Super Bowl LVII Recap: Back to the Top

Super Bowl Sunday. Those are the three sweetest words in the English language. Super Bowl Sunday is the holiest day of the sports calendar year, and it's by a big margin. I always look forward to this day, regardless of who is participating. Even during the many years that we were basically suffocated by the New England Patriots, I still enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday. This year, it was the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Arizona, and there were three main storylines in play. One, Andy Reid was coaching against the team he coached for over a decade. Two, brothers Travis and Jason Kelce were facing each other in the big game, and three, this was the first time in Super Bowl history that Black starting QBs would face each other.

The one who made his Super Bowl debut, Jalen Hurts, got the game off to a good foot with an opening drive that ended with a QB sneak touchdown. In no time flat, the Chiefs answered back with a touchdown of their own, and surprise, surprise, it was Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce. Sounds like a trend. The game was tied, and for the younger Kelce brother, he scored his 16th career postseason touchdown, passing Rob Gronkowski for 2nd all time, and moving him within range of the great Jerry Rice. So it as tied at seven points after the first frame.

And then this happened:

Hurts hurled a 45 yard touchdown to A.J. Brown to kick off the second quarter, and the first thing I thought: "Robbie Gould better watch this." Why was that my thought? The San Francisco 49ers have been the sorest of losers in response to the NFC Championship, but among their excuses was a comment by Gould, the team's kicker. Gould had the nerve to say that "if Hurts actually played QB, opposing defenses would have a field day." We know what he meant by that. Robbie Gould basically said that Black QBs can't throw the ball, the same nonsense that bigots have hurled at Black QBs for decades. Yeah, that long bomb would like a word with you, sore loser.

The Eagles led 14-7 and got the ball back again after forcing the Chiefs to punt, but we would see Hurts actually fumble the ball, which was picked up by Nick Bolton and returned all the way for a touchdown. So the game was tied just like that, but the Eagles got it back; Hurts ran for another touchdown, and Jake Elliott's field goal at the end of the half gave Philly a 24-14 lead.

Halftime saw Rihanna show out as only she can. I'm a big Rihanna fan; I actually have one of her songs on a mix CD: Run This Town, which was one of many she performed. I figured Umbrella would be saved for last, but it was close--it was penultimate following Diamonds. I loved Rihanna's performance, in fact, the last three Super Bowl halftimes have been my favorite.

The Chiefs kicked off the second half with a successful touchdown drive, with Isiah Pacheco running in the score, making it 24-21. The third quarter was the quietest one of the game, as only a Jake Elliott field goal followed to increase Philly's lead to six points, with the score holding entering the fourth. It was at this point that Philly's defense started to fall apart. They gave up not one, but two wide open touchdowns in the fourth quarter. First off, Kadarius Toney was left by his lonesome due to the Eagles double-covering Kelce, and after his touchdown and Harrison Butker's extra point, the Chiefs took their first lead of the game. The Eagles ended up going three and out, and Toney would return the punt deep into the red zone, allowing another touchdown scored by Skyy Moore, who was also left wide open.

Kansas City led 35-27, but the Eagles still had some magic left. Another Hurts bomb to Devonta Smith put them in scoring range, and it was Hurts who got in again; his third rushing touchdown of the game. He would also run the two point conversion in, tying the game up at 35. I found myself hoping for overtime, but by the two minute warning, the Chiefs were past midfield and they got to field goal range. All the Eagles had to do was hold them to three with enough time to do something on their possession.

Then this happened:

On third down, James Bradberry was called for holding on Juju Smith-Schuster, and from the looks of this, it was quite ticky-tack. There was just enough, but I've seen bigger and longer holds get ignored. It's funny. As a hockey fan, I have to mention this. Games deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are known for nothing getting called at certain times (usually the wrong time). The NFL is the opposite: they're known for things getting called at the wrong time, and they're usually things that could have been let go. As we all know, defensive holding is five yards and an automatic first down, and with a minute and a half left, the ball was tossed to Jerick McKinnon, who ran all the way to the two yard line and stopped, allowing the Chiefs to take a pair of knees and kill the clock. With 11 seconds left, Harrison Butker nailed a 27-yard field goal, and the Eagles couldn't do anything in the very little time they had left.

For the third time in franchise history, and the second time in four years, the Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl Champions, winning 38-35 over the Eagles. Patrick Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP, an honor he won three years prior when he led the Chiefs to victory in Super Bowl LIV. This came just days after he took the NFL MVP honor in near unanimous fashion. A slight argument could have been made for Travis Kelce as SB MVP, which would have marked the first time that a tight end took the honor, but he has a good chance of getting that nod in future years. Why do I say that? It's simple. The Chiefs are that team now. You know what I mean. Remember what the Patriots were for years with Brady and Belichick? That's what the Chiefs are now, except less annoying, far less egotistical, and a lot more likable.

If there are two players on the Chiefs that I'm the happiest for, it's Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Juju Smith-Schuster. Both WRs finished their first season with the Chiefs, and they did so as Super Bowl Champions. Juju was signed by the Chiefs after five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers; spending the last three as Pittsburgh's top WR after Antonio Brown wore out his welcome. He began to be known for his own crazy antics; mainly dancing on the opposing logos on the road, but he's an amazing receiver. Regarding MVS, it's a little bit closer for me: he's an ex-Packer. I do admit that we Packers fans weren't easy on him, we railed on him due to his knack for dropping easy passes, but he would catch the difficult ones like it was nothing. And yeah, I was one of the Packers fans who was quite harsh to MVS for the most part, but I'll say this, I do wish he was still a Packer, I really do. However, I'm very happy for MVS; he truly deserves this, as does Juju.

Jalen Hurts became the eighth Black QB to start in the Super Bowl, and he definitely made the most of his first appearance. For the final time this season, let's go to the Fantasy numbers. Fantasy stats for QBs are as follows: one point per every 25 passing yards, and passing touchdowns are four points each. Rushing rules apply; one point per every 10 rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns are six points. Lost fumbles are a one point deduction each, and interceptions are a two point deduction each. Hurts threw for 304 yards (12.16 points) and a touchdown (4 points), but lost a fumble (-1 point), totalling 15.16 points. On the ground, Hurts ran for 70 yards (7 points), three touchdowns (18 points), and a two-point conversion (2 points). Overall, Hurts had 42.16 fantasy points. Anyone would win a fantasy matchup with a QB performance like that. Hurts truly showed out in his Super Bowl debut. Will he reach a second Super Bowl? Time will tell.

And so ends another crazy good NFL season. It was quite thrilling and shocking, to say the least, and it ended with a very exciting Super Bowl that saw a lot of offense, and just a tad of controversy. Super Bowl LVIII will take place at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada on February 11, 2024; it will be the arena's first time hosting the big game. That's going to be a hell of a extravaganza, but that's nearly a year from now. Right now, it's all about the Kansas City Chiefs' return to the top of the mountain, which could be the beginning of a possible dynasty.