american football
MVP Curse, Rihanna, History: Super Bowl of Stories
The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. photo
© Maximilian Haupt/dpa
A comeback that has been awaited for years, a curse that has lasted for decades and possibly a chapter in sports history: the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles promises a lot.
Will Patrick Mahomes break the MVP curse? The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is officially the most valuable player (MVP) of the football season. For the second time in his career – and at only 27 years old.
Mahomes, the face and the league’s biggest star since Tom Brady stepped down last week, thanked the fine gala for the election with a video message and cried: “Let’s keep working towards our dream this weekend.” On Monday night (12:30 a.m. CET) before and after Rihanna’s halftime show against the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s the biggest prize in American football. The catch: It’s been 23 years since an MVP also won the Super Bowl in the same season.
Mahomes is making history together with Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was second in the election, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Super Bowl LVII is the first where both teams’ starting quarterback is black. “It’s a historic moment, we’re part of it. So many before us have laid the foundation. This will be a special moment that hopefully will be immortal,” said Mahomes. “It will definitely be an exciting Super Bowl with two fierce quarterbacks in a matchup,” said German NFL professional Jakob Johnson from the Las Vegas Raiders of the German Press Agency.
Rihanna as a halftime hit
Not only the expected level of sport is fierce, but also almost everything else. The Super Bowl is considered the largest single sporting event in the world. In the US alone, around 100 million people tune in – many of them mainly because of the supporting program: the halftime show, for which Rihanna is giving her first concert after a seven-year break and probably compressing as many of her twelve number one hits as possible into a thirteen-minute program .
Even the promotion is an event in itself. According to media reports, the broadcasting TV broadcaster FOX will receive up to seven million US dollars this year for a 30-second spot. The manufacturers often invest many more millions in the complex productions with stars in the leading roles of the clips.
Second Vince Lombardi Trophy for Mahomes?
Should Mahomes win the Super Bowl for the second time in four years with the Chiefs, despite spraining his ankle two weeks ago, he would be the first black quarterback to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy twice in his career. Hurts would be the fourth black quarterback after Doug Williams, Mahomes and Russell Wilson – and is rated with the Eagles as a slight favorite by bookmakers and many pundits. “Mahomes is a bit better than Jalen Hurts, but the whole team is better with the Eagles. That’s why they are my favorites,” said German-American Amon-Ra St. Brown from the Detroit Lions of the German Press Agency.
The Eagles have an outstanding running game and set a record with 39 touchdowns in this way this season, plus the enormous quality of the defense around Haason Reddick. “There’s a reason they’re one of the best defenders in the league,” Mahomes said. “They’re chasing you and it’s going to be a big challenge for us to go out there and have some success.”
Duel of the Kelce brothers
It doesn’t matter who is standing in the rain of confetti about four hours after the kickoff: there’s a party going on in the Kelce house. For the first time in Super Bowl history, two brothers will face each other – Jason Kelce as center for the Eagles, Travis Kelce as tight end for the Chiefs. Both are outstanding players on their teams and have won the Super Bowl once with their teams. That’s why Jason Kelce probably joked: “Whoever wins this Super Bowl has the ultimate bragging rights.” In any case, Mama Donna Kelce already celebrated her sons’ success extensively, showed up at press conferences with cookies, gave interviews herself and was usually seen in a jersey or jacket with the two Kelce numbers in the days leading up to the game in Arizona.
The duel with the Eagles is also something very special for Chiefs coach Andy Reid: from 1999 to 2012 he was head coach in Philadelphia. He then went to the Chiefs, who have consistently ranked among the best teams in the league since 2018. Since the year Patrick Mahomes played his first full season as quarterback – and became NFL MVP for the first time.