GLENDALE, Ariz. -” Super Bowl history is on display here.
Again.
However, unlike David Tyreee’s helmet catch, or Malcolm Butler’s intercept at the goal line both of which took place here , State Farm Stadium will be home on Sunday for a different sort of historic moment. This is the first time that there are two Black quarterbacks will be facing one another on the biggest stage in football.
The game features two of the NFL’s top players: in Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes — who this week was awarded his 2nd NFL most valued player award as well as Philly’s Jalen Hurts, who’s team won 16 times in the games he began this season.
“I’m really excited for both quarterbacks, what they can represent to a ton of kids,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Not not only do they have two African American quarterbacks, but they’re the most effective quarterbacks of the NFL this season. First-team All-Pro, second-team All-Pro.
“They both play at the highest level.”
Mahomes 27, who is suffering from an ankle strain he sustained during the divisional victory over Jacksonville. This significantly limits his ability to run and move even though he battled through a decisive, final scramble that — because of a flag in Cincinnati was able to pave the way for victory in the AFC championship game against Cincinnati. Bengals at the AFC championship game.
“When you see a guy that’s hobbled that way, what I thought Cincinnati would do is push the pocket up the middle and not allow him to step up,” said Hall of Fame cornerback Charles Woodson as the analyst of Fox which broadcasts this year’s Super Bowl.
“You observed him rise up several times, then throw off the opposite leg , however he made some pretty significant throws which resulted in touchdowns. Therefore, the way I’d think of it is to slam in the center of your pocket. If you want to allow him to escape either way the next step is to keep him to both sides.”
Hurts 24, 24, is still recuperating from his sprained left (throwing) shoulder injury suffered in December. He was unable to play for two games that the Eagles were beaten.
Hall of Famer Steve Young was the closest to a running quarterback who won in the Super Bowl, doing so in San Francisco in the 1994 season. His career average was 25.1 yards of rushing per game, which is half of the amount Hurts averaged during the season.
Hurts was averaging 50.7 yards of rushing, and finished with a passer’s rating of 101.5 similar to the number that Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson put up in the year 2019, after he was named by a majority of the players the league’s top player.
Eagles manager Jeffrey Lurie said his fascination with triple threat quarterbacks goes back to his time in college as a football fan.
“My favorite player in college, as a football fanatic, was a quarterback name Eldridge Dickey,” Lurie stated, referring to Dickey, the ex- Tennessee State standout drafted by Oakland in the first round of 1968.
“I was an enthusiast for the NFL to discover what this man could do. Rolling to the left, throwing left, then rolling to the right, throwing right, extremely gifted. He didn’t get a shot due to the fact that the Raiders were a team with some extremely talented players ahead of him and he was a receiver. However, I’ve always believed the most effective athletes over the past few years and into the future are in the defensive end that plays the game. If you don’t possess some mobility, it’s tough to sustain an top-of-the-line offense.
“It is possible to do it, you are Tom Brady or Peyton [ManningHowever, in the present day it’s all about the young, talented quarterbacks in the league you’ve heard of Josh Allen, Justin Herbert the amazing quarterback that we’ll be playing this Sunday Patrick Mahomes, and it continues to grow. They’re all able to play with mobility. That’s why that I thought it was crucial for us to have that three-threat quarterback.”
Both quarterbacks are subject to a lot of pressure from the pass rush. The Eagles were the top team in their team in the NFL in sacks with 70, and they are hoping to become the sixth group to be the league’s top performer in this area and reach the Super Bowl in the same season. The defense of Kansas City, led with All-Pro player Chris Jones, was second with 55 sacks. The 125 sacks in the regular season are the highest ever recorded from Super Bowl opponents.
A football match involves more than just quarterback against quarterback, obviously but most of the attention is focused upon Mahomes as well as Hurts.
“When you talk about the history of a league founded in 1920, this is a monumental moment,” wrote writer for the sport Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America.”
“In numerous ways the story of this game is not only the tale of the league but also the history of our country. When individuals are given opportunities to be given opportunities, we all can rise to the top based on the merits and abilities of each one of us.”
The Chiefs are in the 3rd Super Bowl in four years having gone 1-0 in their previous two. The director of football, Andy Reid, is playing against his former team. He was with the Eagles from 1999 until 2012 and is the sole coach in the league’s history who has won more than 100 games with two different clubs.
The Super Bowl is also the first one in which brothers play on opposing sides. Jason Kelce is the All-Pro center for the Eagles while the younger Kelce brother, Travis who is an all-pro tight-end with the Chiefs.
It’s the 4th Super Bowl appearance for Philadelphia who lost the previous two appearances before getting the Lombardi Trophy five years ago. The Eagles were 5-1 in their games against AFC teams this season.
