NFL slips, slides into offseason
Super Bowl field, late holding call take away from otherwise entertaining game
Gratitude and brotherhood were on display at the Super Bowl, where Travis and Jason Kelce tussled for the Lombardi Trophy in a classic back-and-forth clash and Damar Hamlin received a rousing ovation during a pregame ceremony honoring the men and women who saved his life.
The feel-good vibes didn’t last as long as the NFL would have liked, however.
After the NBA encroached on the NFL’S biggest week by moving its trade deadline from late March to smack dab in the middle of Super Bowl week, the Kansas City Chiefs rallied past the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 after the game took on the flavors of both MLB and the NHL.
The NFL’S biggest stage looked too much like a hockey rink when State
Farm Stadium lived up to its reputation of slippery fields with players from both teams having a hard time keeping their footing.
The waxy grass neutralized the vaunted pass rush for both teams, helping Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts rack up points like pinball wizards at a vintage arcade.
Yet, just days after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell declared the league’s officiating better than ever, a debatable holding call just after the two-minute warning ensured there would be no chance for a fantastic finish to an otherwise scintillating Super Bowl.
The flag — just the ninth penalty of the game — was akin to an umpire suddenly expanding his strike zone in the ninth inning, and it drew condemnation far and wide.
The Chiefs faced thirdand-8 at the Eagles 15yard line with 1:54 remaining when Mahomes threw incomplete to Juju Smith-schuster. But officials flagged James Bradberry for defensive holding, which negated the incompletion and, more importantly, gave the Chiefs a first down.
Replays showed that Bradberry made light contact with Smith-schuster, though it didn’t appear to affect the play that much.
Referee Carl Cheffers said it was a “clear case of a jersey grab” and added that nobody on his crew disagreed with the penalty.
There was plenty of bickering from fans and commentators. Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen wasn’t happy with the decision on the Fox broadcast. ESPN and Amazon analyst Kirk Herbstreit also was critical on social media, as were several current and former NFL players.
Kansas City was able to essentially run out the clock after the flag, giving coach Andy Reid his second Super Bowl title, this one against the team that once fired him after he couldn’t win the big one in Philadelphia.
After Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining, the Eagles got the ball back with only the chance for a desperation heave from Hurts that didn’t get anywhere near the end zone.
Despite all the consternation surrounding what many considered a ticky-tack flag, Bradberry acknowledged he committed a penalty on the pivotal play.
“It was a holding,” Bradberry said. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”
Sliding was the theme of the afternoon, after all.
The Eagles’ pass rushers didn’t record a single sack in the Super Bowl after piling up an incredible 78 sacks on the season, including 10 in the playoffs. Hurts and Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert were among the players who changed their cleats at halftime to get better traction.
“It’s not like we were playing on the on ice and they were playing on grass,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We all had to play on it, we all have to figure out our shoes.”
Indeed, the Chiefs were just as bothered by the slippery field.
Mahomes slipped while trying to make a cut, receiver Skyy Moore lost his footing on a jet sweep and both running back Isiah Pacheco and tight end Travis Kelce slipped during touchdown celebrations.
The grass at State Farm Stadium is on a giant tray that is rolled in and out of the retractable-roof stadium. The field sits out in the Arizona sun on warm days and is brought back inside when it gets cold.
The Chiefs also had problems with the field in their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium when firstround pick Trent Mcduffie tore a hamstring and went on IR and Butker got hurt.
This time, they kept their footing enough to pull out another 10-point second-half Super Bowl comeback.