Brothers in the Bowl

by Brandon King

The stage is set, the Philadelphia Eagles led by quarterback Jalen Hurts will take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII(57). It will be the first time the Eagles are back in the super bowl since their historic 2018 run led by backup QB Nick Foles who took them through the playoffs after Carson Wentz went down. Since then, Patrick Mahomes and his favorite target Travis Kelce have been to two super bowls in backto-back seasons, winning one and losing one.

The Eagles just came off of a dominant playoff run where they outscored their opponents 69-14.

Those two teams were no slouches coming in, the Eagles just simply outplayed the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. Philly prevailed over the 49ers in the NFC Championship by a score of 31-7 after Brock Purdy went out (he tore his UCL) and journeyman Josh Johnson came in. This may have been still within reach for the 49ers if that was not already their 4th string QB. The 49ers ended up passing the ball THREE times the rest of the night, two by the injured Brock Purdy and one via their running back Christian McCaffery.

The Eagles, on the other hand, dominated on the ground. All four of their touchdowns came from the rushing attack of Miles Sanders, Kenneth Gainwell and Jalen Hurts.

On the AFC side in a game that came down to the wire. Patrick Mahomes pulled yet another rabbit out of his hat as he led his Chiefs down the field with only seconds left in the game. Mahomes dropped back to pass clearly in some discomfort from a sprained ankle, he saw no receiver open and decided it was now or never- he took off running, got past the first down marker and went towards the white out of bounds line. Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai continued to chase Mahomes and dive at his ankles as he was already out of bounds… Football fans held their breath for the young 27-yearold QB who already had an ankle injury. Flags went flying. Mahomes, who was unhurt, practically knew his ticket to the Super Bowl was punched. “Roughing the passer number 58 defense” would result in an additional 15 yards for the Chiefs, putting them in position to kick the game winning field goal.

This will be the first time ever that brothers clash in the Super Bowl as 33-year-old all-pro tight end Travis Kelce for the Chiefs will take on his all-pro 35-year-old brother who plays center for the Eagles Jason Kelce. These two brothers have a great relationship and even have their own podcast together, but from the time of the coin toss to the last whistle they will be trying to top the other and secure a win for their team however they can.

Which Kelce brother will prevail? As a parent who do you root for?

Heffley Named Republican chair of Human Services Committee

Rep. Doyle Heffley has been appointed by House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler to serve as Republican chairman of the Human Services Committee.

“It’s an honor to be named the Republican Chairman of the Human Service Committee,” said Heffley, who has served as a member of the House Human Services Committee throughout his tenure as a state legislator. “As a longstanding member of this committee, I know firsthand the good work we can do, from overseeing the opioid task force addressing the overprescribing of medications, and ensuring our vulnerable populations have access to needed services and treatments. I will be vigilant in making sure and our tax dollars will be spent wisely and eliminating the fraud that can occur.”

The House Human Services Committee has oversight of issues within the Department of Human Services and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. Among the issues it has dealt with include legislation to address the heroin and opioid overdose crisis by trying to prevent these powerful drugs from getting into the wrong hands. The committee will continue to convene hearings regarding the delivery of human services throughout the Commonwealth and the challenges faced by individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, along with those needing mental health services and drug and alcohol treatment.