Hurts and Mahomes Unprecedented Matchup in the Super Bowl

Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes laugh on the mountaintop. Photo by Cheryl Evans / USA TODAY Sports

By Raymond Castillo Sports Editor

This year’s Super Bowl was historic on many levels, but the most important historic event was when the two starting quarterbacks took the field in Superbowl LVII. The matchup between Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs marked the first time in history that two Black quarterbacks started a Super Bowl against each other.

This is a significant event as nearly 70% of the league is Black. In contrast, even though the majority of the league is Black, 58 of the 83 quarterbacks, or 70% that took a snap this season were white, according to USA TODAY.

Of the now 57 Super Bowls, there have only been eight Black quarterbacks who have seen the field. The first Black quarterback who started and won a Superbowl was Doug Williams who won Super Bowl XXII.

Other Black Quarterbacks to play in a Super Bowl:

Hurts and Mahomes had amazing seasons respectively. They finished first and second for the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player award with Patrick edging out Jalen for his second regular season MVP award of his career.

Hurts led the Eagles to a 14-1 regular season record before spraining his right shoulder which caused him to miss the last two games. In those 15 games, he threw for 3,701 passing yards, 22 touchdown passes, and only six interceptions while adding 760 yards and 13 touchdowns rushing. 

When Hurts returned, he and the Eagles bulldozed their way through the playoffs defeating the New York Giants in the divisional round 38-7, and the San Francisco 49ers 31-7 before meeting their greatest matchup yet, the Kansas City Chiefs in the Superbowl.

Mahomes was stellar again in his second MVP season leading the Chiefs to a 14-3 regular season record, throwing for 5,250 yards, 41 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while adding 358 yards and four touchdowns rushing.

The road to the Super Bowl for Kansas City was a little tougher. A sprained ankle in the divisional round against the Jacksonville Jaguars hobbled Mahomes but did not stop him and the Chiefs from defeating the Jags 27-20, and the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the AFC Championship game. 

Coming into the Super Bowl, history was destined to be made with only the fourth win for a Black quarterback in history. Hurts and Mahomes definitely put on a show on Super Bowl Sunday, combining for 73 points, 486 passing yards, 114 rushing yards, and 7 total touchdowns. 

This Super Bowl is hopefully just a preview of what is to come in the NFL. With Black star quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys), Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos), and Justin Fields (Chicago Bears), two Black quarterbacks starting in the Super Bowl will not be an anomaly.