Historic Super Bowl Matchup of Two Black Quarterbacks

There is still nothing that can ease the pain of the Buffalo Bills failing to advance to the Super Bowl in a season that started with such promise, but ended in such misery. Somehow, the AFC championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals seemed oddly lacking with the Bills’ red, white and blue colors absent from the playing field. Nevertheless, the Chiefs and Bengals engaged in what has already become an instant classic that may have also slightly reshuffled the quarterback deck, leaving Patrick Mahomes still the top dog.

However, replacing Josh Allen, for the moment at least, as the second card up is Joe Burrow, who more than earned his nickname, “Joe Cool.”

But what now stands out as the most significant aspect of this Super Bowl contest is the historic nature of the game and the fact it is the first time in NFL history that two Black quarterbacks will square off against each other in a Super Bowl game. In this contest, Mahomes will be facing the upstart Jalen Hurts, the quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, who has emerged this year as a force to be reckoned with.

Indeed, this matchup could well be billed as the pre-Valentine’s Day battle of the “chocolate” quarterbacks. There is no question in my mind that Mahomes (‘white chocolate’) versus Hurts (‘milk chocolate’) will represent a “sweet” Super Bowl matchup. Of course, if your preference leans more toward ‘dark chocolate,’ then you’ll just have to wait on Lamar Jackson to make it to a Super Bowl of his own. But until then, Mahomes and Hurts are the last two pieces left in the candy box.

In a time not so long ago, the Black quarterback did not exist in the NFL. It was widely assumed by the white NFL establishment that Blacks did not have the “necessaries” to play the QB position in the NFL. Not only did they lack the intelligence, but they also lacked the ability to consistently play from the pocket and be a “pass first” quarterback.

Of course, those Neanderthal days are now long gone, as evidenced by the fact that we’ve now got two Black QBs leading their respective teams, as they play for all the marbles in Super Bowl LVII. Black quarterbacks are now sprinkled throughout the league and some of them, like Hurts, Jackson and Justin Fields, have brought a new dimension to the game. That is to say, they have the ability to be equally dangerous running with the ball, as well as passing it. That is a singular characteristic of this new breed of Black quarterbacks. With the notable exception of Josh Allen, no one seems to do both quite as well as the Brothers.

Although my rooting interest is almost always with the AFC team, I believe Philly has the better overall squad. However, after watching Patrick Mahomes and his seemingly indomitable spirit, evident by the fact that he played brilliantly on practically one leg, I have to believe that he and the Chiefs will bring home the Lombardi Trophy.