Ethan Engellau
Sports, Editor
Know your role and shut your mouth, you jabroni! Super Bowl LXII will see the first matchup in NFL history between brothers. Jason Kelce, who plays center for the Philadelphia Eagles, will square off against his brother Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. The postseason upsets were few and far between, resulting in each number one seed winning their respective conference. Another exciting storyline is the coaching matchup as Andy Reid, now coach of the Chiefs, spent 14 years on the opponent’s sideline. In his first season in Kansas City, a young wide receivers’ coach named Nick Sirianni was a part of his staff, now the head coach of Philadelphia.
Championship Weekend was a tale of two opposing stories. Lincoln Financial Field was loud and rowdy as always, blessing us with gems such as a Philly fan pestering Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa in the pregame who was there to support his brother, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa. The video showed Bosa and the fan chirping back and forth with each other, blaring insults and displaying what Eagles fandom is truly about. This energy would carry into the game as due to some unforeseen quarterback injuries; Philadelphia would wipe the floor with San Francisco 31-7.
Mr. Irrelevant, breakout, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy was forced to leave this game with an elbow injury in the first quarter after sustaining a strip sack from Haason Reddick. Purdy would enter and exit a few times throughout the rest of the game attempting to fight through the pain, but his throws weren’t the same. After the game, it was announced that he had suffered a complete UCL tear and will require surgery, sidelining him for the next six months. An unfortunate end to an incredible rookie campaign.
Journeyman Josh Johnson, a 36-year-old veteran who has played for 14 different teams, this being his fourth stint with the 49ers, entered the game at quarterback. Johnson led San Francisco’s only scoring drive that included handing the ball off to Christian McCaffrey and making short passes to McCaffrey, eventually resulting in a 23-yard TD run. Johnson would exit the game in the third quarter with a concussion, forcing the 49ers into the wildcat formation and placing McCaffrey at quarterback and running the ball almost every play. This brand of football was not enough despite an underwhelming box score on Philadelphia’s side.
The Niners would end the game with 11 penalties for 81 yards. The most notable penalty was in the fourth quarter when left tackle Trent Williams body slammed safety K’von Wallace in frustration, resulting in an ejection for them both. Miles Sanders capitalized off the field position throughout the game on his way to two rushing touchdowns. Jalen Hurts and Boston Scott would follow suit with one each of their own. The 49ers simply had too many penalties and not enough quarterbacks.
Patrick Mahomes rode a hobbled ankle to 326 yards, two touchdowns and a victory as the Chiefs rightfully took their stadium’s namesake back from the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was back and forth throughout with no team able to break out in front. In addition to a hobbled quarterback, the Chiefs had their back pressed against the wall, losing three receivers to injury, Juju Smith-Schuster, Kadarious Toney and MeCole Hardman along with two players in their secondary, L’Jarius Sneed and Willie Gay. Despite this, Marquez Valdes-Scantling stepped up by catching six balls for 116 yards and a touchdown while Kansas City prevented a hundred-yard receiver on the other side. Joseph Ossai became the name that everyone will remember when thinking of this game. Ossai was an absolute beast all game with five tackles, two quarterback hits, and one stuff. Unfortunately for Ossai, this would be overshadowed by a crippling penalty. With 17 seconds left and the Chiefs on Cincinnati’s 47-yard line, Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a first down on third-and-four. After crossing the out of bounds line, he was hit by Ossai, warranting a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty. This set up Harrison Butker for a game-winning 45-yard field goal on the next play, giving the Chiefs a 23-20 win and a Super Bowl berth.
With that the stage is set. The early betting favorite is the Eagles with Vegas crowning them a one-and-a-half-point advantage. State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, will host. Will Jalen Hurts lead Philly to its first title since 2017? Will Patrick Mahomes add his second ring to his résumé? How will Donna and Ed Kelce manage being happy for one brother and consoling the other? All this and more on Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
THE CAROLINIAN 
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