There was a moment, near halftime, when all the alarm bells went off among the fans of the Kansas Chiefs. Their biggest star, 27-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes, was tackled and the look of pain was immediately visible on his face. His right ankle suffered from an injury he suffered three weeks ago. On the bench he let his anger unfold.
That could be the decisive moment, the one that would change the history of the 57th edition of the Super Bowl, the great party of American football and of the United States. Heading into the locker room, the Philadelphia Eagles led 24-14. If the great country musical was prevented from returning, the Kansas comeback sounded like an impossible dream.
But Mahomes reappeared on the grass and his team opened the third quarter. Sore? Injured? On that first possession, the quarterback made a spectacular run to the touchdown line. They stopped it. His next pass allowed them to score. "Mahomes, with one leg, is better than any other with two," a sports journalist wrote on the networks.
At the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, near Phoenix (Arizona), a highly competitive and emotional game was played between the two best teams in the American Football League (NFL). Each prevailed in their respective divisions throughout the season. In the final they offered an enormous show, which materialized in the struggle of "to see who is better" between a pair of quarterbacks of the new generation.
For the first time they were both African American. Jalen Hurts, 24, turned in a recital, making impossible passes and, uncharacteristically, scoring three of his team's four touchdowns. It was not enough. Perhaps the only mistake he made, a loss of the ball that led to the sum of seven points for the rival, made the difference between heaven and hell. A single mistake.
Opposite, in addition, was Mahomes, and this is already big words, turned into a legend that travels the same path as the recently retired Tom Brady, the most successful of all. The number 15 of the Chiefs, after being named MVP of the league (the second time in four years), was also chosen as the best player of the Super Bowl. Since 1999 there has not been a coincidence like this.
Mahomes' leadership in the NFL is unquestionable. He once again commanded his teammates to stage a comeback. Until late in the fourth and final period, the Kansas were at the mercy of the rival. The 28 to 27 was the first time they took the lead on the scoreboard. And with a few seconds left, with a tie at 35, the Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker, broke the tie and made it 38 to 35. There were eight seconds left. The Eagles, who were crowned in 2018 (the only title in their showcases), had run out of time.
Despite his physical limitations, Mahomes turned in a terrific performance. "There was nothing that could take me off the pitch," he declared amid confetti and hugs.
For those from Kansas, this Super Bowl is their third title. They emerged victorious in 1970 and had to wait until February 2020 to return to the top and, then, they were under the baton of a very young Mahomes. They repeated the final in 2021, that time if successful. In his third final, Mahomes, who could have been a professional baseball player, has returned to glory, as part of a team and on a personal level.
They asked him if two titles in four years meant the Chiefts are a dynasty. He replied no. "I am not going to say that this is a dynasty because we are not finished yet," she stressed in the midst of euphoria. His ambition is as great as his talent.
As happened in 2020, the Chiefs outdid themselves in the second half of the game, proof of their resilience and the insight of their coach Andy Reig, who curiously arrived in Kansas after passing through the ranks of the Eagles.
In his work, Mahomes had the close collaboration of receivers Skyy Moore, Isiah Pacheo and, especially, Kadarius Toney, who once made a test and, on the next play, starred in a return of more than 65 meters of career , which opened the door for the fifth and final touchdown.
Missing from the list of scorers are defenseman Nick Bolton, the one who stole Hurts' "purse", and tight end Travis Kelce, on whom many eyes fell. His brother, Jason, was one of the Philadelphia squad. Nor had two brothers ever played a final in rival teams.
The Kelce only saw each other face to face on the grass before the game began, in the field draw with the toss of the coin. As the two play in attack, they did not have the opportunity to coincide and collide. Her mother, Donna, was in the stands wearing the jacket she designed, half in Kansas colors and half in Philadelphia colors.
The photograph of the Kelce brothers was not lacking, one in victory and the other in defeat: the image of sportsmanship.
