It wasn’t as ceremonious as the traditional postgame handshake on the field, but Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts still shared a moment in the tunnel after the Chiefs’ star quarterback outdueled his counterpart in Super Bowl 2023.
A tweet from the Philadelphia Inquirer showed Hurts and Mahomes slapping hands and leaning in for an embrace following the Chiefs’ 38-35 victory over Hurts’ Eagles. Mahomes, who was named the league’s MVP before claiming the same honor at the Super Bowl, then told Hurts he played a “hell of a game.”
According to various reports, though, it appears Hurts might have left the State Farm Stadium field before even shaking hands with Mahomes. Fox Sports reported that Hurts “jogged off the field and into the tunnel just now by himself” in the moments after the Chiefs clinched their Super Bowl victory.
The final play of the game featured Hurts launching a Hail Mary pass toward the end zone, though it landed short of his intended target. Then, the celebration began for Kansas City.
There also weren’t any photos captured of the pair shaking hands on the field postgame, according to CBS Sports. That, in addition to the handshake between the two coaches, is traditionally a moment shown on NFL broadcasts.
The Chiefs defeated the Eagles to claim their second title in the last four years. Although Philadelphia led by 10 points at halftime, Kansas City then scored on every one of its possessions in the second half — and overcame an injury scare when Mahomes aggravated a high-ankle sprain suffered in the AFC divisional round — to trim its deficit. The Chiefs took a brief lead and eventually won when Harrison Butker connected on a game-clinching field goal with eight seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
In his first Super Bowl appearance, Hurts compiled 374 total yards and four touchdowns, capping off what’s been a memorable season for the third-year quarterback, who helped the Eagles clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC’s postseason race.
“To me, Jalen played the best game I’ve seen him play in the two years we’ve been together,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters postgame, according to 247sports. Sirianni added that Hurts was “outstanding” and “in complete control” throughout the biggest game of his career so far.
