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Kadarius Toney, James Bradberry key players as Chiefs defeat Eagles in Super Bowl

Toney makes big plays down the stretch for KC; Bradberry called for questionable penalty in closing minutes

Super Bowl LVII - Kansas City Chiefs v Philadelphia Eagles
Kadarius Toney scores a touchdown in the Super Bowl
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Former New York Giants Kadarius Toney and James Bradberry were key figures on Sunday night as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35, in the 2023 Super Bowl on Sunday night.

A Bradberry holding penalty on a third-and-8 pass intended for Juju Smith-Schuster with 1:54 remaining gave the Chiefs a first and goal and allowed them to run the clock down to the final seconds before Harrison Butker made the Super Bowl-winning 27-yard field goal :08 left.

Bradberry was a second-team All-Pro for the Eagles in 2022 after being let go by the Giants in a salary cap move.

You be the judge of whether Bradberry should have been penalized on this play.

Bradberry said in the post-game that the call was correct.

Toney had a tumultuous tenure with the Giants that saw him play in just 12 of 24 possible games. The Giants traded the 2021 first-round pick to the Chiefs at midseason for third- and sixth-round draft picks.

Toney contributed Sunday with two huge plays in the fourth quarter with a touchdown catch and the longest punt return in Super Bowl history that helped put the Chiefs in position to win the title.

Helping to make sure the Eagles did not win the Super Bowl, and having the Empire State Building lit up in green — again — is probably the best thing Toney has done for the Giants since they made him the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Toney caught this 3-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to tie the score with 12:08 remaining in the game. The extra point gave the Chiefs a 28-27 lead.

Toney followed that up with a 65-yard punt return, the longest in Super Bowl history. That put Kansas City at the Eagles’ 5-yard line and set up a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mahomes to Skyy Moore. That put Kansas City ahead 35-27 with 9:26 to play.

Toney’s punt return broke the previous record held by Jordan Norwood of the Denver Broncos, who ripped off a 61-yard punt return for the Broncos in Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers.

The Eagles did tie the score after the Toney punt return helped Kansas City go ahead by eight points. Some Mahomes magic, and Bradberry’s untimely penalty, helped the Chiefs become champions.