Asher Gibbons & Kaycee Staton
Sports Editor & Staff Writer
The Philadelphia Eagles emerged victorious with a final score of 40-22, securing their second Super Bowl championship in franchise history by taking down the two-time reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs.
From the opening kickoff, it was all Philadelphia. The Eagles wrangled control early with strong defensive stops and crucial offensive conversions, racking-up 24 points in the first half. The game was a downright beating for the Chiefs, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes being sacked six times and committing three turnovers.
One of the most memorable moments of the game came with seven minutes and 16 seconds left in the second quarter when Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean made history. On his 22nd birthday, he became the first player in NFL history to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl on his birthday— doing so in spectacular fashion with a pick-six.
At one point the Eagles led by a staggering 34 points. Philly took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, ran down the clock and sealed their 40-22 victory as confetti rained in New Orleans.
“I will say, [Chiefs defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo sold out for Saquon [Barkley],” junior Edward Tiberi said about the main contributor in the Eagles win.
Culturally, the viewers were in for some entertaining and drama-filled moments during the game, halftime show and post-game.
This year’s Apple Music halftime performance featured none other than Kendrick Lamar, with special guests SZA and Samuel L. Jackson.
“I thought it was great. After I learned about the message the performance was presenting, I liked it even more. SZA was also great,” freshman Hailey Dzurko said.
Another student thought differently, displaying the divisiveness in opinion on the performance.
“[Kendrick] had so much more potential and should’ve sung his classics. SZA also should’ve been given more screen time,” freshman Tiana Blount said.
During the game, Taylor Swift was displayed on the jumbotron and got booed by what sounded like 65,000 fans packing the Superdome. Swift responded by giving the camera a side eye and asking what was going on.
Both Travis Kelce and Saquon Barkley commented on this, saying that Swift didn’t deserve to be a victim of the booing.
On the day following the Super Bowl, Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson posted an Instagram story that took a low blow at Kelce, ruthlessly saying he should’ve stayed with his previous girlfriend.
According to The Independent, this was combated by the “Swifties” resulting in an outpour of hate, as Gardner-Johnson’s mother received an abundance of one-star reviews on the restaurant she previously owned and operated.
Just days before the big game, the league held its annual NFL Honors ceremony, celebrating the game’s top players and achievements of the season. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen won his first MVP award, edging out Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. In doing so, Allen defied the odds, with ESPN stating Allen is only the third player since 1957 to win MVP without being named a first-team All-Pro.
Washington’s Jayden Daniels was named Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Rams pass-rusher Jared Verse earned Defensive Rookie of the Year. Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell was honored as Coach of the Year after leading Minnesota to a 14-3 season. Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow won Comeback Player of the Year, and Arik Armstead received the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Denver’s Patrick Surtain II became the first cornerback in five years to win Defensive Player of the Year, while recent Super Bowl champion Barkley took home Offensive Player of the Year.
