Super Bowl Sunday has football fans’ attention

By Lethbridge Herald on February 11, 2023.

LEAVE IT TO BEEBER
Al Beeber
Lethbridge Herald

Before I get into the meat and potatoes of this week’s column, I want to first thank everyone who responded to last week’s lengthy missive and took the time to provide your thoughts about what we can do better here.

For those of you who missed that column, I’ve assumed the role of managing editor at The Herald and I want reader feedback on our content – from news to sports coverage – in an effort to gauge how best we can serve the community moving forward. 

Any suggestions and comments you have I certainly welcome and you can send them my way at abeeber@lethbridgeherald.com 

I’ve been getting a lot of responses from readers and appreciate all of them. Readers of The Herald feel a sense of ownership and I am looking forward to sharing your responses with upper management so we can forge a plan for the future. 

 Right now my plan for the weekend is to get ready for Super Bowl Sunday! With the weekend here, that’s a story on the minds of many – who will win the Super Bowl?

The NFL season is coming to a close with one last game which for fantasy league players and hardcore fans is going to be tough with a huge void to fill until the annual league draft in the spring.

On paper, this year’s game should be well worth watching. The Kansas Chiefs, with Pat Mahomes under centre, is a formidable team and well deserving to represent the AFC. Even after losing star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins before the start of the season, the Chiefs never lost a step in their air attack. With future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce at tight end, Mahomes had a reliable target all year long when other receivers weren’t open. And he had some good ones in Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Marques Valdes-Scantling who may be coming into his own after several unremarkable seasons in Green Bay.

And with Isiah Pacheco – a late fantasy draft steal that I made sure to nab – taking over as No. 1 running back, the Chiefs had a decent ground game as well. With Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon, Kansas has a solid 1-2 punch in the backfield. Kicker Harrison Butker is one of the most reliable in the game so when the team doesn’t score six, it can rely on him to at least nail a field goal.

The Philadelphia Eagles have been on the rise the last couple of years after winning the Super Bowl in 2017. 

Quarterback Jalen Hurts emerged as the No. 1 pivot when Carson Wentz began declining and he is a first-class dual threat. He can not only pass with the best of them but has incredible running talent, as well.

At wide receiver, he has A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to grab the ball and hit the end zone. At running back, Miles Sanders is a blue-chip player and at tight end, he’s got the sure-handed Dallas Goedert, a steady performer who can help win games as I know from fantasy experience.

The game will be notable not only for the talents of the two teams but the fact that one mother has to cheer for both – Eagles centre Jason Kielce is the brother of KC’s Travis which should make for some interesting family dynamics in the stands at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, home of the Cardinals.

Kickoff tomorrow is 4:30 MST and as usual the NFL network and other sports channels with have hours of advance coverage to whet the appetites – and thirsts – of football fans around the world.

Who’s the favourite? I’m sure everybody – amateur and expert alike – has a pick and a good reason for making it. I’m torn because Hurts and Goedert are my starters in fantasy football and I’ve adopted the Eagles as my second team due to the unbearable Bears in recent years.

The Eagles with both their offense and tenacious defense are a formidable opponent. Even if the 49ers hadn’t lost their quarterback early in the NFC title game, I have no doubt the Eagles defense would have still helped Hurts and the offense win.

But Mahomes is such a  dynamic quarterback – he makes plays that are seemingly impossible and makes them look routine. And he showed that even without Hill, the Chiefs are still championship calibre. Give credit where it’s due and Mahomes is due a lot. But I’m going with my heart and I’m predicting the Eagles to take flight and bring the Super Bowl back home to Philadelphia. For non-fans, the game will still be worth watching with Rihanna headlining the half-time show on Fox.

With the final whistle will end another memorable year of NFL action for fans of all stripes and loyalties as well as fantasy league members. After finishing last in my keeper league this, I’m looking forward to rebuilding next season. 

In the meantime, I’ll be turning attention to that other great American past-time – baseball. Game on!