‘We had to answer that call’: Jordan Mailata reflects on Philadelphia Eagles’ triumph

Jordan Mailata has a Super Bowl ring to go with his US$66 million contract.

Mailata has become the first Australian to play in a Super Bowl victory after the Philadelphia Eagles upset defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22 in New Orleans on Monday (AEDT).

Mailata, the Sydney-born son of Samoan immigrants, helped deny the Chiefs a historic three-peat, by playing a crucial role in the Eagles’ first touchdown of the game with his involvement in Philadelphia’s signature “tush push” play.

The first Australian to play in two Super Bowls got revenge on the Chiefs who denied him a first Super Bowl ring two years ago.

“We left that baggage in ’22 because we didn’t want to bring that to the new season,” Mailata told Fox (US) after the game. “Just a crazy, crazy journey so far. I don’t even know what the hell I’m saying, I’ll be honest, I already forgot the question.”

The 27-year-old, who played junior rugby league for the South Sydney Rabbitohs before turning his hand to American football, is among four Australians to play in a Super Bowl.

Jordan Mailata after his team’s victory in New Orleans.Credit: AP

But he’s the first to triumph with punters Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009), Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020 and 2024) and Arryn Siposs, who was Mailata’s Eagles teammate two years ago, all losing.

The only other Australian to have a Super Bowl ring is Jesse Williams, who was on the Seattle Seahawks’ roster for their 2014 triumph but didn’t play during the season because of a knee injury.

The “tush push” or the “brotherly shove” is used by the Eagles to gain small amounts of territory when a wall of players surge into the opposition to force open gaps in the defence and the quarterback behind them is pushed into the gap to either score a touchdown or to keep a drive going.

In Monday’s victory, Mailata, who stands at 207cm tall and weighs 166kg, barged through the Chiefs defence and paved the way for Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to dive into the end zone.

Hurts was named Super Bowl MVP after finishing the game with two throwing touchdowns and one rushing – a clinical performance that Mailata said had become synonymous with Hurts.

“I think when it comes to Jalen, the biggest thing that comes to mind is consistency,” he said. “When he plays lights out like this, it’s no surprise. He doesn’t let anything get into his head, he just keeps playing the next play, he’s cool, calm, collected.”

Asked how the Eagles offensive line took control of the game, Mailata said they had to brave enough to get physical.

“You’ve got to want to. You’ve got to want to do that. You’ve got to want to be more physical. That was a great defence we were going up against, so we knew we had to answer that call, and that ain’t easy.

“You have to have the want to, and you have to have the guys, and we do. So, it was a tough game, but we got there.”

With AAP

That’s all she wrote for Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles dominated the Chiefs, Kendrick dominated the halftime show, Trump dominated the interest stakes (as well as ordering the end of penny production) and the Chiefs era of dominance is over. Here’s hoping to seeing you all back here next year when Super Bowl LX is played in Santa Clara, California.

Zalman and Eder out.

Yes, there is some visual trickery going on here, but Eagles kicker Jake Elliott looks pretty small in this pic with Jordan Mailata.

Jordan Mailata and Jake Elliott.Credit: Getty Images

The US ads for the biggest day of all will filter Down Under. But here’s one featuring The Muppets. Kermit forever.

Taylor-Travis Bowl 2 was a sombre affair, unlike its romantic predecessor.

Last year, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce locked lips on the field at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as red and gold confetti fell around them like rain after his Kansas City Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl, the duo’s first since becoming a sports-and-music power couple.

There was no celebrating for the couple on the field or otherwise Sunday night after the Chiefs’ 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Last year, TV cameras trained on the pop superstar throughout the game, showing Swift winning a beer-chugging contest and partying with celebrity friends including Blake Lively and Lana Del Rey.

This year, she was instead booed by the heavily pro-Eagles crowd when shown on the video boards inside the Superdome during a break in the first quarter. Sitting next to rapper Ice Spice, Swift gave a bit of a side-eye and wrinkled her nose when she realized the booing was directed at her.

By the second half, the cameras were staying off her.

The big question swirling early Sunday was what could happen if she found herself on the field afterward, celebrating Kelce’s third straight Super Bowl title and fourth overall. Could he pick the moment to propose? There were 8/1 odds for those willing to wager on it.

But that possibility was snuffed out well before the game was over.

The tush push delivered on the Super Bowl stage.

The Philadelphia Eagles obliterated the Kansas City Chiefs’ bid to become the first NFL team to win three consecutive Super Bowls with a blowout 40-22 win in New Orleans.

The Eagles defence was immense, smothering the Chiefs’ creative maestro Patrick Mahomes, and on offence their own quarterback Jalen Hurts led the way, throwing for two touchdowns and running for another as Philadelphia brutally avenged their 2023 Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. Hulking Australian Jordan Mailata was a great contributor in the Eagles’ win.

Philly running back Saquon Barkley grabbed 31 first-half rushing yards to break the all-time NFL record for most rushing yards in a regular season plus playoffs, to add icing to the Eagles’ championship cake.

The thumping victory delivered a second Super Bowl win for the Eagles franchise whose other title win was in 2018.

It was a commanding performance by the Eagles who dominated the championship match in front of a crowd that included US President Donald Trump and pop superstar Taylor Swift.

It marked the first time a sitting president had attended a Super Bowl and Trump watched the first half before leaving.

The Eagles set the tone for the contest by opening the scoring in the first quarter with their signature play - a goal line move they call the “brotherly shove” - with Hurts plowing into the end zone behind his powerful offensive line as his teammates forced him forward.

Eagles’ rookie defensive back Cooper DeJean picked off a poor pass from Mahomes in the second quarter to score Philadelphia’s second touchdown and Hurts then found AJ Brown with a 12-yard pass to go into halftime 24-0 ahead.

Australian Jordan Mailata after winning the Super Bowl.Credit: AP

Mahomes struggled mightily in the first half, throwing two interceptions while being sacked three times and completing just 6-of-14 passing attempts.

Things went from bad to worse in the second half for the Chiefs when Hurts found DeVonta Smith with a 46-yard pass for a fourth touchdown and take a 34-0 lead.

The Chiefs finally got on the scoreboard late in the third quarter through Xavier Worthy, but the game was sliding away at breakneck pace.

A DeAndre Hopkins touchdown, and a second for Worthy added some respectability to the score, but it was cosmetic, and would have come as little consolation to the battered Chiefs whose tilt at history was devastatingly denied.

Nobody had predicted the one-sided nature of the game -- not Trump, not Swift, not Argentine World Cup winner Lionel Messi, hip-hop mogul Jay-Z or Beatle Paul McCartney who were all in the crowd - but the Eagles defense was awesome throughout, never giving the Chiefs a chance.