Last night, Super Bowl LVI stole the nation’s spotlight as “36 million US households” were tuned in to the big game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals.
That was a 12% increase according to Samba TV and the final tally could rival 2015 as the most-watched championship game of all time. In the end, the Rams were victorious but it came down to a late fourth-quarter comeback and a final stand from Aaron Donald and the defense.
As the whistle blew on the 2021-22 NFL season, the scoreboard read: 23-20. Of course, Kansas City Chiefs star Tyrann Mathieu knew that before kick-off.
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The Honey Badger Knows All
During a brief interview with GQ Sports before the game, Mathieu gave his Super Bowl prediction.
“I think the Rams. I think it’s going to be a good game but I think the Rams [will] win by like three,” the superstar stated.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. Mathieu didn’t give the exact score but his thoughts were right on the money. Get this guy on a betting hotline ASAP.
He credited the viral video to just being a “football guy” in a retweet as the interview is already up over 100,000 views.
Mathieu certainly knows the game inside and out and that’s part of what makes him a great player. It’s the football IQ and intelligence, not just the physical attributes.
For all those reasons, he should be a hot commodity in March.
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More Importantly…
This prediction was great and all but Chiefs Kingdom would prefer to know where Mathieu is headed in 2022.
The veteran safety and team leader is an unrestricted free agent and he’s already flirted with the idea of joining the AFC rival Baltimore Ravens on social media. He also tweeted a heartfelt message to the fanbase after the loss in the conference title game.
“I leave with a grateful heart having got the chance to play for all you good people!” Mathieu voiced.
General manager Brett Veach has come out in support of a Honey Badger return in 2022 but the financials don’t line up with that hope. The safety is looking to cash out one last time and the Chiefs need to be smart about how they spend their resources.
Nothing is decided yet and a decision to release Frank Clark could change everything but right now, the worry is that Mathieu’s asking price may be too steep a cost for Veach.
It will all depend on how valuable they believe Mathieu’s impact still is — both on the field and in the locker room. The safety doesn’t just predict Super Bowls, he wins them and was instrumental in the Chiefs 2019 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
His camp will have to convince Veach and Andy Reid that a reunion gives them their best chance at another ring because as we were reminded on February 13, just like every other Super Bowl, winning a championship supersedes everything else in the NFL.
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