Football fans all over the country had lots to ponder and celebrate after watching Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12. The Kansas City Chiefs won the game 38-35 after a controversial holding penalty on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry. The game was an absolute thriller that featured explosive passing offenses with very few defensive stops nor answers in both teams’ defensive secondaries.
Jalen Hurts’ efforts may have fallen short, but much praise is due to the third-year quarterback out of Alabama. Hurts led the Eagles through the air with an impressive 27 completions off of 38 attempts, 304 passing yards and a passing touchdown. Hurts’ ground game was just as impressive as he ran the ball through Kansas City’s defense totaling 15 carries for 70 yards and three touchdowns. Have-a-day Jalen Hurts.
Unfortunately for Philadelphia, their efforts fell short as Patrick Mahomes won Super Bowl LVII MVP as he was nearly lights out in their victory. Kansas City Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy and Philadelphia Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen drew up extremely creative air plays to separate receivers and find open space. I’d say that’s one of the big reasons why this Super Bowl felt very compelling to the viewer to watch. Run and pound paired with nitty-gritty defensive stands have become rarer to find in modern NFL games. I can assure you Americans don’t enjoy those types of games as much as Super Bowl LVII.
Despite the Super Bowl’s success in entertainment, many fans were not too pleased by the holding call that essentially locked up the victory for the Kansas City Chiefs with 1:54 remaining in the game. Eagles cornerback, James Bradberry held Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s jersey which warranted a penalty. Head referee Carl Cheffers was in charge of the dynamics of what went on with the call, which is an enormous task mind you.
“The receiver went to the inside and he was attempting to release to the outside. The defender grabbed the jersey with his right hand and restricted him from releasing to the outside. So, therefore, we called it ‘defensive holding,’” Cheffers said.
As an NFL fan myself, I have come to respect this call more as the days have gone by. In the modern NFL, the fine line between a holding call feels increasingly shaky. I do believe this was the right call for the technicality of the rule. Bradberry did reach across his body to make the hold, but at that point, you have to be stickler and call everything else.
As a die-hard Commanders fan who wanted nothing more than the NFC East rival to fall in the Super Bowl, this definitely didn’t feel like the right way it should happen. A call of this magnitude within two minutes didn’t feel dire but rather a technicality by the rules penalty.
I still enjoyed watching this game and watching Patrick Mahomes win the Super Bowl as well as the Most Valuable Player (MVP). I’ve come to call myself a fan of Mahomes, and I’ve also had to eat my words about Mahomes being a poor selection and a possible bust-worthy pick. I’ve come to accept that the 10th overall selection from Texas Tech may very well be the best choice from the 2017 Draft.
By Josh Heller
jmheller@vwu.edu
