When Super Bowl LVII arrives on Feb. 12, it will be a special moment for one of Long Beach’s biggest football stars. After the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday evening, it sent Long Beach Poly’s JuJu Smith-Schuster to the big game for the first time in his NFL career.
Unfortunately, Smith-Schuster was unable to play the entirety of the AFC Championship Game, exiting in the third quarter with a knee injury. It’s unclear what his availability will be for the Super Bowl, but he’ll have two weeks to get ready to play at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona against the Philadelphia Eagles.
When Smith-Schuster signed his free agent contract with the Chiefs prior to the season, he knew he’d be joining one of the AFC’s top contenders, and he fit in nicely with his new team. As the top WR target on the roster, Smith-Schuster played in 16 games for Kansas City, hauling in 78 catches for 933 yards and 3 TDs.
Smith-Schuster becomes the latest Long Beach native with the chance at a Super Bowl ring, but recent winners have not been able to contribute to their team’s efforts during the big game. Fellow Jackrabbit great DeSean Jackson received a ring after the Los Angeles Rams won last year’s Super Bowl, but he was only with the team for the first half of last season before joining the Las Vegas Raiders.
In 2018, Poly alum Randall Goforth won a Super Bowl ring with the Eagles, but he’d been on injured reserve for his entire rookie season. Not since Willie McGinest helped spark the New England Patriots’ dynasty of the mid-2000’s has a Poly Jackrabbit been a key contributor on a Super Bowl Champion, but all that could change in less than two weeks.
Hopefully injuries won’t keep Smith-Schuster from contributing in this year’s Super Bowl, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. PT on Feb. 12 on FOX.
Also of note, Long Beach has some additional rooting interest with Kansas City given that Jordan High alum John Ross recently signed a future/reserve contract with the organization. The speedy wide receiver is looking to earn a roster spot next season with the Chiefs.
