By Amy Tennery
PHOENIX (Reuters) – The National Football League’s Super Bowl Opening Night returned in full force on Monday in Phoenix, as the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs prepared to face off for their sport’s ultimate prize.
The annual media spectacle regularly draws thousands of rabid fans and a packed house of reporters, but had been forced to go on hiatus from 2021-22 over COVID-19 concerns, with players meeting with members of the media via Zoom instead.
At Phoenix’s Footprint Center, cheers echoed through the arena and eclectic costumed characters rubbed shoulders with Sunday’s upcoming Super Bowl stars.
“It’s a lot of electricity, I feel like this one has just got a little bit more juice to it,” said Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who helped Kansas City hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2020 but endured a 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the next year’s Super Bowl.
“I’m loving every bit of it,” he added.
Kelce and his sibling, Eagles center Jason, will become the first brothers to face off in a Super Bowl when they take the field on Sunday.
A handful of players eased into lounge chairs to play Fortnite on the arena floor for a bit of relaxation in a week otherwise packed with media appearances and practice, as Arizona hosts the title game for the fourth time, with thousands expected to travel into town.
‘SPECIAL MOMENT’
The evening also prompted reflection among players and fans, as the teams’ two quarterbacks were poised to make history on Sunday.
When 24-year-old Jalen Hurts and his Chiefs’ counterpart Patrick Mahomes take the field, it will mark the first time a Super Bowl has seen two Black quarterbacks start the game.
“It’s gonna be a special moment, and I’m glad that we’re here today,” said Mahomes, a former MVP who is favored to collect the honor again this year after leading the league in passing yards. “But how can we keep moving forward and how can we motivate kids that are younger, that are going to follow their dreams to be a quarterback?”
Hurts said that he wanted to “carry that torch” for those who came before him.
“It’s a historic moment,” he said. “To be on this platform and to give so many others so much inspiration moving forward, telling them that they can do it, too… it’s a proud moment.”
The Philadelphia Eagles play the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery and Liliana Salgado in Phoenix. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
