NFL fans make feelings known on Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl rematch in New Orleans - "We will be skipping the rigged bowl"
It is official: the Kansas City Chiefs will play against the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in three years in Super Bowl LIX. On Sunday, each side had different ways of clinching their berth in New Orleans.
First, the Eagles routed the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC Championship Game behind the commanding performances by Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley, who each had six touchdowns on the ground.
Later in the night, Harrison Butker broke a deadlock with a 35-yard field goal as the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship Game. Kansas City was led by Patrick Mahomes, who scored three touchdowns (one passing and two rushing).
However, NFL fans are not excited about the showdown as they believe it will be the biggest display of officiating incompetence. They shared their thoughts on X, as one fan wrote:
"I can speak for everyone when I say we will be skipping the rigged bowl."
"We will not be watching," another wrote.
"I’m not watching it, NFL is like the WWE," one fan commented.
Fans were not excited about the match-up and criticised it.
"Garbage product, NFL is cooked," one wrote.
"Nobody wants this," another insisted.
"Unwatchable", another jeered.
Kickoff is at 7:30 PM on Feb. 9 and will be broadcast Fox. Most notably, it will mark the first time Tom Brady will call the game from the booth. He had won seven Super Bowls before joining Fox in 2022 on a record-breaking ten-year, $375-million deal.
Recapping the last time Chiefs, Eagles met in the Super Bowl
The last time the Chiefs and Eagles met in the Super Bowl was, of course, at LVII. It was historic in one aspect: it marked the first time a pair of brothers had faced off against each other in the game: tight end Travis Kelce, who played for the former; and Jason Kelce, who played for the latter.
It marked Patrick Mahomes’ return to the Big Game after he got his revenge on Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, who had prevented them from achieving a hat-trick of appearances in 2021. Meanwhile, Jalen Hurts was making his first appearance after taking over the starting job in the middle of his rookie season in 2020.
The game turned out to be a very high-scoring affair that noticeably saw only one turnover: with the Chiefs down 14-24, linebacker Nic Bolton forced a fumble on the offense and returned it 36 yards for a touchdown. That play sparked a comeback, which was completed when Harrison Butker hit a field goal with little time left.
Mahomes was named MVP - the first since Kurt warner in 1999 to receive both the regular-season and Super Bowl awards - for a very efficient performance: only 182 yards but three touchdowns on 21 completions, despite an ankle injury. Hurts also played exceptionally well in defeat, tying James White for most points scored by a single player in a Super Bowl - 20.