The Seattle Seahawks’ victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl final on Sunday night (8) in Santa Clara, California, featured the redemption of experienced quarterback Sam Darnold, who managed to turn things around after dealing with mistrust from critics in recent years, and the first MVP (most valuable player) award for a player who plays the running back position in 28 years.
In the 29-13 triumph in the 60th edition of the American football league decision, the Seattle team confirmed their favoritism with a dominant performance from Kenneth Walker III. The running back led his team to victory after rushing for 135 yards on 27 attempts, earning him man of the game honors.
Walker’s performance, averaging five yards per carry and a longest run of 30 yards, was decisive in Seattle winning its second Super Bowl title and avenging its loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl 11 years ago.
The last time a running back player won the award was Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos in 1998.
“Winning is simply a dream come true, because many people play their entire career and never get that far,” said the 25-year-old.
“We’ve been through difficult times this season, but we’ve stuck together. These challenges have shown who we are as a team,” he added.
In the last three years, the MVP title had gone to the quarterback of the winning team. This time, Sam Darnold, Seattle’s quarterback, did not win the award, but he performed outstandingly, especially in the final part of the game, winning his first Super Bowl in a career marked by a promising start and the distrust of critics in recent years.
Darnold, 28, was selected in the first round of the 2018 draft by the New York Jets surrounded by expectations for his college performance, but failed to live up to expectations.
It took five teams, and eight years, with critics pointing out that he would never wear a Super Bowl championship ring, before the quarterback finally managed to achieve the sport’s greatest achievement.
In the final, Darnold started with a discreet performance, but caught a 16-yard pass in the final quarter that found tight end AJ Barner in the right corner of the endzone.
He attributed the support he received from his family during the difficult times on the field as the biggest fuel for him to be able to turn things around now.
“It was because of my parents, the way they believed in me throughout my career. It allowed me to go out on the field and play freely, with that confidence,” said the Seahawks quarterback after the game.
Darnold became the fourth quarterback to win a Super Bowl in his first season with a team, joining Tom Brady, Trent Dilfer and Matthew Stafford.
“I feel like we didn’t play as well as we could have. I certainly didn’t play as well as I could have,” Darnold acknowledged.
“Obviously, we would have liked to have gotten to the end zone more often. But with our defense, the way they’ve been playing, my job is to take care of the ball. I knew that before the game, and that’s what I did,” he added.
Trump criticizes Bad Bunny’s halftime show performance
Surrounded by expectation, Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny’s performance at the halftime show was performed, for the first time, predominantly in Spanish, with numerous references to the Caribbean island, both in the stage design and in the lyrics of his songs.
The show was a celebration of Latin music and culture at a time when the community feels threatened by the Republican Party’s anti-immigration crusade, led by President Donald Trump.
The presentation reached its political peak during the special participation of fellow Puerto Rican Ricky Martin, who sang “Lo que le pasó a Hawai’i”, considered an anthem of Puerto Rico’s independence.
Bad Bunny didn’t directly attack ICE, the law enforcement agency criticized for its aggressive operations against immigrants, as he did last week with the Grammy Awards. His 13-minute show, however, was filled with messages of diversity and unity.
After performing hits such as “Un baile inolvidable” and “Nuevayol”, the artist ended his performance by listing the countries of the continent, before displaying the message: “Together, we are America”.
With the audience still excited, Trump harshly criticized the performance on social media, calling it “an affront to the greatness of America.”
“No one understands what this guy is saying,” wrote the Republican, who had previously criticized the musical lineup of Bad Bunny and Green Day, both of his critics, stating that the choice was “terrible” and would “sow hate.”
With international agencies
