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SPORTS Thursday 6 February 2025
Mahomes, Kelce and the Chiefs’ quest for a three-peat faces its

toughest challenge vs. the Eagles

By ROB MAADDI have, especially in the
AP Pro Football Writer secondary. It’s not gonna
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Pat- make my job any easier.”
rick Mahomes, Travis Kelce These Eagles are different
and the Kansas City Chiefs from the group that fell just
are pursuing history and a short against Kansas City in
few of Taylor Swift’s records. Arizona two years ago.
Saquon Barkley, Jalen Hurts They have the NFL’s most
and the Philadelphia Ea- dynamic player in the
gles stand in their way. backfield. Barkley rushed
The Chiefs (17-2) will try to for 2,447 yards with seven
become the first team to touchdowns of 60-plus
win three straight Super yards in the regular season
Bowls when they face the and playoffs.
Eagles (17-3) on Sunday in “The goal has always been
the Superdome. to win it, not just to get
It’s a rematch from two here,” Barkley said.
years ago when Hurts near- Losing to the Chiefs two
ly led the Eagles to a cham- years ago only motivated
pionship only to watch Ma- Hurts even more. He’s de-
homes snatch it away by termined to hoist a Lom-
rallying Kansas City to a 38- bardi trophy and even had
35 win on Harrison Butker’s Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick a photo of him walking off
27-yard field goal with 8 Mahomes (15) pose with the trophy during Super Bowl 59 Opening Night, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in the field with Kansas City’s
seconds left. New Orleans, ahead of the NFL football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas red and yellow confetti
Mahomes lifted the Chiefs City Chiefs Sunday. falling around him as the
to an overtime win against Associated Press background on his phone.
San Francisco in another chise history during his 14 gles team.” done it in the Super Bowl “It’s had a great driving
Super Bowl rematch last seasons in Philadelphia but Jones, the three-time All-Pro era, though the Green force,” Hurts said of that
year. Now, they’re poised couldn’t win the big one, defensive tackle, echoed Bay Packers won an NFL loss. “It lit a flame, lit a fire
for a three-peat, a word going 1-4 in NFC champi- his coach’s viewpoint. championship in 1965 and in me, and to have this op-
coach Andy Reid doesn’t onship games and losing “We don’t talk about no followed by winning the portunity again is exactly
use much. a Super Bowl to the Patri- three-peat,” Jones said. “I first two Super Bowls. Kelce what you work for.”
“I think the only time I’ve ots. He went right to Kansas think that’s what we’re here even started all the three- Hurts, Barkley, A.J. Brown,
heard him say it is to the City after the Eagles fired for. We understand that. peat talk on stage last year DeVonta Smith and a dom-
media whenever y’all ask him following the 2012 sea- We understand there’s when he said the team’s inant offensive line pres-
him about it,” Mahomes son and has built a dynasty one more game until the goal was to win three. ent a major challenge for
said. “He’s very locked in thanks to Mahomes, Kelce, offseason and we can do “This is gonna be our big- Chiefs defensive coordina-
on just, ‘How can we be Chris Jones and others. whatever we want to do. gest test yet,” Kelce said. tor Steve Spagnuolo.
great with our cadence to- “You don’t have time to Our main focus is making “They got a lot of great The Eagles also have the
day at practice?’ so that’s think about all that,” Reid sure we’re prepared for the players but the biggest league’s No. 1-ranked de-
just the stuff that Coach said of the three-peat. Eagles.” thing is they play great to- fense, featuring eight new
Reid focuses on.” “You’re focused in on the No matter what the Chiefs gether. You could see their starters from 2022 and de-
Reid won more games job at hand here and that’s say, everyone else is talk- communication. You could fensive coordinator Vic
than any coach in fran- playing against a great Ea- ing about it. No team has see the accountability they Fangio.q

U.S. national anthem booed before NBA, NHL games in Canada

despite tariff pause

TORONTO (AP) — Fans booed the Ameri- The boos were neither as loud nor as pro-
can national anthem before NHL and NBA longed as they were before Sunday’s
games in Canada on Tuesday night, a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
sign that some Canadians were still upset However, as they did Sunday, Raptors fans
despite President Donald Trump’s 30-day cheered loudly for the singing of “O Can-
pause on tariff threats against Mexico and ada,” showing special enthusiasm for the
Canada. line “True North strong and free!”
Boos echoed through Rogers Arena In Winnipeg, where the NHL’s Jets hosted
in Vancouver as singer Elizabeth Irving the Carolina Hurricanes, the boos weren’t
launched into the opening notes of “The very loud or overly enthusiastic. However,
Star-Spangled Banner” before the NHL’s they grew louder near the end of the an-
Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. them.
Fans cheered as she finished the song and “The Star-Spangled Banner” was also
the applause grew louder as Irving began booed over the weekend at NHL games
“O Canada.” in Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver, short-
It was one of three arenas where the U.S. ly after Trump made his threat of import Fans boo as the United States national anthem is sung before the
Vancouver Canucks and Detroit Red Wings play an NHL hockey
national anthem was jeered. A few fans tariffs on America’s northern neighbor a game in Vancouver, British Columbia, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.
booed before the NBA’s Toronto Raptors reality.q Associated Press
hosted the New York Knicks.