By Tarini Dasari and Christina Monroe 

With a crying quarterback, questionable penalty call, and, of course, Rihanna and her “special guest,” Super Bowl LVII was one of the most entertaining games of the decade. It was high scoring but never boring; each time one team scored, the other answered. The Philadelphia Eagles dominated the first half, and in particular, quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts has been criticized by fans in the past; Abby Glynn ‘23 states that “he’s an excellent runner but not the best passer.” Hurts proved everyone wrong, though, by playing the best game of his career. His 3 rushing touchdowns and 45 yard TD to receiver A.J. Brown demonstrated his indisputable talent. In fact, Hurts broke the SuperBowl rushing record for a quarterback. 

The Kansas City Chiefs are led by their star quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. However, Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in the Divisional Round and played hurt through the rest of the playoffs. Many Chiefs fans worried that the star would not be able to play up to his full potential. His ankle held up until the end of the first half, when Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards sacked Mahomes and landed on his already weak ankle. He was in tears as he hobbled off the field, and fans thought that he would be out for the rest of the game. However, Mahomes returned after Rihanna’s amazing halftime show (more about that later) and threw for 93 yards, including two touchdowns. Mahomes’ injury only made him stronger (I guess it’s true what Kelly Clarkson says). 

In the last 2 minutes of the game, Mahomes threw an incomplete pass on 3rd and 8.  However, Eagles cornerback James Bradberry was charged with holding, and the Chiefs’ 4th down became 1st and 10. Kansas City was able to run down the clock to 8 seconds and kick the game-winning field goal. This call has been the subject of a lot of controversy because, with how lightly Bradberry held his opponent, it would not ordinarily be deemed holding, especially not in the final minutes of a game as important as the Super Bowl. Nevertheless, both teams created a very entertaining viewing experience. 

Now, for the moment you have all been waiting for; this segment of the article is for those of you (myself included) who rightfully raised the question, “Why are they playing football in the middle of a Rihanna concert?” And, I think that it is safe to say that this halftime show did, in fact, turn the Superbowl into a Rihanna concert with some football in the background! Rihanna delivered a performance unlike one we have seen in years. It was simple and clean, yet so effective. Rihanna’s performance was accompanied by a group of impressively coordinated backup dancers decked out in all white, who seemed to have absolutely no fear of heights! In all seriousness, their dancing and their sense of ensemble was extremely impressive to watch and served as very aesthetically pleasing context to Rihanna’s simple, stunning red outfit. In fact, Rihanna’s performance even unveiled a special guest: her soon-to-be-born second child! To no one’s surprise, Rihanna delivered a beautiful performance both visually and vocally, while singing some of her all-time most popular hits, such as “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “We Found Love,” “Rude Boy,” and “Work,” among others. The vocals and choreography were crisp, clear, and left the audience desperately wanting more!