PHOENIX — Are you not entertained?
The first half of Super Bowl 57 was an action-packed doozy as the Philadelphia Eagles took a 24-14 lead over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott made a 35-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer to put the Eagles up by 10.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for two touchdowns in the first half and also connected on a 45-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown. Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes also threw a touchdown pass and Nick Bolton returned a fumble 36 yards for another score.
An important development to watch: Mahomes limped off the field late in the second quarter. The two-time NFL MVP has been fighting a badly sprained right ankle and looked like he re-aggravated the injury.
An earlier story follows
The Philadelphia Eagles wasted little time taking a lead, but the Kansas City Chiefs quickly tied things back up.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for a 1-yard touchdown to cap an efficient opening drive that traveled 75 yards on 11 plays. DeVonta Smith was Hurts’ favorite target on the drive, catching three passes for 41 yards.
The Eagles are the first team to take the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl and drive for a touchdown on offense since Super Bowl 32 when the Green Bay Packers did it against the Denver Broncos 25 years ago.
The Chicago Bears also scored on Devin Hester’s kickoff return for a TD in Super Bowl 41.
Kansas City then tied things up on their opening drive with a touchdown to Travis Kelce.
For the first time, young aspiring football players all over the world are getting to watch two Black quarterbacks face each other in the Super Bowl.
AP NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes leads Kansas City against the MVP runner-up, Jalen Hurts. The significance isn’t lost on Mahomes.
“I think about it a lot,” Mahomes said. “The quarterbacks that came before me — Shack Harris, Doug Williams — that laid the foundation for me to be in this position. It goes across all sports. If you think about Jackie Robinson and the people who broke the color barrier in baseball, I wouldn’t be standing here today if it wasn’t for them.
It’s also the first time in history that a pair of siblings will play each other on the NFL’s grandest stage.
Travis Kelce helped the Kansas City Chiefs return to their third championship game in four seasons, while brother Jason has the Eagles back for the second time in six years.
“Cool scenario to be in, you know?” Travis Kelce said. “My mom can’t lose.”
Donna Kelce said on Thursday before the “NFL Honors” show that she did her best to keep up with her two sons’ voracious appetites, but it was easier said than done.
“The refrigerator was always packed, but it didn’t last more than a day or so,” she said. “Whole chickens, they would eat lots of pork, ribs. I’d have leftovers in the refrigerator and it never lasted past the day.
“When they left for college, I got a raise.”
Meanwhile, Rihanna has put in the work ahead of her Super Bowl halftime show, focusing so hard on what she promises will be “a jam-packed show” that her upcoming birthday and Valentine’s Day almost slipped her mind.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge. That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate — that’s what this show is going to be. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could have put it together,” Rihanna said.
It’ll be her first live performance in seven years.
Jill Biden is expected to be among the fans at State Farm Stadium cheering on her beloved Philadelphia Eagles.
The first lady grew up in suburban Philadelphia and has never been shy about her allegiance to the hometown team. She and her grandson, Hunter, were at the stadium in Philadelphia on Jan. 29 when the Eagles won the NFC championship.
The 16-year-old will join her again on Sunday.
No sitting president has attended a Super Bowl, mainly because of the strict security requirements authorities would need to impose upon the tens of thousands of fans. President Biden will be at the White House on Sunday.
President Biden says he’s a Philadelphia sports fan, too, out of necessity, and often jokes that “I’d be sleeping alone” otherwise.