Thousands of fans cheered at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona February 12 as the Kansas City Chiefs won their second National Football League (NFL) championship in five years after a 24 to 11-point comeback in the second half of the Super Bowl LVII.  The Chiefs now have three Super Bowl victories, including their first championship in 1970, according to sports.nbcsports.com.  Ms. Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty performed the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, marking her first live performance since the 2018 Recording Academy Grammy Awards, according to billboard.com.  Sacred Heart Greenwich junior Payton Sfreddo, head of The Sacred Heart Football Club, commented on the impact of the Super Bowl on football fans, including her family.

The Philadelphia Eagles returned to the championship after their first win in Super Bowl LII in 2018.  Their regular season record of 14 wins and three losses finished with a 31 to 7 victory against the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game. 

The Chiefs came back with renewed determination after a disappointing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV and another loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2022 American Football Conference (AFC) Championship Game.  They matched the Eagles’ regular season record of 14 wins and three losses and, this time, edged out the Bengals to win the 2023 AFC Championship Game 23 to 20.

Payton noted that her family bonds through watching football.  She explained that she always spends the Super Bowl with her loved ones.

“I have two brothers and a dad who are super into football,” Payton said.  “Whether it’s the Super Bowl or not, it’s always on the TV no matter what teams are playing.  I would consider the Super Bowl to be an American holiday.  It’s a lot of food, spending time with friends, and usually a big party at someone’s house.  The competition and the atmosphere are always super fun.”

Mr. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds sang “America the Beautiful,” which was concurrently signed in ASL by deaf member of the Arizona Navajo Nation Mr. Colin Denny, according to wwltv.com.  Mr. Chris Stapleton performed an acoustic rendition of the National Anthem of the United States.  Mr. Troy Kotsur of the 2021 film CODA accompanied Mr. Stapleton by translating the National Anthem into American Sign Language (ASL).  The United States Navy (USN) commemorated 50 years of women aviators in the USN by conducting an all-female flyover, according to axios.com.  

This year also marked the first time two brothers faced off against each other in a Super Bowl, according to usatoday.com.  Mr. Travis Kelce was the starting tight end for the Chiefs, and Mr. Jason Kelce played as the starting center for the Eagles.  Alongside the Kelce brothers, two Connecticut natives also clashed on rival sides of the Super Bowl, with Mr. Lucas Niang of New Canaan High competing as an offensive lineman for the Chiefs and Daniel Hand High School’s Mr. Jack Driscoll competing as an offensive tackle for the Eagles, according to ctinsider.com.

The Chiefs won the coin toss in the first quarter and decided to defer possession to the Eagles.  Within the first 15 minutes, the Chiefs and the Eagles traded touchdowns.  Mr. Jalen Hurts, the Eagles starting quarterback, threw a 75-yard touchdown before the five-minute mark while Mr. Patrick Mahomes, starting quarterback of the Chiefs, passed the ball 18 yards to Mr. Travis Kelce, tight end, for the Chiefs’ first touchdown, according to bleacherreport.com.

Eight seconds into the second quarter, Mr. Hurts spiraled a 45-yard touchdown pass to make the score 14 to 7 for the Eagles.  However, in their first full drive of the second quarter, Mr. Hurts fumbled the ball, allowing the Chiefs to capitalize with a touchdown, according to bleacherreport.com.  The Eagles came back with a touchdown and a field goal before halftime, making the score 24 to 14 for the Eagles.

In the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, Rihanna danced atop electric red and white hovering platforms.  She sang 12 of her most notable hits, from “Only Girl in the World” to “Umbrella,” according to today.com.  She concluded her act with a rendition of her song “Diamonds.”  Rihanna described how motherhood drove her to perform at the Super Bowl.

“But when you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world,” Rihanna said, according to today.com.  “You can do anything, and the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world.  There’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all, and it’s important for me to do this this year.  It’s important for representation.  It’s important for my son to see that.”

After halftime, the Chiefs brought new energy and drive to the rest of the game.  On their first possession, rookie running back Mr. Isiah Pachecho trimmed the Eagles’ lead to three points with a sprint into the endzone.  The Eagles then countered with a 33-yard field goal to open their lead back to six points.

The Chiefs responded with two consecutive touchdowns to start the fourth quarter.  Mr. Hurts drove eight points home to tie the score at 35 points a piece, but the Chiefs positioned the ball in an accessible place for kicker Mr. Harrison Butker to score a field goal to win the game 38 to 35, according to bleacherreport.com.

Featured Image by Lindsay Taylor ’24