Suspense, defense, Chiefs victory, Taylor Swift and Beyoncé: highlights of the 2024 Super Bowl

Les Kansas City Chiefs ont remporté le Super Bowl 25 à 22 face aux San Francisco 49ers ce dimanche 11 février à Las Vegas, MAXPPP – JOHN G. MABANGLO

The show was as much behind the scenes as on the field, this Sunday, February 11, during the Super Bowl, the final of the NFL football league, marked by a very defensive match, won down to the wire by Kansas City, but also the presence of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, who took advantage of the event to release new songs.

Here are the highlights of this 58th edition

No fireworks

Many predicted an offensive orgy, but the Super Bowl was a defensive recital. It took more than 15 minutes of play for San Francisco striker Jake Moody to open the scoring with a 55-yard (50 m) kick, erasing a distance record that dated back 30 years. . He will be beaten again, a few minutes later, by the Chiefs scorer, Harrison Butker, at 57 yards (52 m).

Eyes on Taylor Swift

The American singer arrived two hours before kick-off, after having traveled nearly 9,000 km from Tokyo, where she had given the last of her four concerts in Japan in as many days, to see her companion Travis perform. Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs player. The boss of the American football league NFL Roger Goodell came in person to greet her in the dressing room she occupied with the actress Blake Lively, the singer Lana Del Rey, the rapper Ice Spice and the mother of her companion. Taylor Swift vibrated to the rhythm of the Chiefs, before jumping at the final whistle. She then went down to the field to hug Travis Kelce for a long time.

Taylor Swift's partner gets angry

Frustrated at not being used more at the start of the match, Travis Kelce called out to his coach, Andy Reid, under the eye of the cameras, angry to the point of shoving the technician, on whom he yelled. He then appeared prostrate, on the bench. He will only make one reception for a meager yard in the first half. The colossus (1.96 m and 113 kg) will recover after the break, contributing to the awakening of the Chiefs, with 93 yards gained in total, the best total of the match for a receiver.

The Chiefs suffer, but triumph

Kansas City had to wait until the last 20 seconds of the second quarter to score its first points, and the very last seconds of overtime to take the lead for good. Jostled by San Francisco's very aggressive defense, the Chiefs owed it to their playing master, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, to get out of the rut. It's Kansas City's third title in four years.

Ben Affleck launches into music

Just like last year, the actor and director broke away from the crowd of celebrities starring in Super Bowl commercials. After acting as a salesman in a drive-in of the Dunkin' coffee chain, last year, he tried to break into song in a new spot, also signed by the brand known for its donuts, under the appalled gaze of his wife, Jennifer Lopez.

Usher in Vegas mode

The American crooner ignited the 60,000 spectators present during the sacrosanct halftime show, very influenced by the mythology of Las Vegas. Revue dancers, acrobats, stilt walkers, fake croupiers and even pole dancers accompanied him, as did the singer Alicia Keys and the rapper Ludacris. "Yeah!", "Love In This Club" or "Burn" resonated in the skies of Las Vegas, where Usher was artist in residence from July 2022 to December 2023.

Beyoncé is promoting

Already eclipsed by Taylor Swift, Usher saw Beyoncé invite herself onto his turf on Sunday. The "Queen Bey" released two new tracks almost at the same time as the halftime show, "Texas Hold'Em" and "16 Carriages". Two intimate tracks, with country accents, light years from his last opus, the very danceable "Renaissance" (2022). Beyoncé also released a short film, which seems to announce the release of an album on March 29. The singer even starred in an advertisement for the cable operator Verizon, broadcast during the broadcast of the Super Bowl.