Redemption Was a Major Part of Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII Win

Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, AZ, to capture their third Super Bowl in franchise history. Of course, people will remember the team's run for Travis Kelce going nuclear against the Jaguars, Chris Jones being the best player on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals or Patrick Mahomes playing the final 11 quarters of his season on a high-ankle sprain. While remembering the greats is easy, it's the unsung heroes who got their redemption in the most significant moment of the season. That sticks out.

The Chiefs' Super Bowl victory started up front. Most know four of the five starting offensive linemen for Kansas City because of the accolades and honors they have received recently. However, the man who may have played the best was Andrew Wylie. He was tasked with blocking a top-five Defensive Player of the Year vote-getter in Haason Reddick, who came into the Super Bowl scorching hot with 3.5 sacks in the prior two rounds.

There was a lot of hype around Reddick winning Super Bowl MVP because of his ability to wreck a game. That was not the case in Super Bowl 57. Wylie only surrendered one pressure the entire game, which contributed to the offensive line giving up zero sacks as a unit. Two years after struggling in Super Bowl 55, Wylie played possibly the best game of his career to help the Chiefs win and secure the second ring of his career.

Nov 8, 2020; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Andrew Wylie (77) enters the field during warm ups before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

A player who wasn't part of the core during the Super Bowl 54 win but is now: Nick Bolton. Coming out of college, there were question marks about his game. In his rookie season, those concerns didn't show up much and it had Chiefs fans excited entering this year when the second-year linebacker had to step into a new role with the departure of veteran Anthony Hitchens.

The season was very up-and-down for Bolton. At times, it looked like he was playing on his heels and was slow to react. This caused many people, including myself, to throw flak his way. The middle of the defense was a primary concern heading into the playoffs, and especially for the Super Bowl. Luckily for the Chiefs, those concerns never played out and Bolton also had perhaps the best game of his career. The play that everyone will remember is the scoop-and-score in the second quarter to tie the game, but his performance was more than that. Bolton was flying around and playing fast, which made it difficult for the Eagles' offense to operate in the second half.

Bolton and the defense stepping up in the second half was huge because it allowed the offense to find its rhythm and get the Chiefs back into the game and have others also redeem themselves. Kansas City entered halftime down 10, with receivers Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney playing a combined six snaps. That changed in the second half as they both made game-changing plays helping the Chiefs to victory.

The Chiefs needed to score a touchdown down 27-21 early in the fourth quarter. It was third down in the red zone when Toney made his first big play of the game. The second-year wide receiver was sent in motion before cutting hard back outside. This route exploited a weakness in Philadelphia's defense, allowing Toney to walk into the end zone to give the Chiefs the lead.

On the next drive, Kansas City was getting the ball back and Toney was lined up to receive the punt. He caught the short kick and returned it for 65 yards to the Eagles' five-yard line. The player whom the Chiefs traded for midseason after being cast aside by the New York Giants and having injuries throughout the year ended up making two of the biggest plays to help bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Kansas City.

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, AZ, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Kadarius Toney (19) scores a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Chow/The Republic via USA TODAY Sports

That punt return by Toney was the longest in Super Bowl history and set up the Chiefs for another touchdown. Again on third down, the Chiefs ran a similar play, but Moore was running the "arrow" route this time. The rookie had a tough first year in the league. He was asked to be the primary punt returner, something he had never done before, and make the leap from a mid-major college to the best team in the NFL. Moore muffed three punts throughout the season, leading him to get pulled off of punt return duty.

Moore wasn't doing much as a receiver, either, although you could see flashes when he was on the field. His impact was never felt until the final drive of the AFC Championship Game, where he went back to punt return duties because of injuries. Then, in the Super Bowl, Moore finally got his moment on offense. He caught the ball from Mahomes and subsequently walked into the end zone for his first career score.

That touchdown put the Chiefs up 35-27 but after the Eagles went down the field, scored a touchdown and got the two-point conversion, Kansas City needed to score again. Mahomes led the team down the field, setting up kicker Harrison Butker for a chip shot field goal to win. Butker got injured in Arizona in Week 1 and struggled throughout the season, having the worst regular season of his career. He hit the game-winner in the AFC title game but had already missed a kick earlier in the Super Bowl. With all the pressure on him to knock this one through, Butker stepped up and gave Kansas City the lead and, eventually, the win. That capped off what was a game of redemption for the Chiefs and several of their players in the process.

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