Super Bowl LIX: Jordan Mailata is first Australian to win title as Philadelphia Eagles upset Kansas City 40-22
Jordan Mailata is the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl victory with his Philadelphia Eagles upsetting Kansas City 40-22 in the NFL showpiece.
Mailata, the Sydney-born son of Samoan immigrants, was lauded for his influence in helping deny the Chiefs from becoming the first franchise to win three consecutive Super Bowls.
The first Australian to play in two Super Bowls gained some redemption on the Chiefs who beat his Eagles for the famed Vince Lombardi Trophy two years ago.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The 27-year-old, who played junior rugby league for the South Sydney Rabbitohs and had never played American football until drafted by the Eagles in 2018, is among four Australians to play in a Super Bowl.
But he’s the first to triumph with punters Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009), Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) and Arryn Siposs, who was Mailata’s Eagles teammate two years ago, all losing.
Another Australian does have a Super Bowl ring: Jesse Williams was on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster in their 2014 triumph but didn’t play during the season because of a knee injury.
In the showcase fixture on Sunday night (Monday AEDT) at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, the Bankstown-born Mailata was hailed for his display as an offensive linesman.
“Jordan Mailata ... he just covers them up, it’s like he just becomes night-time, he’s just like the moon, he just blocks out everything,” gushed Louis Riddick, a former NFL player, in commentary for ESPN.
The 2.03-metre tall, 166-kilogram Mailata helped the Eagles storm to a 24-0 halftime lead amid a horror showing from Kansas City’s megastar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was sacked three times and intercepted twice by the long break.
The nightmare for Mahomes, rated among the greatest quarterbacks ever, continued on resumption when sacked on consecutive plays for the second time in the game.
The Eagles soon added a field goal and another touchdown for an irretrievable 34-0 advantage before the Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown 34 seconds before the end of the third quarter.
With Donald Trump becoming the first US president in office to attend a Super Bowl, the Eagles outplayed Kansas City in every facet.
Mahomes, who was MVP when leading Kansas City to three Super Bowl wins in the past five seasons, ended up being sacked six times - the most of his esteemed career.
The Chiefs were aiming to become the third team in history to win three-straight NFL championships and the first to three-peat in the Super Bowl era.
But they were completely overwhelmed by Philadelphia and Mailata, who last April signed a three-year, $US66 million ($A105 million) contract extension, including a $US20 million ($A32 million) signing bonus, to remain with the Eagles through to 2028.
The 2.03-metre tall, 166-kilogram Mailata helped the Eagles storm to a 24-0 halftime lead amid a horror showing from Kansas City’s megastar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was sacked three times and intercepted twice by the long break.
The nightmare for Mahomes, rated among the greatest quarterbacks ever, continued on resumption when sacked on consecutive plays for the second time in the game.
The Eagles soon added a field goal and another touchdown for an irretrievable 34-0 advantage before the Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard with a touchdown 34 seconds before the end of the third quarter.
