Super Bowl LVII Review: Five Things You Might Have Missed
The Kansas City Chiefs have now entered the dynasty discussion. With their second Super Bowl Championship and third appearance in four years, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have entered new territory in NFL history. Bodog’s Super Bowl LVII review is proof that this one had all the ingredients of a special game: a come-from-behind victory, a heroic performance from an injured hero and a last-second, victory-sealing field goal. In the end, it was Andy Reid and the Chiefs players basking in confetti and raising the Vince Lombardi Trophy following a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
It didn’t look promising for the Chiefs at the end of the first half; they trailed by 10 points, and Patrick Mahomes was clearly hobbled after reinjuring his sprained ankle. But No. 15 led his team back on the field after halftime and dominated the Eagles’ third-ranked defense, scoring seemingly at will. Kansas City pulled out several impressive red zone plays that left the Philadelphia defenders looking lost, and the genius of Reid and Mahomes was on full display. The victory cemented the Chiefs in NFL history as one of the best teams of its era, but they won’t be content to stop there as fans can surely expect Kansas City to be a contender yet again next year.
While the game is worth talking about in its own right, we’ll shine light on some of the other noteworthy events that took place during another memorable night of Super Bowl betting. The halftime show featuring the ever-talented Rihanna, the countless celebs in the stands, and the oddly slippery field that had players on both sides struggling to keep their footing. We’ll discuss these and more storylines that you may have missed while watching the Big Game in this Super Bowl LVII review.
Rihanna’s Halftime Performance
The world’s biggest pop star was the feature of this year’s highly-anticipated Super Bowl Halftime show, and Rihanna didn’t disappoint. She sang a superb mix of classic hits and new releases, which was enough to please any fan of the goddess of pop. But perhaps the greatest surprise of the halftime show was that the 34-year-old performed the whole concert with a baby bump.
While there had been no formal announcement prior to the game that Rihanna was expecting her second child, she let the whole world know by performing in an open red jumper that showed off a distinct bump. Despite having a baby in tow, Rihanna moved gracefully through choreographed dances, belted out her powerful voice to perfection and put on a show that made fans rejoice.
Babyface Plays ‘America the Beautiful’
Babyface, the 12X Grammy Award-winning R&B artist and producer, played a moving version of America the Beautiful ahead of the Star-Spangled Banner. The 63-year-old came out in an all-black suit with his classic black square-framed glasses, and serenaded the world. Social media has since erupted at seeing Babyface’s upside down guitar, questioning whether his guitar playing during the performance was legitimate.
But Babyface has long played a right-handed guitar ‘upside down’ as a left-handed player with the strings strung high to low. He’s well-known for this style of playing, so critics can rest at ease that this was no ruse.
Super Bowl LVII Celebrity Sightings
The Super Bowl is one of the hottest tickets in the sporting world, so you’re bound to see many high-profile public figures at the game. Presidents, movie stars, musicians and billionaires are regular spectators at the Super Bowl, and Super Bowl LVII was no different. Elon Musk, now the second-richest man in the world, was spotted enjoying the festivities with the owner of FOX, Rudolph Murdoch, and Murdoch’s daughter.
We also saw Jay-Z with his daughter, musician Adele, Eagles superfan Bradley Cooper, Lebron James, Floyd Mayweather and Beatle Paul McCartney enjoying the action. The celebrities were out in full display in Arizona and weren’t disappointed with the quality of football that we all hoped to see during a Super Bowl game.
Slippery Field at State Farm Stadium
The field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona is an engineering masterpiece. It sits on a continuous 40-inch-deep tray that spans the length and width of the entire football field, which is rolled in and out of the stadium to ensure the natural grass is exposed to the sun. The NFL has been working to perfect this grass for Super Bowl LVII to the tune of an $800,000 investment.
Despite all of that care and attention, it seemed like players on both sides were struggling to stay on their feet during the game. Play after play, the turf was seen giving away under players’ cleats, including slips by Patrick Mahomes and AJ. Brown. A kickoff by the Eagles’ Jake Elliot resulted in the kicker rolling his ankle as the turf slid out from under his planted foot. The poor conditions caused Jalen Hurts to switch his cleats from 11s to 1s, and some members of the press blasted the NFL for the overuse of painted decals on the field, which were thought to be contributing to the less-than-perfect turf.
Missing Gatorade Shower
The Gatorade Shower, which is the tradition of the winning team dousing their head coach with Gatorade at the end of the game, is one of the more popular betting options in sportsbooks. Bettors get to wager on what colour the Gatorade will be. Heading into Super Bowl LVII, orange and blue were the betting favourites at +250. Unfortunately, FOX missed the Gatorade Shower that Andy Reid received as time ticked down on the Chiefs’ victory. It was only later, as confirmed by in-person attendees, that the colour of the Gatorade Shower was purple. Purple had the longest odds heading into Sunday’s Big Game at +1200, so those who went with the least-likely of colours were rewarded handsomely.