Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made all the plays.
His defense — including former UGA stars Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith — made sure Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could not.
That about sums up the Super Bowl, a 40-22 affair that was not the most exciting in memory.
But we bow to our new NFL overlords nonetheless.
Quick links: How Philly beat KC | 5 Braves questions | Trae gets All-Star nod | Richt’s son lands new gig
HURTS, DON’T IT?
Credit: David J. Phillip/AP
Credit: David J. Phillip/AP
When you have young children, you watch the Super Bowl at home.
You settle for frantically assembling air fryer wings while your wife — who just plopped about eight dozen boxes of Girl Scout cookies that you eventually have to deliver to random people’s houses on the kitchen table — throws together a “charcuterie board” that’s the collaborative vision of 5- and 9-year-olds, which means it involves chicken nuggets.
You all finally sit down sometime after the national anthem is over and someone brings up that Bill Belichick’s very young girlfriend wore a shirt mocking the Falcons’ 2017 Super Bowl disaster. You say “she would’ve been like 16 when that happened,” which is true and gross, and your kids ask for more of an explanation but don’t get one.
The Eagles defense has Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on skates early, and you think this looks like most Falcons games (offensively) and wish it looked like any Falcons game ever (defensively).
You explain to your children why that guy’s face is on a seal in a Mountain Dew commercial.
🏈 Eagles defense dominates Mahomes, Chiefs
🏈 Kendrick Lamar and Black culture shine
As a millennial who’s good at parenting, you also let them stay up for the halftime show. Then you’re not sure what to think when they excitedly scream “mustarrrrd” along with Kendrick Lamar.
The bedtime routine runs long and involves your youngest popping a lens out of your oldest’s glasses, then hiding it (at the bottom of the toothbrush holder, apparently). So you miss a few minutes of action but return to the TV as Mahomes get sacked for the fifth time.
The Eagles then throw in one more, tying the record for second-most in Super Bowl history.
All the hits remind you to take some Advil because you did something weird to your elbow earlier. You toss in a bonus Pepcid because of the wings, but also because a team from Philadelphia sure looks like it’s about to win a title.
You remember that the Falcons actually beat that team on a last-minute drive orchestrated by Kirk Cousins. That was September, but also 400 years ago.
You pull up next year’s Super Bowl odds and find Atlanta at +5200, which at 19th best in the league is reasonably flattering. But not a bet you’d make.
You start to nod off on the couch — and thank God that baseball season is right around the corner.
IN FACT …
Credit: Gerald Herbert/AP
Credit: Gerald Herbert/AP
… Braves pitchers and catchers begin reporting to spring training today in North Port, Florida. Their first official workout is Wednesday. Their first Grapefruit League game is Feb. 22.
We’ll have much, much more this week and throughout the season. But let’s get you started with a reminder that this team should be pretty darn good — even with limited offseason acquisitions and a few notable questions (are we really doing the Orlando Arcia thing again?) still unanswered.
📧 Don’t forget to sign up for the Braves Report newsletter, which relaunches soon. Follow beat reporter @JustinCToscano too.
CONTENDERS WHEN?
The Hawks beat the Bucks on Friday, walloped the Wizards on Saturday — and then Trae Young got the news he’s headed to the All-Star game after all.
He and his league-leading 11.4 assists per game will replace the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo during Sunday’s festivities in San Francisco.
🤔 Not a bad few days for the newish-look Hawks! But ahead of tonight’s 7 o’clock tip in Orlando, columnist Ken Sugiura would like to know if and when the franchise plans to win for real.
PRESSURE’S ON
Credit: Kathryn Skeean/AP
Credit: Kathryn Skeean/AP
Georgia men’s basketball spent the weekend officially entering Anxiety Level Omega. Which is a thing I just made up that means the Bulldogs have left themselves VERY little room for error in their quest to make the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday’s home loss against No. 22 Mississippi State leaves UGA at 16-8 overall and 4-7 in the SEC as the Bulldogs enter another absurd stretch of games.
📆 Tuesday: at No. 10 Texas A&M
📆 Saturday: vs. No. 15 Missouri
📆 Feb. 22: at No. 1 Auburn
📆 Feb. 25: vs. No. 6 Florida
Georgia then finishes with three currently unranked teams (Texas, South Carolina and Vanderbilt) and could still make the cut even if they lose those first four and win the other three. ESPN’s Bracketology folks have the Bulldogs among their “last four byes.”
Buckle up!
HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS
PHOTO OF THE DAY
Credit: Brynn Anderson/AP
Credit: Brynn Anderson/AP
Eagles defensive lineman Jordan Davis (right, a former Georgia Bulldog) started the second-half sack party against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Ex-Georgia players Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith each hit Mahomes twice.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Take a look around: We got a lot of dogs out here. All the things that we've been through, people were doubting us.
Thanks for reading to the very bottom of Sports Daily. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
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