After Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes limped off the State Farm Stadium Field during Super Bowl 57, questions lingered on how his already sore ankle would react during Sunday’s prolonged halftime show.
The favored Chiefs trailed by 10 points and Mahomes’ counterpart, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, was outplaying the 2022 AP NFL MVP.
But during the second half, Mahomes’ legend grew, leading the Chiefs to a come-from-behind, 38-35 victory.
Mahomes, who was voted game MVP Sunday, is the first player in NFL history to capture multiple Super Bowl titles and league MVP awards during his opening six seasons. He is also the first player since Kurt Warner in 1999 to earn a Super Bowl championship after being named league MVP. The last nine failed to win a Lombardi Trophy.
“I told you this week, there’s nothing that will keep me off the football field,” Mahomes said during the postgame celebration broadcast. “I just want to shout out to my teammates, man.”
“We challenged each other. It took everybody to win this football game.”
Mahomes completed 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He also compiled 44 yards rushing on six carries. His season-lone 26-yard scamper late in the fourth quarter was his longest run of the season and helped set up the game-winning field goal with 11 seconds remaining.
Led by “MVPat,” as tight end Travis Kelce called him, the Chiefs have claimed two Super Bowl titles over the past four seasons.
Mahomes is not yet ready to make a declaration.
“I’m not going to say dynasty yet,” he said. “We’re not done.”
At at a time in his early coaching career when Andy Reid needed a breakthrough, he found it at Northern Arizona by going to great lengths to get the job. https://t.co/WhK3zs3Q4q
— The Kansas City Star (@KCStar) February 9, 2023
Andy Reid Received Big Break In The Desert
Andy Reid coached the Chiefs in their third Super Bowl in four seasons Sunday. An NFL Hall-of-Fame nod will come in time, likely on the first vote.
In the beginning, however, Reid’s occupational trajectory didn’t seem overwhelmingly promising.
As a 27-year-old former offensive lineman from BYU with four years of entry-level coaching experience, Reid targeted his breakthrough destination: Northern Arizona, not far from where he coached in Sunday’s Super Bowl 57.
To “get his name out there,” Reid camped out at a Sacramento-area airport where he knew then-NAU coach Larry Kentera would be during a 1986 recruiting trip stopover. Kentera was in the process of hiring a new offensive line coach and Reid was in pursuit.
“He said, ‘Coach, I want this job,” Kentera told USAToday.com.
When Kentera, with the aggressive applicant in tow, arrived at the airport’s baggage claim, Reid virtually secured the stepping-stone position.
Thirty-seven years later, Reid, following stops at UTEP, Missouri and the Green Bay Packers, entered Sunday with a 247-138-1 mark in 24 NFL seasons, including 14 at the helm of the Eagles and 10 with the Chiefs.
Everyone starts somewhere in their careers. Reid on Sunday enjoyed being back in the desert, near where it all started.
Could it end there? Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Sunday that Super Bowl 57 could be his finale.
“I’m not getting any younger,” Reid said. “I still have a young quarterback.
“I have a decision to make after this game.”
Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland at core of Super Bowl success https://t.co/qGE4LB6CmM pic.twitter.com/4oQ7txnXx7
— New York Post Sports (@nypostsports) February 11, 2023
Eagles OL In Good Shape With Jeff Stoutland Extension
The Eagles bulldozed their way into the Super Bowl.
Benefitting from one of the top offensive lines in the NFL, the Eagles utilized a strong ground game and a well-protected passing game to go 16-3 since the start of the regular season and average 28.7 points per game.
Possessing three potential Hall-of-Famers on the line breeds confidence in the coach’s room, but cultivating and coordinating the talents of the five-man unit has been the responsibility of Jeff Stoutland, who was poised to coach in his second Super Bowl.
The 61-year-old offensive line coach is known for his toughness and candidness. He has remained at his post for the past 10 seasons and survived three coaching changes.
“They’re a special group,” Stoutland told the New York Post. “I love them with all my heart.”
The love affair will continue.
Stoutland signed a contract extension this week.
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