Super Bowl LVII: Glendale set for ‘Kelce Bowl’
As Super Bowl LVII weekend arrives, more NFL history is poised to be written as the Philadelphia Eagles face the Kansas City Chiefs at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Notwithstanding the sheer spectacle of the latest chapter set to be etched into football’s annuls, for this particular season finale however, for the very first time, two brothers will clash for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
So, in a game being coined ‘The Kelce Bowl,’ just how pivotal will the roles of respective tight end and centre be this Sunday and who might come out on top?
BestofBets have been delving deeper into this seismic familial contest…
Travis and Jason Kelce. Two brothers united in life and indeed sport but for one weekend in the Grand Canyon State, that may change.
Separated by just two years-of-age and natives of two different US states, the duo hold a combined 14 pro-Bowl selections, both with Super Bowl wins to their name.
The very definition of sibling rivalry may have been slanted on their shared podcast this week and though neither are likely to clash on the field in Glendale, they share the same relentless qualities that hoist them as the envy of their peers, whilst also holding substantial sway as being amongst the best the NFL has seen in their positions.
In the case of younger brother Travis, the Chiefs’ most reliable of TEs has been a playoff machine in the Missouri franchise’s more recent history, with the 33-year-old tied with Rob Gronkowski on 15 TDs in post-season history – a record that looks set to go against the Eagles.
Jason, meanwhile, is set in stone once more as the very foundations of the Philly offense; the wall in front of Jalen Hurts; the lineman that has so effortlessly guided Nick Sirianni’s men to 14 of 17 regular season victories who now holds bragging rights as one the league’s all-pro blockers.
Though neither Kelce will ‘face-off’ so to speak, the efforts of Jason, the elder, could well impinge on the Chiefs through the now rested and able Hurts. A factor for which Kansas City should be fearful.
That is not to say the near clairvoyance between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will have any less impact. Indeed, like with Kelce and Gronkowski’s tied TD record, Mahomes and Kelce are only two behind Gronk and Tom Brady’s stand-alone feat of 15 playoff QB-pass catcher TDs.
For Jason Kelce, winning a second Super Bowl with a different QB and different head coach would be a stellar feat and whilst Travis is now in his 10th year with the Chiefs, Jason is hitting his 12th season, with whispers that his retirement could be on the horizon. What better way to do so than to seal a second title for the Eagles in five seasons and walk off into the sunset?
So little is the margin between both athletes, yet so much is riding on the performance of both. As the top two seeds this season clash, so much uncertainty hangs over Phoenix.
However, one thing is for sure: By the time Rihanna has sung her 10-minute Half Time Show medley and the final knee has been taken at State Farm, the Kelce family will have a third Super Bowl win to their name.
