just wanted to see the "Mama Kelce" jacket.
The Controversies That Won't Die
You can't talk about the score without talking about the grass. Or the "holding."
The grass at State Farm Stadium was a disaster. Players were changing cleats every five minutes. It neutralized the Eagles' historic pass rush, which had 70 sacks in the regular season. If the field is dry, does Haason Reddick get to Mahomes? Maybe.
And then there’s the James Bradberry holding call. Late in the fourth quarter, 3rd-and-8 at the Eagles' 15-yard line. Mahomes throws an incomplete pass. A flag comes out. Defensive holding. It gave the Chiefs a first down, allowed them to run the clock down, and set up the game-winning field goal. To his credit, Bradberry admitted he tugged the jersey. But in a game that high-stakes, fans wanted to see the players decide it, not the officiating crew.
Lessons for the Future
If you're looking at the Eagles and Chiefs score to figure out what happens next time these titans clash, focus on the red zone. In that 38-35 game, the Chiefs were perfect in the red zone. They didn't settle.
Philadelphia’s "Tush Push" or "Brotherly Shove" became a national debate because of this rivalry. The Eagles realized that in a high-scoring game, you have to be able to guarantee one yard. That realization came from the frustration of being unable to stop the Chiefs' offense when it mattered most.
What really matters now is the salary cap ripple effect. Both Mahomes and Hurts signed massive deals after that game. When you have two quarterbacks taking up that much of the cap, the margin for error becomes razor-thin. You can't afford a scoop-and-score. You can't afford a blown coverage on a motion play.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts
To truly understand where these two teams are headed, you need to look beyond the box score and watch the defensive personnel shifts.
- Watch the Safety Play: The Chiefs have leaned into versatile, high-IQ safeties to prevent the deep ball that Hurts loves to throw to A.J. Brown.
- Monitor the Trenches: The Eagles' offensive line is aging. The battle between Lane Johnson and the Chiefs' pass rushers is usually the best indicator of who will control the tempo.
- Check the Injury Report: Both teams play a physical style that usually leads to "attrition games" late in the season.
The 38-35 score was a masterpiece and a tragedy, depending on which side of the Schuylkill River you live on. It set the bar for modern NFL offenses. Every time these two teams take the field now, the world expects fireworks. And honestly, they usually deliver.