The Chiefs were in danger of falling way behind in the first half, worse than the 24-14 it ended up being at halftime. But Nick Bolton did what he’s done all year.
The Chiefs linebacker made one of the biggest plays of Super Bowl LVII.
With the Eagles leading 14-7 and facing a third-and-five at their own 49, quarterback Jalen Hurts started to scramble. As he tried to switch the ball to his other hand, he lost control of it. Worse still, the ball bounced off his right foot and away from him.
Bolton picked it up and ran 36 yards to the end zone to tie the game 14-14.
“Oh, man, that’s special,” Bolton said.
The momentum shifted, if only briefly, as the Eagles closed out the half with 10 points.
“I felt the momentum flip a little bit in our favor,” Bolton said. “But that’s how games go. Ebbs and flows. You’ve got to find a way to stay middle line and find a way to win it in the end.”
In the third quarter, Bolton briefly had another touchdown. Miles Sanders had the ball knocked loose on a vicious hit by L’Jarius Sneed after a 3-yard loss on a pass from Hurts. Bolton picked up the ball and ran it into the end zone from 24 yards out, and officials signaled a touchdown.
Replay quickly overturned the ruling on the field to an incompletion.
“Nah, I knew it was incomplete,” Bolton said when asked if he thought he had another defensive touchdown.
He finished with a team-leading nine tackles.
