The question, presumably, was asked with tongue in cheek. But then again, facts are facts — and since the Kansas City Chiefs drafted New Kensington’s Skyy Moore, the team is 3 for 3 in advancing to the Super Bowl.
Moore, appropriately, played along during media day festivities in New Orleans earlier this week in advance of Super Bowl LIX.
A Louisiana television reporter asked Moore if he believed he was the franchise’s “good-luck charm.”
“I would like to think that,” the speedy wide receiver said, “you know what I’m saying?”
Smiling widely, Moore quickly relented.
“But I think ‘15’ got it going on. I think he’s the good-luck charm for the Chiefs.”
Kansas City’s No. 15, of course, is two-time NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“But three in a row? I have been here for three in a row, so you can’t say I am not (the good-luck charm).”
A receiver who went to high school at Shady Side Academy, Moore had a touchdown catch as a rookie during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII win against Philadelphia two years ago. It’s doubtful, though, Moore will play in the Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles on Sunday.
Moore has not played since Oct. 20. He was placed on injured reserve four days later, the team citing a core muscle ailment. Moore, though, was cleared to return to practice last week. That at least opens the possibility he will play in a Super Bowl for a second time. (Moore was also on IR when the Chiefs won last year’s Super Bowl). He was listed as doubtful on Friday’s injury report.
Two other wide receivers with local ties are expected to play Sunday, though. The Chiefs’ Justin Watson, a South Fayette alumnus, is gunning for a fourth Super Bowl ring. Penn State’s Jahan Dotson serves as the WR3 for Philadelphia.
A first-round draft choice taken No. 16 overall (38 picks before Moore) in 2022, Dotson’s production has fallen each of his three NFL seasons, and he was traded from Washington to the Eagles during the preseason in a swap of Day 2 and 3 draft picks.
“I wouldn’t say I was hurt; it’s all a part of the business,” Dotson told a reporter during media day in New Orleans. “It’s a part of everyday life. Sometimes you get hit with adversity, and you have to move on and make the most of your opportunities. And that’s what I did when I came here.”
Traded to a division rival, Dotson managed a mere 19 catches for 216 yards and no touchdowns during the regular season. He has only one reception in three playoff games, though that went for a touchdown.
“If I wrote a book about the last year of my life, you’d be amazed,” said Dotson, whose remarkable 2021 season for Penn State (91 catches, 1,182 yards, 12 touchdowns) earned him All-Big Ten honors. “But it’s been awesome. Through faith, through trusting in the process, trusting in my plans, I am living out my dreams. It’s honestly a dream come true that I am able to be here (at a Super Bowl) and able to be where I am at. Knowing the things I have been through, it’s pretty awesome.”
It’s possible that only one starter Sunday will be a former Nittany Lions player — but what a player that is. Running back Saquon Barkley on Thursday was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 2,005 yards and scoring 15 touchdowns in the regular season.
Barkley has added 442 rushing yards and five touchdowns in three Eagles playoff games.
“To see the special season he’s having, he’s doing some remarkable things that have blown away our eyes in the locker room,” said Dotson, who missed being Barkley’s teammate at Penn State by one year. “I am really happy to see his success. I knew he was capable of doing what he’s doing — it’s just time for the world to see. And he’s putting on a show every week.”
The only other Penn State alumnus expected to see the field in Sunday’s Super Bowl is Hunter Nourzad, a rookie backup interior offensive lineman who plays special teams for Kansas City. Former Nittany Lions cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields is on the Eagles practice squad.
A pair of former Pitt cornerbacks are also on the Eagles roster: Avonte Maddox and A.J. Woods. Maddox started the Super Bowl two years ago and had generally served as Philadelphia’s top nickel/slot DB since his rookie 2018 season. But early in 2024, Maddox was surpassed on the depth chart by rookie Cooper DeJean and now backs up DeJean.
Woods, an undrafted rookie, has spent the season on the Eagles practice squad.
Featured Local Businesses
Two prominent coaches taking part in Super Bowl LIX have ties to the Alle-Kiski Valley. The mother of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, the former Amy Wladyka, grew up in Harrison and went to the old Har-Brack High School.
Chiefs quarterbacks coach David Girardi grew up in New Kensington, and his brother Dom was recently hired as the head coach at Burrell after previously coaching Highlands.
Girardi’s father, Frank, is a New Kensington native and Valley High School alumnus.