Eagles-Chiefs championship game was indeed ‘Super’

by Steve Stallone Sports Editor

What’s not to love about Super Bowl Sunday?

The food, the parties, friends and family, the commercials, and of course, football. It’s one of the best days of the year.

When you get a good, competitive game on top of that, it’s the best of the best. That was the case on Sunday, when the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs went toe-to-toe in what will go down as one of the best championship games yet.

Some 113 million viewers - third-most all-time - tuned in to watch this season’s final game, and Eagles and Chiefs didn’t disappoint.

Granted, it was a day for the offenses, highlighted by star quarterbacks

Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. But in the end, it was a costly mistake early and another one late that denied the Eagles their second NFL championship in six seasons and sent the Chiefs to a 38-35 victory.

Hurts, who had a monster day and matched a record with his three rushing touchdowns, made a rare mistake in the first half, fumbling a ball the Chiefs returned for a touchdown. Instead of a 24-7 halftime lead, the Eagles were up 10 at the break.

Mahomes, the NFL’s MVP, was hobbled, having reinjured his high ankle sprain on the Chiefs’ final offensive play of the half. Yet in the second half, he willed his team to victory. In what was a near-perfect second half, the Chiefs scored three touchdowns and turned down the opportunity for a fourth, in coming back to tie the game at 35-all.

Then, after Mahomes’ long scramble up the middle got the Chiefs into the red zone, a huge defensive holding penalty on the Eagles’ James Bradberry with 1:54 to go gave them a fresh set of downs. They ran the clock all the way down before kicking the game- winning field goal with just seven ticks left.

Most Eagles fans will tell you the controversial call was bogus and should never have been made, especially at that moment in the Super Bowl. Granted, you could call a penalty on virtually every NFL play if you really wanted to.

Replays, however, confirmed there was a hold on the play, and Bradberry himself admitted to it after the game. But certainly you never want a Super Bowl - especially one so greatdecided by such a call. That said, the Eagles have set themself up for a very promising 2023 season and would be a good bet to get back to this spot again next February.

As for the Chiefs, with Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid having now won two Super Bowls together in four years, you can expect them to be back in the conversation again this time next year.

Philadelphia sports fans are left to lick their wounds again after another championship loss on the big stage in the past few months. In October, the Phillies fell to the Houston

Astros in the World Series, while the Philadelphia Union lost in the MLS soccer finals in November.

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Last week LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time scoring king, surpassing Hall of Famer Kareem AbdulJabar with 38,390 points.

James amassed his points during what has been an amazing 20-year career that started straight out of high school in 2003.

James actually reached the hollowed milestone in 150 fewer games than AbdulJabar. The fact that he is still playing at a high level, and could conceivably play for another 4-5 years, James could make this record untouchable by the time he retires.

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Martin Truex Jr. won

NASCAR’s return to the Los Angeles Coliseum by taking the season-opening exhibition race earlier this month. Now, auto racing heads into high gear this weekend for the seasonopening Daytona 500. All remaining tickets have been sold for Sunday’s 65th running of “Great American Race” at Daytona International Speedway, kicking off NASCAR’s 75th anniversary season. Stock car racing’s top series returns to Pocono Raceway again this summer on Sunday, July 23 for a single race. Along with ARCA, Xfinity and Camping World Trucks races, it will make for another big race weekend at Pocono. Tickets are available at 1-800-RACEWAY.