February 11, 2024: The Taylor Swift Super Bowl

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February 11, 2024: Super Bowl LVIII is played, at Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. It becomes the longest game in Super Bowl history.

NOTE: While these entries are dated 2022, I decided to backdate the posting dates of events from 2023 onward to the same date in 2022.

The game was scoreless after the 1st quarter. At the half, the San Francisco 49ers led the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending World Champions, 10-3. With 1:53 to go in regulation, the Niners led, 19-16. They were that close to their 6th Super Bowl win, their 1st in 29 years.

But the Chiefs were the defending Champions for a few reasons. The biggest of those reasons was their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. He led the Chiefs down the field, and with 3 seconds left, Harrison Butker kicked a 29-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, only the 2nd time that had happened in a Super Bowl.

For many years, under NFL rules, the 1st score in an overtime won the game. This was considered unfair: A team could win the overtime coin toss, get within field goal range, and win by 3 points without the other team even getting the ball. The rules were tweaked a season earlier: This was the 1st postseason game to go to overtime since the NFL changed the overtime rules for playoff games, so that both teams get at least one chance to possess the ball in overtime, even if a touchdown is scored on the initial possession.

The 49ers won the toss, and drove down the field before stalling at the Chiefs' 9-yard line. Jake Moody, who had earlier kicked a 55-yard field goal, kicked one from 27 yards out, and the 49ers led, 22-19.

But Mahomes and the Chiefs responded by driving 75 yards in 13 plays, converting 2 3rd downs and a 4th down, to set up 1st and goal on the San Francisco 3-yard line. Mahomes then passed to Mecole Hardman, who took the ball into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Chiefs 25, 49ers 22.

The game lasted for 74 minutes and 57 seconds of game time, just short of 5 full quarters, making it the longest Super Bowl ever, and the 7th-longest NFL postseason game.

Much of the hype around the game revolved around Travis Kelce, the Chiefs' All-Pro tight end, and his girlfriend, the most popular singer in the world at the time, Taylor Swift. There was a rumor going around that the NFL was going to fix the game for the Chiefs so that Swift would get more camera time, with she and the NFL boosting each other's attention grabs.

There were also several TV commercials featuring Kelce, some with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro center Jason Kelce. They had been on opposite sides of the previous season's Super Bowl, which the Chiefs had won.

The Chiefs had now won 3 titles in 4 appearances in 5 years. It was their 4th title overall, in 6 appearances, plus an AFL Championship before their was a Super Bowl.

Andy Reid joined Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, Joe Gibbs and Jimmy Johnson as head coaches who had won 3 Super Bowls. Mahomes joined Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady * as quarterbacks who had done it.

In a note that stung many people in the New York Tri-State Area, Hardman began the season with the New York Jets. He left that dysfunctional franchise, then caught in the whims of aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and won a Super Bowl elsewhere.

*

February 11, 2024 was, like all Super Bowl days, a Sunday. Obviously, there were no other football games. Baseball was out of season. Not willing to compete much with the NFL for TV viewers, the NBA scheduled only 2 games. The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat, 110-106 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. And the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Sacramento Kings, 127-113 at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 38 points.

The NHL also scheduled only 2 games. The St. Louis Blues beat the Montreal Canadiens, 7-2 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. And the Vancouver Canucks beat the Washington Capitals, 3-2 at the Capital One Arena in Washington. J.T. Miller scored the winning goal with 5 seconds left in overtime, avoiding a shootout.

And in English soccer, Arsenal crossed London from North to East, and beat West Ham United, 6-0 at the London Stadium.

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