Jalen Hurts needed to overcome a fumble that gave his opponents a landing. Patrick Mahomes needed to cope with a bum ankle that he reinjured. They placed on record-setting performances in soccer’s largest sport. And neither of them had been white. If that is the result of getting two Black quarterbacks face one another within the Tremendous Bowl, then the NFL ought to have achieved this a very long time in the past.

Hurts and Mahomes mixed to finish 48 of 65 passes, carried the ball 21 instances, scored seven touchdowns, accounted for 600 yards of complete offense, and placed on one helluva present in a sport that lived as much as the hype. (Additionally, shoutout to Rihanna — she and her child bump had been wonderful.)

Black QBs are on the rise in school soccer and the NFL

“It was 11 Black quarterbacks that began the season, and we’re lucky sufficient to get two within the Tremendous Bowl,” stated Doug Williams — the primary Black quarterback to ever begin, win, and take dwelling a Tremendous Bowl MVP trophy — stated main as much as the sport. “That’s a factor in itself. However in my estimation, I’m pondering within the subsequent 5 to 10 years, half of the quarterbacks within the Nationwide Soccer League might be Black.”

After Sunday, Williams could also be on to one thing. The plight of Black quarterbacks has been chronicled for many years, as solely eight Black males have ever had the distinction of beginning in sports activities’ largest sport, and now have a file of 4-7.

After which Chris Berman confirmed up

However nonetheless, some folks will discover a approach to mess up a optimistic and “progressive” second like this — throughout Black Historical past Month — like ESPN’s Chris Berman did when he highlighted how Hurts and Mahomes’ history-making performances came about on (checks notes), Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.

“However, additionally, in fact, two African-American quarterbacks beginning in opposition to one another within the Tremendous Bowl for the primary time, fittingly…February twelfth is Abe Lincoln’s birthday.”

I didn’t know this was the second that Black America was speculated to morph right into a gospel choir to sing praises to Lincoln for ending the longest and most merciless system mankind has ever seen, all as a result of he was born 214 years earlier than two Black dudes had been going to throw a soccer in entrance of round 100 million folks on TV.

However, again to the sport.

Hurts and Mahomes placed on a clinic

It was as if the soccer gods bought collectively and determined that every man was going to equally get to share the highlight. Within the first half, Hurts was 17-for-22 for 183 go yards and one landing via the air for a passer ranking of 116.3, together with two scores on the bottom and 63 speeding yards. Within the remaining half-hour, Mahomes battled via a high-ankle sprain for a 26-yard scramble and was 13-for-14 for 93 passing yards and two touchdowns within the second half, as he turned the first MVP of this century to win the Tremendous Bowl in the identical season. Kansas Metropolis — aided by a Hurts’ fumble that was returned for a landing — was in a position to rating 38 factors in opposition to the league’s finest protection in a sport wherein they had been held to solely eight offensive possessions.

Tremendous Bowl LVII had every thing followers may need — moreover good commercials and a non-slippery subject. Greg Olsen additionally confirmed why FOX goes to have a choice to make within the coming years when Tom Brady joins the printed sales space, as the previous tight finish has confirmed that Brady goes to should put in some main work if he needs to take his spot.

However, because the 2022 season has formally concluded, there’s nonetheless one member of the Chiefs who would most likely describe Sunday as bittersweet. Since taking on as Kansas Metropolis’s offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy has coached an offense that’s both performed within the AFC Championship Recreation, made it to the Tremendous Bowl, or received two Lombardi trophies since 2018. And but, on a day wherein two Black quarterbacks had been celebrated for his or her abilities on the sector, the perfect offensive coordinator within the sport — who occurs to be Black — nonetheless can’t get a head teaching job. Chris Berman most likely thinks Abraham Lincoln may get him employed.