Super Bowl top moments happened on, off and above the field
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Kansas City Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles 3835 in a memorable Super Bowl that included plenty of big plays on and off the field. Here’s a look at some top moments from Sunday night’s game:
CHIEFS WIN
Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining to lift the Chiefs to their 38-35 win over the Eagles. The Chiefs have won the Super Bowl in two of the past four seasons and their roll shows no sign of stopping, especially with Patrick Mahomes throwing the passes. Kansas City’s quarterback overcame a sprained ankle to earn Super Bowl MVP honors after throwing for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Coach Andy Reid also captured his second Super Bowl title and this one came at the expense of the franchise he coached for 14 seasons before coming to Kansas City.
RIHANNA
Rihanna provided a high-flying halftime performance in Arizona. The ninetime Grammy Award winner began and ended the halftime show suspended high above the field. She wore a puffy, bright red jumpsuit with tight, rubbery garb underneath as she stood on a transparent rectangular platform that raised and lowered as she belted out the lyrics to her hit songs over the turf.
Oh yeah, and to top it off, she did the performance while pregnant, news that was revealed after the show.
VALLEY OF FUN
The Phoenix area is no stranger to hosting big events, but this was a huge weekend even by its standards.
The winter and spring months are already tourist season in Arizona and the Super Bowl added another layer of revelry, adding tens of thousands of people who filled bars and restaurants and at times spilled into the streets. Throw in the Phoenix Open, the PGA Tour’s version of a boozy mosh pit on grass, and the Phoenix area transforms into a weeklong Valley of Fun.
“The buzz is definitely here,” said Jay Parry, president and CEO of the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee.
PLAYER SEES FLAG
This could be a highlight or lowlight, depending on rooting allegiances, but James Bradberry’s penalty on the final drive was undeniably a huge moment. The Chiefs were driving and faced third-and-8 at the Eagles 15-yard line with 1:54 remaining when Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw incomplete to JuJu Smith-Schuster. But officials flagged Bradberry for defensive holding, which negated the incompletion and, more importantly, gave the Chiefs a first down. Replays showed Bradberry made light contact with Smith-Schuster, though it didn’t appear to affect the play much. Many fans — and some football commentators — disagreed with the call. The only person who didn’t seem upset with the call was Bradberry himself.
“It was a holding. I tugged his jersey,” Bradberry said. “I was hoping they would let it slide.”