Final Observations From Super Bowl LVII
Key Takeaways From Sunday's Game For The Ages...
Rarely does a Super Bowl live up to the hype as much as Super Bowl LVII did.
Given all the high expectations, the myriad of intriguing storylines and the sheer talents levels of the two franchises competing, there was a danger that Super Bowl LVII would fail to live up to its promise.
Instead, it delivered big time. And then some.
Of course, the unsatisfactory ending to the game put a dampener on proceedings. However, I’m very much from the school of thought that it was a hold on Kansas City wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Heck, even Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, who was the offender, admitted to his crimes and owned up that it was a hold.
Was it ticky-tacky? Hell-yeah. It was the only defensive holding or pass interference call at any time during the game. And, as the unwritten rule goes, you should never “decide a game on an insignificant penalty.”
I do agree with Fox announcer Greg Olsen - who was brilliant yet again on Sunday and who should very much be seen as a rising star - that the officials should have let it go, but that’s in an ideal world. This is not an ideal world. Rules are rules, Bradberry did restrict Smith-Schuster in some way and, if it happened in the first or second quarter, we wouldn’t be hearing about it. A foul is a foul and, yes, it did impact the end of the game of course, but we shouldn’t let it overshadow what was an absolute classic the way we have.
And, let’s be honest, the Eagles went into half-time with a 10 point lead and they had a myriad of opportunities to put the game away. Instead, they choked and allowed the Chiefs to be the Chiefs in the second-half. They can’t hide behind one bad call.
With that said, let’s get into some final takeaways / observations from Super Bowl LVII…
Sod Off
Okay, that is meant to be a clever play on words given that this segment will be about the joke of a playing surface at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. But it could also be viewed as a message because, shock of all shocks, the NFL continues to get in its own way.
Let’s start with the turf. I thought I had finished watching the NHL for the day but, I was wrong. At times during Super Bowl LVII, it was almost like watching a hockey game given the alarming and downright ridiculous rate at which players were sliding about.
Given that the field was new sod, grown right there in Arizona and installed two weeks prior at a cost of $800,000, it should not have resembled a giant Slip ‘N Slide. But it did.
While some, like the Kelce brothers, have come out and said they had no issue with the playing surface, those of us with eyes could see that it was a problem. And there is no excuse for it. There shouldn’t be an issue with any playing surface at any time of the year in the NFL. Period.
But, the fact that there was during the biggest game of the year, on the biggest stage of the year, was just inexcusable. It is something that the NFL can’t allow to happen again.
When you couple that with the comments made by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell about the standard of officiating in the NFL never being better, it is just more proof that the NFL continues to even get the basics wrong. After we were treated to one of the most entertaining and memorable Super Bowls in recent memory, we shouldn’t be talking about crappy playing surfaces and poor officiating. But here we are.
Front Office Props
We’re going to be doing something bigger on this soon, but one of the many takeaways to emerge from Super Bowl LVII was that smart roster construction is still king in the NFL.
Okay, so that’s hardly a new lesson but it is still important.
As superhuman as Patrick Mahomes was, as big as an offensive wizard as Andy Reid is, as dominant and as key as Chris Jones and Travis Kelce are, the Chiefs got plenty of help on Sunday.
And that help came from unexpected places.
There was the electric, momentum-shifting, game-changing 65-yard run on a punt return by Kadarius Toney. That was the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, by the way.
You can’t win football games without good special teams.
Toney also scored what proved to be a decisive touchdown at a pivotal moment in the game. With the ball at the Eagles’ five-yard line early in the fourth quarter, on third-and-three with Philadelphia leading 27-21, the Chiefs called ‘Corn Dog’ and Mahomes found Toney for a walk-in touchdown.
It was a perfectly-executed play and a perfectly-executed route by Toney, with the nearest defender 11.2 yards away, according to Next Gen Stats.
Toney was acquired from the New York Giants just before the Trade Deadline. Having failed to really stay healthy while in East Rutherford, coupled with some alleged character issues, the Chiefs only had to give up a third-round pick and a sixth-round selection for Toney.
Having flashed his high ceiling down the stretch for the Chiefs, Toney was a real difference maker in the Super Bowl and Kansas City General Manager Brett Veach reminded us all of the importance of mid-season pickups.
Veach also demonstrated why it is important to build through the draft, especially for a team like the Chiefs who have so much money tied up in their quarterback and core of stars.
Skyy Moore, the 54th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, was picked out by Mahomes on a different play but an almost carbon copy of the motion on the Toney touchdown on the next drive after Toney’s historic punt return. Moore would also walk in for his first career TD, highlighting why it is so important to have role players step up and contribute on the biggest stage.
Put JuJu Smith-Schuster into that same category too. The wide receiver had 933 receiving yards during the regular season, and smart veteran additions on team-friendly deals are the bedrock for any legit contender.
The Chiefs are flirting with becoming a dynasty and, if they are to enjoy the longevity that is needed to win multiple championships, Veach will need to continue to hit on picks in the draft, hunt for bargains in free agency and trade for unfinished projects with high upside. If he can do that, then Kansas City will be doing plenty more winning for the foreseeable future.
Hurts Proves He Belongs
It is very rare that a losing quarterback emerges from the wreckage of a Super Bowl defeat with a shred or modicum of credit.
It is even rarer that a losing quarterback emerges as a true star.
But that was the case for Jalen Hurts in the wake of Super Bowl LVII.
While we’ve had all season to digest just how good Hurts is, and that he really is the franchise quarterback for the Eagles, he showed on Sunday that he’s got the elite talent, the steely mentality and all the other intangibles needed to lead this team to multiple Super Bowl victories in the future.
There’s not enough superlatives out there to sum up just how elite Hurts was during Super Bowl LVII. He seized the moment, ran with it and did everything within his power to single-handedly take a championship back to Philly.
Hurts just had one of those games that will be etched into Super Bowl lore forever. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and a touchdown, coupled with rushing for 70 yards and three more scores. It took just one half of football for Hurts to break former Titans QB Steve McNair’s 23-year-old record for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in a Super Bowl. Hurts also joined Terrell Davis as the only players to score three rushing touchdowns in the Super Bowl.
Also becoming the first player in NFL history with 300 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and three touchdown runs in any game, regular season or playoffs, Hurts proved that he can pilot a team to the promised land. He did it in just his second season in the league, too.
Oh, Hurts also had 10 rushing first downs which just speaks for his absolute dominance as a ball carrier. And he’s completely reinvented the art of the quarterback sneak, because no team does it better. Hurts and the Eagles have transformed the QB sneak into a lethal weapon and they hit on it almost every time they run it.
Of course, the one blemish on Hurts’ game was the game-changing, momentum-shifting fumble in the first-half. Leading by seven with 9:48 to play, Hurts fumbled the ball away on his own 44-yard line and Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton returned it for a scoop-and-score to make it a tied game. Ball security is key if you’re a quarterback and Hurts’ lone mistake was a costly one. It also has to be part of his Super Bowl narrative. The fumble gave Kansas City life and it provided the platform for them to go on and do what they did in the second-half.
Anyway, back to the positives.
Now due a massive payday, which could come as soon as this offseason, Hurts has broken into the upper-echelons of the best young QB’s in the NFL, and there appears to be no limits to his ceiling.
As for the Eagles, life will start to get tough once they have to pay Hurts. The Buffalo Bills are finding that out to their cost right now. However, the future is incredibly bright for this Philadelphia team. GM Howie Roseman has built a roster that can compete for years. They have a young core, stars all over the field and they also hold two first round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including the No. 10 overall selection from the Saints.
Given Roseman’s impressive track record building through the draft, the Eagles are only going to get better as a contender and they’ll have a chance to really reload this offseason ahead of another potential deep run in 2023.
Andy Reid’s Genius / OL Redemption
We touched on it above, but Andy Reid also cemented his own legacy in the wake of Super Bowl LVII.
As much as Mahomes rubber-stamped his own greatness, Reid pretty much secured his place in the Hall of Fame with an offensive masterclass.
Reid, who also took the Eagles to nine playoff appearances and five NFC Championship Games, including four straight, shrugged off a frustrating first-half which saw Philadelphia dominate and win the time of possession battle.
It was a different story after half-time. The Chiefs piled up 228 yards on an insane 7.1 yards per play (excluding kneel—downs), and Reid was able to flex his offensive wizardry with some play calls that absolutely perplexed Eagles Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon, now the Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
We don’t give Reid enough credit for just how great he’s been over a sustained period of time, for how he’s transformed the fortunes of two franchises and how his fingerprints can be found all over the NFL.
Reid now has 22 playoff wins, which is second in NFL history behind Bill Belichick, who has 31 victories, and he’s right up there with the greats like Don Shula and Tom Landry.
Reid is an offensive innovator and Super Bowl LVII was his masterpiece painting that will end up being the defining moment of his glory-laden career.
Let’s also give some love to the offensive line for the Chiefs. Ripped to shreds after an embarrassing display against the Bucs in Super Bowl LV - although, to be fair, the O-Line was down multiple starters for that game - they had a true redemption moment on Sunday.
They were just dominant. They held the vaunted Eagles pass rush to zero sacks. Yes, zero. The same Philadelphia pass rush that racked up a staggering 78 during the regular season - just four shy of tying the all-time record.
The offensive line did a superb job of protecting Mahomes, especially in the second-half with their star quarterback’s ankle compromised. Right tackle Andrew Wylie had the game of his life, absolutely beating up on NFL sack leader Hasson Reddick, as proved by the clip below.
This unit was an absolute strength all season long for the Chiefs, and credit again must go to Veach who rebuilt the O-Line piece by piece and it paid off big time on the biggest stage. They were game-changers in Super Bowl LVII. It is also worth noting that the Eagles put up their lowest pressure rate in their last nine games on Sunday - the Philly defense didn’t show but the Kansas City offensive line sure as hell did. Talk about a comeback.
