The Kansas City Chiefs, led by a Patrick Mahomes with a sore ankle, won the third Super Bowl in their history, beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, after a thrilling epilogue to the championship of the NFL.
Heroic, Patrick Mahomes overcame the pain to allow the Chiefs to win their third Super Bowl, by overthrowing the Eagles 38-35, Sunday February 12, after one of the most beautiful finals in history and a duel exceptional with the other quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
It was a 27-yard kick from Harrison Butker that delivered Kansas City, eight seconds from the siren and after a breathless suspense.
The Missouri team succeeds the Los Angeles Rams, for its third attempt on the last step in four years, after a failure conceded in 2021 and a victory in 2020. One more consecration for Mahomes, who confirms to be a credible heir of Tom Brady in the NFL, even if he is still far away, with this second ring, of the seven of his glorious eldest, newly retired.
Led by the score for three quarters, they went through all the emotions in this match, hanging on the fate of Mahomes, when, just before the break, he again hurt his right ankle, already abused by a sprain during the play-offs. His grimace of pain indeed left fear of an inability to continue the match.
But with courage, he returned in the third quarter, managing to revive his team, with a 14-yard run which then allowed running-back Isaiah Pacheco to finish the job to reduce the score (24-21).
Rihanna in the air
The suspense quickly reasserted itself in this oh so spectacular poster, between the two best teams of the season, “driven” by the two best quarterbacks.
Because opposite, Jalen Hurts had just struck the spirits for his first experience at this stage, at 24 years old. After opening the scoring in the first quarter, then finding AJ Brown in the end zone, on a wonder long pass from 45 yards, he made his only mistake of the match by losing a ball on his own, allowing Kansas City to equalize against by Nick Bolton (14-14).
But he immediately showed a steel mind on the next possession, going up the field almost single-handedly by the strength of his legs. Elusive, he first covered 14 yards, then 28 more, and finally four last to put the Eagles in front (21-14), becoming the first quarterback in history to score two touchdowns on the run and one on the run. goes to a Super Bowl.
And this, even before half-time, the show of which was provided by Rihanna. All dressed in red, suspended by cables on a platform lowered onto a long stage placed in the center of the field, she chained her hits, including “Umbrella”, surrounded by around fifty dancers. Then the Barbadian artist pregnant with her second child went up there, for her finale, on the chorus of “Diamonds in the Sky”.
Unbearable last quarter
There was no shortage of diamonds either on the lawn of State Farms Stadium, filled with some 70,000 fans of both teams and an audience of stars, Paul McCartney and LeBron James in the lead.
Because Hurts and Mahomes, who had not been outdone in the meantime by finding his favorite receiver, Travis Kelce, for a first equalizing touchdown (7-7), were able to shine even more in the second act. Beyond their talent, on an even more historic note, it was the first time that two African-Americans in this key position opposed each other in the high mass of US football.
And, between several billion-dollar television ads, they made the best publicity there is for this sport, which is mainly talked about outside America for the violence of its shocks, as recalled by the cardiac arrest suffered by Damar Hamlin in the middle of a match after a tackle. A little over a month later, the Buffalo Bills player was present on the lawn before kick-off, determined to play again one day.
In the unsustainable last quarter, Mahomes found Kadarius Toney on a throw, to finally give the Chiefs the lead (28-27). Which we made the break when their “QB” found Skyy Moore for his third touchdown on the pass, after a fantastic comeback from Toney, again him, in the middle of 65 yards (35-27).
Folded match? Not in the least, as Hurts didn’t say his last word, hitting his third rushing touchdown (a record for a quarterback in a Finals), before converting it two points by going in again. goal (35-35).
A vain feat… Shining like a diamond in the rough wasn’t enough, he was a little more polished in the face.
With AFP
