Highlights of Super Bowl LVII Opening Night
Now that the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles have both landed in Arizona ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl LVII matchup and had a bit of time to settle in, both teams are quickly beginning to adjust to the fast-paced environment that comes with Super Bowl week.
On Opening Night, both teams took the stage to answer questions about football, family, food and everything in between. Kansas City provided some of the best moments of the night, with the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and others making waves with their Monday quotes. With that in mind, let's look at five highlights from the Chiefs' Opening Night activities.
Patrick Mahomes has unfinished business in the Super Bowl
Despite being just 27 years old, Mahomes is already set to play in the third Super Bowl of his career — cementing his status as one of the better quarterbacks ever to play. Sporting a 1-1 record in the "big game" thus far, the Chiefs' superstar signal-caller won his debut matchup but then saw he and the team get blown out in his second act on the grandest stage in all of football. Now, with try No. 3 in the Super Bowl on the horizon, Mahomes says the loss in 2021 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers continues to motivate him to right the ship this time around:
Jason and Travis Kelce share a moment with their mom
Last postseason, Donna Kelce made headlines when she somehow managed to attend both of her sons' playoff games on the same exact day. This year, her legend continues to grow as she and her husband Ed recently appeared on the New Heights podcast that their sons Travis and Jason co-host. With the podcast gaining popularity by the day and there even being a petition for Donna to assist on the coin toss of Super Bowl LVII, this feel-good family story is here for the week. On Opening Night, Jason and Travis were able to celebrate the night right alongside their mother:
JuJu Smith-Schuster ranks Kansas City barbecue spots
Whenever new free agents, draft picks or trade acquisitions are brought in by the Chiefs, some of them are often asked about their opinions on barbecue. Kansas City is known as perhaps the greatest barbecue city in the nation, after all. JuJu Smith-Schuster, set to wrap up his first season as a Chief on Sunday, ranked his top-five local barbecue spots on Super Bowl LVII Opening Night. Jack Stack took the top ranking, with Q39 and Joe's Kansas City occupying spots two and three. For Smith-Schuster's fourth and fifth placements, check out his full breakdown:
Andy Reid shows love to his former team
Because of his ties to Mahomes, Reid may be better known now for his tenure in Kansas City. With that said, his impressive 14-year stretch with the Eagles is something not many football fans will ever forget. Multiple NFC Championship Game appearances and one trip to the Super Bowl with that franchise helped secure them tremendous success for an extended period of time. Near the beginning of his Opening Night availability, Reid tipped his cap to Philadelphia for the job the organization has done continuing to build a sustainable contender years after his departure:
Mahomes endorses Eric Bieniemy for a head coaching job
For multiple years in a row, there's been speculation about the future of Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Mahomes and Reid have long had his back, citing him as someone who's ready for a gig as a head coach. Super Bowl Opening Night was another one of those instances, with Mahomes sticking up for Bieniemy and saying a promotion in role on another team is "past deserved" while also adding that it's been a good thing for the Chiefs that Bieniemy has stuck around:
