Super Bowl LVII: An Historic Night for Black America

With many first-time moments and records being broken, Super Bowl 57 will go down in history as one of the most historic Super Bowls in NFL records. The Kansas City Chiefs vs. The Philadelphia Eagles game set the tone not only for the NFL but for all professional sports.
This is the first Super Bowl to feature two African American starting quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes from the Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts from the Philadelphia Eagles. Not to mention both of these young men are also from Texas. The anticipation for both teams’ victory was heightened by the cultural background. With two Black quarterbacks meeting for the first time in a super bowl, Mahomes and Hurts were sure to give the fans a show.
For the Eagles, not only do they have an African American starting quarterback, but they have a management team composed of all females. The majority of them are also African American. If that wasn’t enough history for you, Nicole Lynn became the first Black Woman to represent a Super Bowl quarterback.
The Kelce brothers were another duo that made NFL history as it was the first time brothers played against each other on opposing teams at the most anticipated NFL game of the season. The Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce went against his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce. Even though the brothers never played against each other physically, it was still the first on-field sibling rivalry in Super Bowl history. The brothers from Ohio were both athletes at Cleveland Heights High School, and both attended the University of Cincinnati, where the Eagles later selected Jason in the 2011 NFL Draft. Travis was picked two years later by the Chiefs. Everyone was anticipating which brother would win.
With so much at stake, fans were already expecting a close game. It was just a matter of which team would come out victorious. The game began with the infamous coin toss won by Kansas City. However, they chose to kick the ball giving Philadelphia the ball first. This would later lead to the Eagles scoring first. Hurts led the team with an 11-play, 75-yard drive taking an early advantage. Running back, Kenneth Gainwell looked to score the first touchdown, but it was called back due to technicalities. Jalen Hurts in turn came back to score his first rushing touchdown of the night from within the one-yard line. Instantly, the Chiefs had an answer for the play. The connection between Mahomes and Travis Kelce was undeniably strong. The two completed an 18-yard passing touchdown with 6:57 remaining in the first quarter. This is where viewers began to see the dynamics of both teams’ offenses. Travis Kelce, tight end for the chiefs, and DeVonte Smith, Eagles’ wide receiver, both secured big catches and yards for one quarter.
With the offense doing its job on both teams, the Chiefs and Eagles started the second quarter with a tied score of 7. The Philadelphia Eagles controlled the ball in the second quarter, taking the lead on the quarter’s first play with Jalen Hurts tossing a 45-yard touchdown to A.J. Brown. Later, the Chief’s defense scored a touchdown from Nick Bolton on a 36-yard fumble recovery. Bolton scooped up the ball after Hurts dropped the ball on an attempted run. The Eagles then responded with their third touchdown through Hurt’s four-yard touchdown run. The second Chiefs drive ended after Mahomes was tackled by T.J. Edwards and limped off the field with what was considered a re-injured ankle. With a few minutes left on the clock, the Eagles had the ball tried to score again before halftime with a great throw from Hurts to Smith, but it was ruled incomplete. The Eagles then played a 22-yard pass from Hurts to Brown to get into field-goal range, and Jake Elliott made the field goal from 35 yards to then go into halftime. The final score of the second quarter was Eagles 24, Chiefs 14.
With what seemed to be a game of trading touchdowns, the intensity of the game rose about ten more notches. It’s also well-known in the football world that the Chiefs are a second-half team meaning there was a chance for a complete turnaround in the structure of the game. However, the teams remained neck and neck for the most part. As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs took no time to prove they meant business. The Chiefs went 75 yards in over 10 plays for a touchdown by Isiah Pacheo, a running back drafted in the 7th round, putting the chiefs ahead by three points with a score of 24-21. The uncanny connection between Mahomes and Travis Kelce struck yet again. Mahomes connected with Kelce for 11 yards to cross midfield and hit Justin Watson on a 12-yard pass to get down to the Philadelphia 25-yard line. However, Philadelphia was not going down without a fight. Immediately, they had a response to this. Unfortunately, they had a long drive but could not get to the end zone, still putting them in position to kick a field goal. Jake Elliott kicked the 33-yard field goal giving the Eagles a 27-21 lead. The Eagles now have three drives of over 10 plays and 70 yards. After that drive, the Eagles tied the Super Bowl record for most plays on a single drive on that series. The Chiefs could hold the Eagles to a field goal and keep the game within touchdown range.
Kansas City slowly regained momentum and took control of the game through Mahomes connecting with wide receivers Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore to score. Toney was wide open on his five-yard touchdown catch that put the Chiefs up by one point. Toney also set up the second touchdown for the Chiefs breaking a record for the most extended punt return in Super Bowl history. Skyy Moore then carried a touchdown pass on the opposite end of the field with a four-yard connection between him and Mahomes, giving the Chiefs an eight-point advantage. The Eagles responded with Hurts throwing a 45-yard pass to DeVonta Smith and, on the next play, did a drive that ended with Hurts at the end zone, making this Hurts’ third rushing touchdown. To tie up the score, the Eagles then went in for a two-point conversion run, with Hurts executing, tying up the score with 35 points. The Chiefs replied by going down the field on the Eagle’s defense. Kansas City faced third down at the Eagle’s 15-yard line, and Mahomes’s pass was incomplete to wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster. However, Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was called for defensive holding on an important 3rd down, giving the Chiefs a first down and allowing them to run the clock down. Ultimately, Kansas City’s kicker Harrison Butker kicked in a 27-yard field goal. The game’s final score was Kansas City 38, Philadelphia 35, bringing the title back to the AFC and officially making the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl 57 Champions.