The Kansas City Chiefs deserved to win the Super Bowl for dozens of causes. Their second-half play calling discovered defensive weak point and exploited them. Patrick Mahomes performed via appreciable ankle ache, Andy Reid proved why he’s probably the greatest of all time, and your entire offensive unit round Mahomes stepped as much as win.
We can admire all these issues whereas admitting on the similar time that probably the greatest Super Bowls in a very long time was fully ruined by a area that wasn’t appropriate to play on — and an ending that was such a buzzkill it sucked all of the drama out of the sport at its most important second.
Rather a lot goes to be made from the choice to flag James Bradberry for holding on a game-defining third down. This was a sport of questionable subjective calls on each side of the ball. To shut out the primary half DeVonta Smith had a catch referred to as again on a play we’ve seen dominated a catch dozens of occasions earlier than, then within the fourth quarter we had an apparent incompletion to Dallas Goedert dominated as a catch. Bradberry was actually the cherry on prime of questionable resolution making.
For what it’s value, Bradberry is acknowledging that he pulled on JuJu Smith-Schuster’s jersey.
For those that did not like the decision on James Bradberry, this is the phrase from the person himself:
“It was a holding. I tugged his jersey. I hoped they’d let it slide.”#Eagles #Chiefs
— Mike Giardi (@MikeGiardi) February 13, 2023
Still, even when it was holding by the letter of the legislation — it felt actually mushy. Especially for the second. Especially within the greatest sport of the 12 months. Especially as a result of it robbed us of what might have been one of the vital dramatic, unimaginable endings to the Super Bowl of all time.
Look at that second in isolation. Okay, so let’s say Bradberry doesn’t get flagged and it’s now 4th and eight with 1:54 left. Kansas City kicks the sphere purpose and is up 38-35. Though the Eagles had been scoring at will on the Chiefs’ protection, that is completely not a gimme for Philadelphia. They’re sitting with one trip, and their common scoring drive size over the course of the sport was properly over 4 minutes, and so they have lower than two with the intention to try to win, on an evening play calls had been popping out slowly for the Eagles all night.
You’re asking Jalen Hurts to place forth a monumental effort to even get the sport to a tie rating, and KC is holding a timeout too. If they tie on a area purpose Mahomes goes to get one other shot to win it.
This is all of the drama we had been robbed with, solely to see the Chiefs run the clock down — kick a brief area purpose, and provides us a moist fart finish to one of the best sport of the season. It was a rattling disgrace, and I nonetheless assume if that very same James Bradberry play occurs 500 occasions in a season, it’s going to be flagged perhaps 50 occasions. I simply want it didn’t occur on the worst potential time.
On the subject of issues I want didn’t occur within the Super Bowl: How concerning the absolute stupidity of attempting a brand new, experimental grass sort like this was a preseason sport? Tacoma 31, a cross-breed of Bermuda and rye grass was created after years of growth, a lot of it funded by the United States Golf Association to be used on programs. This was the largest soccer check for the brand new grass.
It could be harsh to say it’s a soccer failure after one sport, however rattling was this a foul time to have a grass fail this spectacularly. Nothing concerning the sport felt regular, with move rushers failing to get their footing, defensive backs falling on cuts — hell, we nearly had a kicker harm himself on a kickoff.
The Eagles sideline specifically seemed like cleats had been reenacting a scene from a warfare film, as they lay in a pile of discarded and wasted potential — unable to maintain up with simply how slick this mess of a divot-covered area was.
There is totally no excuse for the Super Bowl to be this dangerous. In the lead as much as the sport the grass was touted for it’s sturdiness, with sources citing a must hold the enjoying area in fine condition contemplating the quite a few occasions main as much as the sport which put pointless put on on the play floor.
For instance, regular Bermuda grass would put on out to reveal floor after the sort of foot site visitors it will face within the leadup to the Super Bowl, stated Brian Whitlark, an agronomist within the west area for the USGA. Tahoma 31 received’t have a difficulty holding as much as calls for of being a Super Bowl area, he added.
The query ought to be: Why is there a lot foot site visitors within the Super Bowl stadium to start with? The NFL needs to promote tickets to pointless crap like media evening, so it requires stands — however that shouldn’t come on the expense of the sport itself. The Super Bowl itself was compromised by testing an unproven grass within the greatest sport of the 12 months, as an alternative of getting this examined six months in the past, and it was a catastrophe due to it.
It simply sucks, as a result of a lot about Super Bowl LVII was good. Players on the prime of their video games. One of one of the best nationwide anthems in latest reminiscence. A halftime present that may fee among the many greatest ever. Then we had grass and a penalty play a significant function in what settled this sport. It was only a horrible aftertaste to a meal that was rattling close to good.
Winner: Patrick Mahomes
Normally once we talk about Mahomes it’s due to 400 yard passing performances that defy perception. This was completely due to the toughness he exhibited to not solely battle via the plain ache of his ankle harm, however have the center to run on a foul ankle when it mattered most.
I’m not going to fake this was an MVP-worthy efficiency, as a result of it wasn’t (and we’re about to debate that), however Mahomes completely deserves unimaginable props for holding his staff collectively when the whole lot might have gone up in smoke.
Winner: Jalen Hurts, who ought to have been Super Bowl MVP
I’m so sick of Super Bowl MVP simply being synonymous with “winning QB.” If you actually assume Patrick Mahomes deserved to win Most Valuable Player over Jalen Hurts then you definately don’t perceive the fundamentals of soccer.
Mahomes was an iron man who didn’t do something improper. That’s it. There was nothing spectacular about his play. It was a middling, sub-200 yard passing day with one good landing throw, and one other two dump offs towards a busted move rush.
Hurts, then again, was absolutely the star of the Super Bowl. The whole lead-up to this sport was about whether or not Hurts might dangle with Mahomes’ brilliance, and he turned the sport into his means of asserting himself to the world who haven’t seen the Eagles play all season.
It’s not simply the 374 all-purpose yards, or the 4 complete touchdowns — it’s that in any second that seemed even a little bit bit dicey, Hurts stepped up and steadied the ship. It was a masterclass in famous person quarterbacking, and if the Eagles protection didn’t fully suck on Sunday evening, he’d be hoisting the trophy.
Loser: The Eagles ineffective protection
That was sorry as hell. Defending Mahomes and the Chiefs is rarely simple, however the Eagles didn’t even provide a stiff breeze.
Philadelphia’s vaunted move rush didn’t register a single sack, or actually make Mahomes really feel pressured in any respect. The secondary saved falling for a similar strikes, and your entire protection was dialed up in a means the staff couldn’t succeed.
Tack on Bradberry’s aforementioned holding name which sealed the sport, and you’ve got only a defensive mess that ensured Philadelphia couldn’t put up a lot of a battle.
Loser: Travis Kelce
On the sphere you had been nice. You’re Travis Kelce, probably the greatest tight ends within the NFL — and positive to be among the many biggest ever.
The loser column right here is for being such an unbearable ass following the sport. Kelce adopted this bizarre “us against the world” mentality that gaslit America by pretending that everybody didn’t say “Chiefs or Bills” within the preseason, and all of the sudden morphed all of it right into a “put some respect on our name” tirade.
It wasn’t simply as soon as both. I’d give him a move if this occurred simply as soon as. But nah, Kelce did this in each submit sport interview and look — like KC wasn’t one of many favorites to win earlier than the season started.
You’ve been right here earlier than. Act prefer it.
Winner: Nick Bolton
Bolton was a tremendous worth decide when the Chiefs grabbed him within the second spherical of the 2021 NFL Draft, and on Sunday he shined. A defining Super Bowl second when he recovered Jalen Hurts’ fumble and returned it for a landing, however past that he was pivotal in guaranteeing the Eagles’ run sport by no means bought settled and that Miles Sanders couldn’t break huge positive aspects on the skin.
In the top he completed with a game-high 9 tackles and was an enormous shiny spot for the Chiefs’ protection on an evening the place not quite a lot of defensive gamers stepped up.
Winner: Andy Reid
What’s extra to say about this man? Reid will go down as one of many biggest soccer minds of all time, and maybe if that is the top to his profession there can be no extra becoming approach to dangle up his whistle than beating the Eagles.
Reid’s halftime changes which focused Philadelphia’s over-aggressiveness on protection was a masterclass. He additionally did an unimaginable job, alongside Eric Bieniemy, in shifting to excessive proportion performs that mitigated the issue of the horrible area circumstances. In the top expertise received out, and that’s the place the large distinction between Reid and Nick Sirianni shined.
Reid profitable his second Super Bowl places him up with the greats. Simply beautiful.
Winner: Greg Olsen
The greatest soccer announcer within the NFL remained in unimaginable type in the course of the Super Bowl. Olsen did what he’s been doing all 12 months. He was completely informative, spot on in his evaluation, and displayed sufficient charisma with out changing into overbearing.
It’s a rattling disgrace he’s going to be moved to the b-team to make means for Tom Brady — however not less than we have now till 2024.
Winners: All of you
This marks the top of the season for our Monday winners and losers. I’d prefer to thank all of y’all for studying, commenting, and beginning off the week proper.
Even those that critique, or hate what I say each Monday. I at all times see what you say, and also you’re simply as vital to the method as all of us attempt to be higher.
Have an exquisite offseason. A stunning Spring and Summer, and this column can be again within the fall for me to unintentionally curse your groups as soon as extra.