Moments before the kick-off of Super Bowl 57, Doug Williams held the Lombardi Trophy as thousands cheered for him at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix. Williams became the first Black quarterback to win a Super Bowl after he led the Washington Redskins to a blow-out victory over the Denver Broncos in 1988.
But it would take 35 years for two Black quarterbacks to face-off against each other in the same Super Bowl. Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes made history on Sunday, and the two quarterbacks did not disappoint in the biggest game of the season.
The first half belonged to Hurts who dazzled with scrambling runs and throwing several long passes to his speedy receivers. Hurts would finish the game with over 300 yards passing and one touch down throw. And he added 70 yards rushing and three touchdowns on the ground.
Hurts played well enough to win the MVP award, but Mahomes would walk away with the victory and trophy.
Although Mahomes struggled in the first half of play, he threw two timely touchdowns in the fourth quarter to help the Chiefs seal the 38-35 victory with a last minute drive that ended with a game-winning field goal.
Following the game, Mahomes gave a nod to Hurts and his performance.
“If there was any doubters left there shouldn’t be now,” Mahomes said of Hurts. “The way he stepped on this stage, and ran, threw the ball, whatever it took for his team to win. That was a special performance. I don’t want it to get lost in the loss that they had. I mean, even whenever we got all the momentum in that game, and we went up eight points in the fourth quarter for him to respond and move his team down the football field and run in himself in a two-point conversion, it was a special performance by him and I mean, you make sure you appreciate that when you look back on this game.”
Hurts would also take a moment to show respect to Mahomes for giving props to his outstanding Super Bowl debut.
“I have a lot of respect for him,” Hurts said. “I always have. He’s done some really great things, thus far. For me, we lost. He came away with the win. We came up short, so it’s something that I know will motivate me. I’ve been here before, and that’s the beautiful thing about it, so I’ll figure it out.”
Hurts wants the unfortunate outcome of losing the Super Bowl for him and his team to be a learning lesson. At the age of 24, Hurts could play for at least 10 more years at a high level.
“You either win or you learn,” Hurts said. “That’s how I feel. You either win or you learn. Win, lose, I always reflect on the things I could have done better, anything you could have done better to try and take that next step. That’ll be the same process I always have going on.”
While Hurts continues to learn, future Black quarterbacks can look to him and Mahomes as examples of the greatness that can be achieved when given the opportunity.
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