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11 Feb 2025 6:32
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  •   Home > News > International

    Super Bowl 2025 five quick hits: Travis Kelce can't catch a break and Serena Williams makes a cameo with Kendrick

    Two bad interceptions, a faltering attack, and a surprise cameo appearance during Kendrick's half-time show — these are the five quick hits from the Super Bowl.


    It was one of the most lopsided Super Bowls in history as the Philadelphia Eagles shattered the dreams of the Kansas City Chiefs, who were going for a record-breaking three titles in a row.

    In a game where Kansas City's star players were well off the boil, it was the Eagles defence that came up with the main highlights on the gridiron.

    Off the field, there was a little bit of drama as a pop star copped the wrath of the crowd, while the much-hyped half-time show lived up to all of the expectations.

    Here are the five quick hits from Super Bowl LIX.

    1. Referees make an early mark with call against the Eagles

    Given all those conspiracy theories, it will come as a surprise to few that the Chiefs benefited from an early controversial call.

    On the first drive of the night and facing a 4th and 2, the Eagles decided to go for it rather than punting. And instead of going with the tried and true 'brotherly shove' play — which was probably about a yard too far away from the line to try anyway — quarterback Jalen Hurts tossed the ball down field.

    And he connected.

    Wide receiver AJ Brown hauled it in for 28-yard catch as the crowd went wild, before a steady stream of booing echoed around the stadium as fans realised there was a flag on the field.

    The refs had called pass interference on Brown, as his hand swept across the face of cornerback Trent McDuffie while they battled for position.

    Expert commentator and NFL legend Tom Brady hated the call, while referee analyst Mike Pereira was pretty clear about what he thought.

    "I think it's one that did not need to be called," he said.

    The Eagles would eventually get their payback, winning the ball from the Chiefs and running the ball in for the first touchdown of the game via Hurts and the 'brotherly shove'.

    2. DeJean makes the interception and takes it home

    With the pressure building on the scoreless Chiefs in the second quarter, superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes knew he had to make something happen to force a score.

    The problem was he forced the score onto the wrong team.

    At 3rd and 16 and with an acre of space in front of him, Mahomes's eyes darted down field and spotted a well covered DeAndre Hopkins. Taking the risk that — at worst — it would be an incomplete pass, Mahomes hurled it down field and put the ball right into the bread basket of Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean, who had flashed across the field to undercut the pass.

    Taking the ball from the 40-yard line, DeJean sped down the field and took advantage of some well-made blocks to take it to the house and give the Eagles their second touchdown of the game.

    It was the perfect birthday present for the 22-year-old rookie, scoring his first career touchdown having debuted in week six of the season.

    3. Another pick just before Kendrick takes the field

    As we all got ready to watch the Kendrick Lamar show with two minutes on the clock before half-time, Mahomes copped an early taste of sit down, be humble at the hands of the Eagles defence again while backed up in his endzone.

    With just 24 passing yards to his name — as well as that ugly interception to DeJean — Mahomes again tried to force a pass down the middle, but was thrown off balance by one of his offensive linemen being pushed back into him.

    The bump was enough to interrupt the throw, and Eagles linebacker Zack Baun took advantage, making a spectacular interception to again force the turnover and eventually lead to another Eagles touchdown.

    At that point in the game, the Eagles had made more catches and made more yards from Mahomes throws than any of the Chiefs receiving unit.

    It was uncharacteristic stuff from a quarterback who is in the discussion as one of the greatest in the history of the game.

    4. Kendrick goes off and Serena makes a cameo appearance

    Let's be honest, a lot of you were only here for the half-time show.

    And Kendrick Lamar absolutely did his star-billing justice with an energetic, aggressive, and polished performance that the Chiefs could have learned a thing or two from.

    Introduced by veteran Hollywood actor Samuel L Jackson dressed up as Uncle Sam, Kendrick didn't miss a beat throughout, teasing his Drake diss track Not Like Us early before eventually launching into it as his final song of the spectacular set.

    Eagle-eyed viewers would have also spotted tennis legend Serena Williams on the footage for a brief few seconds, 'crip walking' on the stage in the same iconic way she did at Wimbledon after winning gold at the 2012 Olympics.

    Williams had earlier been in the headlines, posting her support for Taylor Swift on social media after Swift was booed by a large part of the New Orleans crowd during a live shot of her on the big screen.

    5. Kelce can't catch a break in faltering offence

    The most recognisable man on the field was barely seen for almost three quarters of the Super Bowl.

    Travis Kelce, the best tight end in the league and arguably the biggest name in the game due to his relationship with Swift, was targeted just twice in the first half. One pass was a total miss, and the other he dropped in what would have been an impressive catch given it was thrown well behind him.

    Kelce finally clutched one late in the third quarter for a gain of nine yards, but the game was pretty much over by then.

    It was a massive crash back down to earth for the Kansas City star, who was the key man in his team's overtime victory in last season's Super Bowl.

    The loss also denied the Chiefs the chance to become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowl titles in a row, while on the other side of the coin, Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata became the first Australian to claim a Super Bowl ring having played in the game.

    © 2025 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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