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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 2-minute warning ensured there would be no chance for a fantastic finish to an otherwise scintillating Super Bowl 57.
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 third-and-8 at the Eagles 15-yard 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.
