Former NFL star T.J. Ward hopes to see the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in next month’s Super Bowl LVII.
Ward enjoyed an eight-year career in the NFL, taking to the field for the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was selected by the Browns in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft and became a dominant safety and key cog in a dominant defence.
The ‘No Fly Zone’ defence, which led the Broncos to Super Bowl 50 glory, is considered one of the strongest units in NFL history. Ward believes his fellow stars such as Von Miller and Chris Harris Jr. elevated one another’s play with their incredible attitude, hunger and talent.
However, Denver did not make the postseason in 2022. The NFL Playoffs begin on Saturday with a number of exciting contests in the Wild Card round, while the Chiefs and Eagles will enjoy a bye week after respectively winning the AFC and NFC.
Ward believes the two teams will compete in Super Bowl LVII, which takes place at the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Speaking exclusively to Mirror Sport, he said: “My pick for the Super Bowl is Philadelphia against the Chiefs. That would be a good Super Bowl; I’d sit back and enjoy that.
“I think it would be the most exciting Super Bowl in a while thanks to the offences and the quarterbacks on show. Their defences are playing well now - Philadelphia’s better than Kansas City’s - but I think it would be awesome.”
It became quickly apparent that Ward has something of a soft spot for the Eagles, despite never playing for them. The 36-year-old, who has family ties to the Eagles as his father played for the team, spoke of how close he got to joining the franchise when he entered the NFL in 2010.
“The Eagles are a pretty great organisation,” Ward declared. “I would have loved to play for Philly. My dad actually got drafted by the Eagles, and the pick before me the Eagles picked Nate Allen.
“I thought I had a real chance to get drafted by the Eagles too, but they decided to go with Nate Allen and the Cleveland Browns took me next. Oh well.”
While he never got to represent the Eagles in his career, Ward certainly achieved immortality as his defence helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers. The 15-1 Panthers, led by NFL MVP Cam Newton, struggled to get their headline offence going at Levi’s Stadium, with Ward even snagging a crucial interception in the 24-10 win.
Ward is under no illusions when he recalls his championship win, referring to it as ‘the pinnacle’. He added: “It’s a great feeling, not only to win the Super Bowl but to win it in the manner we did with the low score. Obviously, our offence got on top early, gave us what we needed and we put our foots on their neck.
“It’s the pinnacle. We all play football to win the Super Bowl, so to reach it and get the job done, it felt like I was stuck in a dream, frozen in time. It was one of the best feelings of my life.”
For Ward - who named Rob Gronkowski as the hardest opponent he faced in his career - the fact the Broncos defeated the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game made their eventual Super Bowl victory sweeter. It proved to be the final time Peyton Manning squared off against Tom Brady, with the Sheriff claiming the win over his great rival.
“[Beating the Patriots in the AFCCG] had more substance to it for sure, because they were the last champions,” Ward said with a smile. “They say in order to be a champion you have to beat the champion, but it doesn’t always happen like that.
“It definitely meant more to beat them; not only are we conference rivals, but we beat the winners of the previous season so what else is there to say?”
