The Way I See It

In this The Way I See It, the Chiefs are NFL champions, Derek Carr does the right things, remembering Raquel Welch, and more.

Chiefs Rule the NFL

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in another great Super Bowl, 38-35. The Eagles squandered a 10-point second-half lead, allowing the Chiefs to storm back. Harrison Bukter redeemed his earlier missed field goal, booting the game-winner with eight seconds left.

The Eagles did nearly everything right. They dominated the time of possession, 35:47 to 24:13, thereby limiting possessions for Patrick Mahomes. Their young QB, Jalen Hurts, exceeded expectations by becoming the first player in Super Bowl history to throw for more than 300 yards and rush for more than 70. The Eagles’ defense held Mahomes to just 182 yards passing. How the heck did they end up losing?

Letting the Chiefs Off the Hook

The Eagles lost due to three costly errors:

• Jalen Hurts’ fumble – Hurts had an incredible game, but he was not entirely error-free. His one error in the contest, however, was critical. With the Eagles up 14-7 in the second quarter and the Chiefs’ defense on its heels, Hurts inexplicably fumbled the ball as he was tried to break the pocket. The ball bounced straight into the hands of LB Nick Bolton, who took it to the house. Just like that, what felt like an imminent 21-7 Philly lead turned into a 14-14 tie.
• Special teams failure – With the Chiefs up 28-27 in the fourth quarter, Chiefs punt returner Kadarius Toney returned a poor punt by Arryn Siposs a Super Bowl-record 65 yards. Mahomes took advantage of starting a drive from the Eagles five yard line with a scoring toss to WR Skyy Moore.
• Defense not dominant – the feared Eagles pass rush, which totaled 70 sacks during the regular season (second-most in NFL history) failed to get to Mahomes. While they held the Kansas City QB to just 182 yards, they did not force any turnovers and were simply not intimidating.

I know Eagles’ fans will claim they were robbed by the referees, but they really weren’t. James Bradburry clearly held JuJu Smith-Schuster, and admitted as such after the game. Devonta Smith’s catch-that-wasn’t visibly hit the ground and rolled back into his body. However, the Eagles caught a break when Miles Sanders‘ fumble (that Bolton returned for a TD) was ruled an incomplete pass.

Overall, I enjoyed watching the game and was especially happy with the results of the action I had on the game:

Is it Draft time yet?

Breaking News!

Derek Carr Does the Right Thing

Last Week I made the case for Derek Carr declining any trade the Raiders put in front of him. Many in the media thought it’d be in Carr’s best interests to go to a team (like the Saints) that wanted to trade for him, in order to “rebuild his reputation.” Of course, those experts once again looked silly after Carr refused to agree to any trades. Carr’s stance forced the Raiders to release him, for no compensation. As a result, Carr gets a jump on other pending free agent QBs in finding a new home.

Good for Carr, a four-time Pro Bowler the media too often made the scapegoat for a perpetually mismanaged organization.

RIP Raquel Welch

Raquel Welch passed away at 82. For those that may not remember, Welch was one of the world’s most beautiful women. Also quite sexy. Growing up in the 70s (yes, I’m that old), the name “Raquel Welch” was synonymous with “Sex Kitten.”

You know how nerds of a certain age get weak in the knees every time they see that famous picture of Carrie Fisher in that Star Wars outfit? Well, that’s how men my age feel seeing Welch in a prehistoric bikini from the movie One Million Years B.C. Younger readers might remember Welch from her appearance in the Seinfeld episode where she gets into a catfight with Elaine.

Rest in peace, Ms. Welch.

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