Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce are making history at Super Bowl LVII, but so far the experience has been nothing out of the ordinary for their football family.
Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will become the first brothers to face each other in a Super Bowl on Sunday.
They were team-mates at the University of Cincinnati before both were drafted by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Jason was picked by the Eagles in 2011, Reid's penultimate year as head coach in Philadelphia, with Travis then selected by the Chiefs in 2013, Reid's first season in Kansas City.
Both have since experienced Hall of Fame career trajectories, but one will see their resume somewhat blotted at least in part by their sibling in the season-ending showpiece at State Farm Stadium.
But the historic nature of their encounter has not been reflected by the build-up, at least in the mind of elder brother Jason.
Asked about the unique situation of being an opponent to his younger sibling, Jason said: "I don't know, we're handling it pretty good right now, but I think on game day, we're going to truly get the feel of what that's going to be like when all the adrenaline's going, the testosterone is pumping.
"You know, we're both highly competitive individuals. Right now we're still pretty good. We're being like brothers.
"My mom was at the media night last night with cookies. So it's been a pretty normal family affair up to this point.
"But obviously the closer you get to game time, the more the competitive nature is gonna come out."
Kyrie Irving "felt very disrespected" during his time with the Brooklyn Nets, he said after joining the Dallas Mavericks.
Irving was traded by the Nets to the Mavericks after a tumultuous four years in Brooklyn.
The eight-time All-Star joined the Nets alongside Kevin Durant in 2019, but the pair were unable to deliver success together.
Injuries, along with Irving's absence as he was unvaccinated at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, limited the two superstars to only 71 starts together.
Irving pushed for a trade ahead of Thursday's deadline and was granted his move to the Mavericks before explaining why he wanted to leave Brooklyn.
"I just know I want to be places where I'm celebrated and not just tolerated or dealt with in a way that doesn't make me feel respected," he said.
"There were times during this process where I was in Brooklyn and just felt very disrespected, my talent.
"I work extremely hard at what I do; nobody ever talks about my work ethic, everyone talks about what I'm doing off the floor. I want to change that narrative, write my own story, continue to prepare in the gym, and now I'm in Dallas, control what I can control.
"I'm always going to be close with those guys in Brooklyn, like I am with those guys in Boston, like I am with those guys in Cleveland.
"It's a team competitive sport, but we care about each other's families way more off the court. I know those relationships will extend, I'm just preparing to win.
"I'm not the person to really speak on names or go to someone behind their back and leak stuff to the media, that's never been me.
"I've been an audience member seeing people say things about me that ultimately just fall off my shoulder. I'm in a place I'm grateful I got to grow into.
"I spent time off the basketball court that gave me the time to appreciate life in a new way.
"I know I need healthy boundaries. Especially in this entertainment business, there's a lot of disrespect that goes on with people's names and their families; I'm just not with it.
"It's nothing personal against those guys in the front office, it's just what I'm willing to accept.
"I took a chance and luckily the Dallas Mavericks picked me up. It's just all what I can control."
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid conceded Patrick Mahomes is not 100 per cent healthy ahead of Super Bowl LVII.
Mahomes' health is the dominant storyline for the Chiefs ahead of their clash with the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on Sunday.
He suffered a high ankle sprain in the Chiefs' Divisional round win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, an injury that forced him to come out of the game before returning in the second half.
Mahomes subsequently played through the injury in the AFC Championship Game with the Cincinnati Bengals, willing them to a thrilling 23-20 victory.
Speaking at Opening Night on Monday, Mahomes said his ankle is "definitely better", however Reid on Tuesday clarified that his star quarterback is still not at full strength.
"Yeah, so I wouldn't tell you he is 100 per cent," Reid said.
"But the training staff works with him endlessly. I guess it'd be a tribute to both of them for Pat coming back for more and for those guys cranking on him."
Despite his ankle issue, Mahomes has still performed at a very high level in the postseason.
Across his two playoff games, Mahomes has completed 69.9 per cent of his passes for 521 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Reid is used to seeing Mahomes producing magic on the field, but even he has been taken aback by what his signal-caller has produced while playing on one healthy ankle.
"So, Julie [Frymyer, Chiefs physical therapist] spent most of the time with him," Reid added. "We've got all the latest greatest stuff to use, technology-wise, so he's used it all and has been able to make these jumps here where he can actually function and play in a game, which is very remarkable."
Aaron Rodgers is going on a four-day "darkness retreat" in an attempt to help evaluate his future amid retirement and trade speculation.
Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers is considering his future with the Green Bay Packers, who missed the 2022 playoffs, amid reports his team are mulling over a trade.
The quarterback only signed a three-year, $150million extension in March but endured a difficult season in which he threw for 3,695 yards, the fewest in any of his full seasons during his career.
Rodgers has not ruled out retirement either and told The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday he will embark on a "darkness retreat" that includes "four nights of complete darkness" to help consider his future.
"I've got a pretty cool opportunity to do a little self-reflection in some isolation," the 39-year-old said. "And then, after that, I feel like I'll be a lot closer to a final, final decision."
Rodgers is yet to decide whether he will continue in the NFL with the Packers or another team, with retirement still an option.
"For sure; it's a real thing, 100 per cent," Rodgers said of retirement.
"That's why it's going to be important to get through this week and to take my isolation retreat and just to be able to contemplate all things my future and then be able to make a decision that I think is best for me moving forward and in the highest interest of my happiness and then move forward."
He added: "It's just kind of sitting in silence, which most of us never do. We rarely even turn our phone off or put the blinds down to sleep in darkness. I'm really looking forward to it."
The Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets are reportedly interested in Rodgers, who reiterated his commitment to the Packers.
"I'm not a free agent, I'm under contract with the Packers," Rodgers said. "That gets lost in the conversation a lot.
"In years past, there's been a couple of years where we got ousted from the playoffs by the Niners and then I went and played at Pebble and those years were very razzing, I would say, from the crowd. A lot of Niner yells and other various well-timed trash talk.
"This year was a lot more positive, I think. The sentiment was very positive, people wanting me to get traded to their team, and the Raiders fans were probably the most vocal and the most numerous."
Bianca Andreescu fell to Yulia Putintseva in the first round of the Abu Dhabi Open after making a swift return to action.
Andreescu, who has not won a title since her 2019 US Open success, looked to have returned to form at last week's Thailand Open, only to suffer an injury that forced her to quit her semi-final against Lesia Tsurenko while trailing in the second set.
The Canadian did not alter her schedule, however, and was back out on court to face Putintseva on Tuesday.
Despite twice leading by a break in the opening set, there was no repeat run to the latter stages for Andreescu, who went down 7-6 (7-2) 6-2.
"I think the first set was a really physical set, we played really, really tough rallies," Putintseva said. "I was feeling a little bit more confident in the second set."
Andreescu's compatriot Leylah Fernandez was also eliminated, losing to Shelby Rogers, but both seeds in action – Beatriz Haddad Maia and Liudmila Samsonova – advanced, along with Barbora Krejcikova and Karolina Pliskova.
At the Linz Open, top seed Maria Sakkari headed through with a 6-1 7-6 (8-6) defeat of Nuria Parrizas-Diaz, but number two seed Ekaterina Alexandrova went down to Rebeka Masarova in three sets.
Marc-Andrea Huesler will face top seed Holger Rune in the second round of the Open Sud de France after coming through a battle with teenager Luca Van Assche.
Huesler arrived in Montpellier on a high from victories over German duo Alexander Zverev and Oscar Otte for Switzerland in Davis Cup qualifiers last weekend.
The left-hander saw off 18-year-old Frenchman Van Assche 6-3 3-6 6-3 and will get a chance to improve his perfect record against Rune to 3-0.
Italian Lorenzo Sonego sent eighth seed Benjamin Bonzi packing with a 6-4 6-3 win, while French-born American Maxime Cressy progressed with a 6-3 6-2 defeat of Antoine Bellier.
Arthur Rinderknech and Quentin Halys also advanced on home soil, along with Marton Fucsovics and Filip Krajinovic.
Dewayne Dedmon's time with the Heat is over after Miami traded the back-up centre to the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
The Spurs also receive a second-round pick in the 2028 draft, while the Heat got cash considerations, which gives the franchise financial flexibility.
Dedmon is averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds in 30 games this season, but has only appeared in one contest since being ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 10.
In that game, the 33-year-old argued with Heat coaches about playing time, feuded with team-mates and knocked a massage gun onto the court during play. He was suspended for one game by the Heat for his actions.
He joins a San Antonio team that has the second-worst record in the Western Conference at 14-40, and this will be his second stint with the franchise after playing there in 2016-17.
The 10-year veteran with career averages of 6.4 points and 5.8 rebounds has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings.
The Heat, who are atop the Southeast Division with a 29-25 record, move on without Dedmon, as well as Kyle Lowry for the foreseeable future.
Lowry sat out Saturday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks due to left knee soreness, and the Heat announced he will miss at least three more games.
He will be re-evaluated next week, with Miami having just two more games before the All-Star break.
The 17-year veteran missed three games in January due to left knee discomfort and he has struggled to find his shot since returning, averaging 5.6 points on 25 per cent shooting in his last five games.
On the season, the 36-year-old is averaging 12 points – his lowest scoring average since averaging 11.6 points in 2012-13 for the Toronto Raptors.
American football, its exponents are often fond of saying, is the ultimate team sport. With victory requiring 46 players spread across offense, defense and special teams to perform as close to their best as possible and frequently contingent on telepathic understanding between players executing blocking schemes, route concepts, pass coverages and pressure packages, it is tough to find a flaw in their argument.
In that sense, it is a contradiction that the quarterback position, being the most important for any team, commands so much of the attention.
Most of the focus will be on the signal-callers in Super Bowl LVII, and rightly so. Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts are making history in becoming the first black quarterbacks to face off in a Super Bowl in the Kansas City Chiefs' mouth-watering clash with the Philadelphia Eagles and are both candidates to win the MVP award on Thursday at the NFL Honors ceremony in Phoenix.
While that pair of superstars will obviously have a mammoth part to play in deciding the winner of the Vince Lombardi Trophy, so often it is the game within the game in other areas that settles the NFL's showpiece.
And there are several such granular contests that figure to have a substantial bearing on the outcome in Arizona. Here, Stats Perform digs into the numbers in examining three matchups that could decide Super Bowl LVII.
Chris Jones vs. Isaac Seumalo and Jordan Mailata
When the Chiefs have needed him most in the postseason, Chris Jones has typically delivered. Jones is in the curious position of being established as one the premier defensive linemen in the NFL but still arguably being underrated.
While so much emphasis is placed on the offensive side of the Chiefs' Super Bowl LIV comeback four years ago, Jones was the man who ensured the San Francisco 49ers could not respond with the disruption he provided up front.
In the AFC Championship Game this season, it was Jones – deployed off the edge rather than his familiar interior spot – who easily beat Cincinnati Bengals right tackle Hakeem Adeniji and brought Joe Burrow down for the key fourth-quarter sack that ended a prospective game-winning drive for the Bengals and gave the ball back to Mahomes to lead the Chiefs to a decisive field goal.
Ranked third among all defensive linemen in his aggregate pass rush and run block win rate, Jones is a versatile force who has the talent to disrupt the best-laid plans of the Eagles.
The Eagles rank first in pass block win rate and second in run block win rate, encapsulating the well-rounded nature of their ultra impressive offensive line. However, there are weaknesses, with right guard Isaac Seumalo (61.5 per cent) well below the 70.5 per cent pass block win rate average for his position and left tackle Jordan Mailata (74.3 per cent) only just above the NFL baseline of 72.9 per cent for his spot.
As such, Jones will almost certainly see snaps on the interior where he lines up against Seumalo and others where he is one on one with Mailata. Their ability to hold their own against the best defensive player on the field will go a long way to determining whether the Eagles can justify their status as slight favourites.
Travis Kelce vs. Avonte Maddox
The trade of Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins ultimately did no damage to the Chiefs' status as one of the NFL's pre-eminent modern offenses, with Kansas City leading the league in Efficiency Versus Expected (EVE) on offense in 2022.
With Hill out of the picture, Kelce has unsurprisingly served as the focal point of the attack. Arguably no two players in the NFL enjoy the same level of symbiosis as Mahomes and Kelce consistently display, the future Hall of Fame tight end continuing to confound defenses with his route-running and ability to create yardage after the catch.
His domain while generating those headaches for defenders has primarily been the slot.
Of Kelce's routes in the 2022 season, 300 have come from the slot, compared to 173 from the outside receiver position and 139 from a traditional tight end alignment.
Kelce's burn rate, which measures how often a receiver wins his matchup on a play where he is targeted, is 75.0 per cent from the slot, the seventh-best among slots with at least 25 targets. In other words, he has created separation from his defender on three quarters of his slot targets in 2022.
Shutting down Kelce is a challenge few have had much success rising to, but the Eagles have a player who is statistically the best remedy to the threat he poses in slot cornerback Avonte Maddox.
Maddox's combined open percentage allowed across man and zone coverage of 18.1 per cent is the best of any cornerback in the NFL. By that measure, Maddox is the elite at the slot corner position, and he will need to prove it for the Eagles to have any hope of containing Kelce and, in turn, the Chiefs.
Jalen Hurts vs. Chiefs' front seven
Two weeks removed from winning the AFC Championship Game on a sprained ankle, there is the question of how much of a running threat Patrick Mahomes can be in a game where even a sporadic impact from him on the ground would make a significant difference to keeping the Eagles' defense off the front foot.
While he has recently dealt with a sprained shoulder, there will be no such doubts surrounding Hurts. The Eagles will run the ball, and Hurts will be integral to their game plan in doing so.
Hurts and the Eagles have, for the entirety of the season when the starting quarterback has been healthy, done an outstanding job of keeping defenses guessing with a diverse run game built around the zone-read and the read-option.
That presents a rather large problem for the Chiefs, whose primary weakness on defense is – you guessed it – against the run.
The Chiefs rank 17th in run defense EVE, with their performance in that metric dropping to 24th against the rush in neutral situations – when the offense could realistically either run or throw the ball.
Philadelphia's offense thrives by creating doubt in the defense over what is coming in neutral situations, excelling at doing so to the point in the NFC Championship Game where San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner – who represents the gold standard at his position – was left stationary for key plays as indecision superseded his usually outstanding instincts.
Kansas City's linebackers are not on the same level as Warner, with starters Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr. both below the average in run defense win rate (17.7 per cent) for the position.
Their fallibility in that regard is something the Eagles will endeavour to attack time and again in pursuit of their second Super Bowl. It will take an intelligent and likely more measured approach from a defensive front known for its aggressiveness and an exceptional display of awareness from the Kansas City linebackers for the Chiefs' defense to avoid a long and very painful evening on the biggest stage.
Steve Wilks will be hired as the San Francisco 49ers' new defensive coordinator.
The move was reported by ESPN and NFL Network on Tuesday as the 49ers moved quickly to replace DeMeco Ryans.
With Ryans as DC, the 49ers fell painfully short of this year's Super Bowl following a remarkable run of misfortune that saw the team robbed of four quarterbacks through injury by the end of the NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ryans' impressive work saw him land the Houston Texans' head coaching job, leaving the 49ers with a hole to plug on Kyle Shanahan's staff.
Shanahan is turning to Wilks, who was available after the Carolina Panthers hired Frank Reich as their new head coach.
Wilks had been the Panthers' interim coach last year, taking over after Matt Rhule was fired and finishing the season with a respectable 6-6 record.
Rhule's final game as coach, with Wilks his defensive passing game coordinator and secondary coach, was a defeat to the 49ers.
Wilks described himself as "disappointed but not defeated" when the Panthers instead hired Reich for the 2023 season.
But if Wilks has ambitions of landing another top job, his new role with the 49ers looks a good fit.
Ryans' predecessor Robert Saleh also departed for a head coaching role with the New York Jets.
Before his 12 games at the helm of the Panthers, Wilks had a single season as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018, when they were a miserable 3-13 in the 49ers' NFC West.
Buffalo Bills co-owner Kim Pegula is recovering from suffering a cardiac arrest last June, but "where she ends up is still unknown".
American tennis star Jessica Pegula, the world number four, provided an update on her mother's condition in a long Players' Tribune article on Tuesday.
The five-time grand slam singles quarter-finalist revealed her sister, Kelly, saved their 53-year-old's mother live by giving her CPR after their father woke up to her going into cardiac arrest nine months ago.
Kim, co-owner and president of both NFL franchise the Bills and NHL team the Buffalo Sabres, is back at home and doctors are "blown away" by her "miracle" recovery.
She is, however, suffering from significant expressive aphasia and significant memory issues and the family have come to the realisation that she is unlikely to resume her roles with the Bills and Sabres.
Jessica revealed that three months before her mother fell ill, her sister had decided to learn CPR.
She wrote: "Kelly called me one day and said she was going to get her CPR certification as a requirement for a job she wanted. I said: 'No way, I have been meaning to do that but haven't gotten around to it.”
"She relayed to me how nervous she was about it and hoped she passed the class. I remember her telling us what she was doing in our family group chat, and my mom even responded: 'Nice Kells! Now if we have a heart attack, you can revive us.'"
She added: "Today, my mom is still in recovery, and although it is the same answer every time someone asks me, it is true, she is improving every day. She is dealing with significant expressive aphasia and significant memory issues.
"She can read, write, and understand pretty well, but she has trouble finding the words to respond. It is hard to deal with and it takes a lot of patience to communicate with her, but I thank God every day that we can still communicate with her at all. The doctors continue to be blown away by her recovery, considering where she started, and her determination is the driving force of that."
Jessica was a quarter-finalist at the Australian Open last month, having been considering whether she should call time on her career.
She stated: "Suddenly, I went from 'Let's celebrate top 10 in the world' to 'Do I need to start thinking about my career after tennis a lot sooner than I thought?' 'Does my dad and family need help?' 'Maybe I should just go back to school and work for the family.'
"I am 28 and I take pride in being able to handle every situation thrown at me, but this was A LOT."
She was also hit hard by seeing Damar Hamlin collapse on the field while playing for the Bills last month.
"Then in January we came to some bizarre, messed-up, full circle moment." she wrote. "Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the field during the Monday night game against the Cincinnati Bengals. My stomach sunk because it felt like the exact same thing all over again."
Last year's French Open women's doubles runner-up continued: "It has been a tough year, but at the same time I feel lucky and blessed. I am thankful she is still with us when other families may not have been so lucky.
"That she even had a chance at recovery when the first week in the hospital seemed so dim. Thankful for the doctors that aided in her recovery. Thankful that she is now home, that she gets to watch the Bills, Sabres and my tennis matches. She never watched my matches before, because she got too nervous. Now she watches all of them.
"Thank you to the Buffalo community for your patience. I know you have wanted answers and it took us a while to get there, but it finally felt like it was time. Thank you to everyone who has respected privacy and shown me and my family tremendous support throughout this ongoing journey."
Richard Cockerill will leave his role as England forwards coach after the Six Nations, while Richard Wigglesworth and Aled Walters will join Steve Borthwick's team.
Cockerill stepped in as Red Rose interim head coach after Eddie Jones was sacked in December and retained a role on Borthwick's staff following his appointment as the Australian's successor.
The 52-year-old will be on the move when the Six Nations concludes next month, though, after taking up an offer to become forwards coach of Top 14 side Montpellier.
Borthwick removed Matt Proudfoot and Martin Gleeson from their roles as assistants after he took charge as he started a shake-up, bringing Kevin Sinfield with him from Leicester Tigers.
The England head coach has returned to his former employers once again to recruit Wigglesworth and Walters.
Wigglesworth took over as head coach of the Tigers on a temporary basis following Borthwick's departure for the England job.
The former Red Rose fly-half will become an assistant coach under Borthwick at the end of the season, when Walters will take up his new position of head of strength and conditioning,
Walters was part of the management team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup with South Africa and will attempt to help England lift the trophy in France this year.
Valtteri Bottas believes Alfa Romeo must "aim for better" this year in Formula One, as the team look to put a disappointing 2022 season behind them.
The former Mercedes driver made the move to the Italian constructor last year after several successful years in the sport, but struggled to deliver on the track.
Though he picked up a number of sturdy finishes, the Finn failed to notch a podium and finished 10th overall, while team-mate Zhou Guanyu came home in 18th.
Speaking at the launch of their new C43 car, though, Bottas is looking to build on a sixth-place constructors' championship finish last term in his sophomore season with the team.
"We need to achieve more, it's simple as that," he said.
"We always need to aim for better, aim for higher, the whole team, and myself included.
"We always need to keep improving, that's what drives us, so, [we are] expecting better consistency, more points, better results. How to get there, that’s the tricky bit."
After several years near the top of the sport with Mercedes, Bottas acknowledged Alfa Romeo presented a different set of challenges
"It's definitely been interesting," he added. "In this team, I feel like my role has been very different to what I've ever had, really, in Formula One.
"It's a really open situation in the team and I love to know always as much as I can.
"The development of the car balance throughout the whole of last year has gone into the right direction.
"That work continues, and we'll see with this new car. I think hopefully everything is in an even better place in those situations, and we [will] keep working hard."
Emma Raducanu will win more grand slams according to Monica Puig, but the ex-Olympic champion warns she must be given time to figure out what her game is going forward.
The Briton shot to tennis stardom with victory at the 2021 US Open, setting a record for the fewest majors played (two) before winning a title.
But a frustrating run of injuries and poor form across 2022, which also included numerous coaching changes, has seen her plummet to number 80 in the WTA rankings and fail to reach the third round of a slam since her famous triumph.
Puig, who won women's singles gold at Rio 2016, believes Raducanu still has the skill to reach the top again, but needs to focus on court matters first and foremost.
"I saw her many times courtside during the US Open when she did win that title and she is a very talented player," Puig told Sky Sports.
"Physically, she's still very young.
"She still needs time to develop and time to find out who she is as a tennis player, who she is as a person.
"I can sympathise with her because when I won the Olympics, it came out of nowhere. I can only imagine [what it was like] coming from the UK where something like that is so big."
Puig added: "Absolutely [she can still win grand slams]. She's still young. It's a matter of time.
"We're always seeing generational changes with players like myself and Serena Williams having now stepped away.
"She is going to be in that circle of names that are going to be a force to be reckoned with.
"She just needs to settle, find her ground and take the pressure and expectation off.
"Remember the reason why you started playing tennis in the first place. It's because of the love of the sport."
Anthony Joshua will face Jermaine Franklin to prepare for further bouts against orthodox fighters, with Eddie Hearn wanting him to move away from southpaws.
The Briton will face the American at The O2 in London on April 1 in his first fight since falling to a second consecutive defeat against Oleksandr Usyk.
The two-time world champion is looking to build his form back up after his pair of stinging losses against the Ukrainian, with the 29-year-old Franklin his first test.
In part, the latter has been chosen to offer a taste of orthodox fights for Joshua, with Hearn hoping for future bouts against Deontay Wilder, Dillian Whyte and Tyson Fury to follow.
"Really, it came down to the style," Hearn told Matchroom.
"I think AJ's coming off the back of two fights against a southpaw, the best southpaw in boxing, in Oleksandr Usyk, and wanted an orthodox fighter.
"The training team really sort of looked at it and said [that] if we're gonna go and fight [Deontay] Wilder, Dillian Whyte, Tyson Fury, there's no point in us going back and fighting a southpaw."
Franklin has 21 wins from 22 professional fights, with his only loss coming against Whyte in November last year.
Joshua had just one career loss before he faced off with Usyk originally in September 2021, losing his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles in the process.
He then failed to claim revenge in the rematch in August in Jeddah, dropping him to a 24-3 professional record.
Jalen Hurts believes he and Patrick Mahomes will be "uplifting the next generation" in Sunday's Super Bowl, the first time both starting quarterbacks will have been African Americans.
Philadelphia Eagles signal caller Hurts will be making his Super Bowl debut, while Mahomes has featured twice before, experiencing both winning and losing.
Ahead of the State Farm Stadium showpiece, both men were in demand at Monday's Opening Night, with Hurts confident he can cope with the pressure of the big occasion.
"It's been what it's been my whole career," the 24-year-old said. "I ain't worked this hard to stay the same. I've put the work in to have opportunities like this, so it'll be a fun one.
"As a team we've come a long way. I don't want to make this about me. I want to make this about the work we've put in. We want to go out there and prepare to play our best game, when we need it most."
His role and the battle with Mahomes will be under the spotlight, however much Hurts does not want to make the narrative about his own performance.
Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to win the Super Bowl in 1988, when he led the then Washington Redskins to victory over John Elway and the Denver Broncos.
Now Hurts and Mahomes take centre stage, and Hurts said: "It's historic. Think about all the rich history in this game. To be a part of such a historic moment is special.
"There's so many quarterbacks before me, including Pat, that laid the foundation for me to have this opportunity. Seven African American quarterbacks to play in this game and now the first time for two to go head-to-head, and that's uplifting the next generation of quarterbacks.
"That four-year-old, five-year-old kid back in Houston, back in Philly, back in Texas, Louisiana, wherever across the world, regardless of what someone may say or have an opinion about you, you can do it.
"I value the platform I have, I'm sure Pat does, as well. We just want to inspire the next people."
Hurts said Philadelphia, who won their lone Super Bowl in the 2017 season, would be ready to add a second.
"We're coming to finish the job we set out to do," he said.
"We definitely respect our opponent. They're a really good team. They play good on both sides of the ball and special teams, and we want to go out and what we've done the entire time: to try to play clean football and play together, most importantly."
Justin Rose was relieved to secure his place at The Masters after victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am helped him end a four-year wait for a trophy.
The Englishman carded a final round of 66 to secure an 18-under triumph by three strokes, earning his 11th overall victory on the PGA Tour.
Having last won a prize at the Farmers Insurance Open in January 2019, his success in California helped both end a drought and secure a spot at Augusta.
Ensuring his card to The Masters and May's PGA Championship had been imperative in Rose's mind, but he acknowledged it was sweeter to earn it with silverware.
"Augusta has definitely been a big part of being on my mind," he said. "I thought the simple way to approach it was [to] try to play my way into the top 50 in the world.
"My intention was to come out and play solid and earn some points and claw my way up the World Rankings and make it that way.
"This is a better way to make it, by winning a tournament. It's funny how you, by winning, earn the points and everything takes care of itself.
"[It is] a big relief from that point of view to be able to plan a little bit more of the run into Augusta now. To have the luxury now is unbelievable."
Rose is also in contention to return to the Ryder Cup fold, having missed the cut for selection in 2021, though he stresses he is not even entertaining thoughts of it yet.
"The way where I've been with my game, I've had to be quite selfish and just focus on me and focus on my improvement and what I need to do to start playing better golf," he added.
"I haven't even entertained what the Ryder Cup looks like for me, other than I want to be there. Obviously I would love to play my way onto the team."
Chelsea have hired the All Blacks mind coach who introduced a "no d***heads" policy as Graham Potter looks to turn the Blues into winners.
Heavy investment in players since Todd Boehly came in as owner has not yet been followed by success on the pitch, with Chelsea a disappointing ninth in the Premier League.
Thomas Tuchel was sacked in September and his replacement, Potter, is battling to prove he can be the coach to deliver strong results and trophies to Stamford Bridge.
Now Gilbert Enoka is heading to the London club after making an impressive impact in rugby union with New Zealand over the past 20 years.
Enoka, who stepped up from being mental skills coach to become leadership manager with New Zealand, will join up with Chelsea on what New Zealand said was a "short-term consultancy basis".
The incoming expertise should be a boost to Potter, with the widely acclaimed Enoka having been part of an All Blacks set-up that won Rugby World Cup titles in 2011 and 2015.
Chelsea have spent around £600million on new players in the past two transfer windows, without their sprees having had any obviously positive effect on results, and installing a positive mindset appears to be what they are looking at achieving.
Enoka revealed in early 2017 how his famous policy functioned within the New Zealand ranks, saying: "A d***head makes everything about them.
"We look for early warning signs and wean the big egos out pretty quickly. Our motto is, 'If you can't change the people, change the people'."
Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni acknowledges his Kansas City Chiefs exit under Andy Reid left him with a "chip on your shoulder" ahead of their Super Bowl LVII encounter.
The two will face off on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Arizona, with the former set to face off against the team he started his NFL coaching career with in 2009.
Sirianni worked his way through the ranks to become receivers coach with the Chiefs but exited the role in 2013 after Reid arrived as head coach, having brought assistant David Culley with him.
Though he has no issue with how his departure was handled by Reid, Sirianni still looks upon his departure as motivation to get the better of his opposite number years later.
"Do you always have this little chip on your shoulder? Sure, yeah, you do," he said. "But that's who I am as a coach and as a person.
"I want to make sure I'm working my butt off to get as good as I possibly can. You hold on to some of those things.
"Did I want to leave Kansas City? No. My future wife was from there, she had a nice teaching job, she had all her friends there, her mom and dad were a half-hour down the road.
"Of course I didn't want to leave there. But when I look at it, God's always put me in great positions and guided my paths. I know I don't say stuff like that all the time, but I know he has."
Sirianni subsequently joined the San Diego Chargers, holding a number of positions he became offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts.
He posted a 9-8 record in his first year in charge of the Eagles in 2021, before bettering that with a 14-3 finish this season to set them on the path to Super Bowl LVII.
Patrick Mahomes never wants to experience the sour taste of defeat in a Super Bowl again, as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback prepares to face the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mahomes was MVP when the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV three years ago, but a year later they were outgunned by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Last season saw Kansas City edged out by the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Championship Game, so they missed out on the biggest game of the year.
This time they are back in the spotlight in Phoenix, raring to go at Glendale's State Farm Stadium, and Mahomes underlined the highs and lows of the Super Bowl as he looked back on his mixed bag of experiences.
"The win is amazing," said Mahomes. "It's one of the best moments of your entire life. You take away all the positives from that.
"But that loss, that stings. That motivates you for years. That's what it's done for me. It's motivated me to be back in this game again. I want to make sure that I can have that winning feeling and not that losing one because that losing feeling is one you'll never forget."
He said the Eagles possess "one of the best defensive lines in history", and with both teams managing NFL-best 14-3 records in the regular season it is clear Sunday's match will see the two best teams of the year duke it out for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Ahead of Super Bowl LVII, Mahomes spoke at Opening Night, saying: "The motivating factor is to be the best.
"You're in the biggest game of your life, and you want to go out there and make memories with your teammates. I think the biggest motivating factor is to step on that field and try to be the best. We know we have a great challenge in the Philadelphia Eagles, so it'll be a great game."
There will be a first sight of two African American quarterbacks going head to head in a Super Bowl, with Mahomes facing Jalen Hurts.
"It's special," Mahomes said.
"I have a lot of respect for the guys who came before me and laid the foundation. To play against a guy like Jalen – a genuine, great dude who has worked his tail off to be in the position that he's in – it's going to be a special game and a special moment for a lot of kids to watch."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
