Most childhood sibling rivalries take place in the backyard or perhaps during a WWE wrestling match. But when you’re the Kelce brothers, that rivalry hits the biggest football stage on earth, with millions watching and a Lombardi Trophy on the line. It’s a scenario that’s exhilarating for fans but emotionally brutal for the families involved. For Peyton Manning, a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most cerebral quarterbacks to ever play the game, just the idea of living it was enough to feel thankful it never happened in this lifetime.
When Peyton joined Jason and Travis Kelce on the New Heights podcast, he offered rare empathy for a moment that nearly tore at the fabric of the Kelce family and Super Bowl LVII. Travis’s Kansas City Chiefs edged out Jason’s Philadelphia Eagles in a 38–35 thriller. It was not only historic, but it was emotional and brutal at the same time. For Peyton, who faced his brother Eli Manning three times in the regular season but, as he claims, luckily, never in a Super Bowl, it hit close to home. “One had to win and one had to lose,” he said. “I probably wouldn’t wish that on my family.”
This wasn’t just polite reflection, but it came from a place of lived tension. Payton won over Eli in all three encounters they had in their careers. And that Peyton Manning now believes was enough, and not facing his brother in the Super Bowl was a blessing in disguise, “Our parents were a wreck in the regular season,” he said. “Now take that to the Super Bowl… it would’ve torn them up.” He could only imagine what Donna and Ed Kelce must’ve felt in Glendale.
Jason didn’t need to imagine. After the Eagles’ gut-wrenching loss to the Chiefs, he indeed experienced that emotional trauma in real time. Without any filters, Jason remembered the night on the podcast: “It was f—king terrible.” While Travis Kelce walked off the field with another ring and a stat line worthy of postseason lore—six receptions, 81 yards, and a touchdown—it was Jason who carried the loss for a lifetime. Peyton understood the pain immediately. “Jason, I know that was tough. On you, your family. But the way you guys handled that… first class,” he said, pausing with the weight of someone who’s seen what losing a Super Bowl does to even the greatest of careers.
After Peyton Manning’s fear, Donna Kelce’s moment in the spotlight resurfaces
While the game ended in heartbreak for one Kelce and triumph for the other, Donna Kelce became the unexpected MVP for Super Bowl LVII. Her split jacket, which was half Chiefs red and half Eagles black, was more than a fashion statement. It was a symbol of her refusing to pick sides, as she was a mother simply proud of both of her sons. “The moment I saw mom is when I got really emotional,” Jason shared through tears. “She was on top of the world for a week.”
In 2023, Travis echoed the sentiment with his trademark and charisma. “She was the heavyweight champ, man.” With camera flashes following her every move and shoes that didn’t match to honour both of her kids, Donna Kelce became a beloved figure in the league. “She was on top of it, and she shined the whole time,” Travis said, adding a shoutout to their father, Ed. “Mom, you absolutely killed it.”
Even though one of her sons would go home without the ring, Donna made sure that both of them felt how big the moment was. That balance of pride, love, and grace is what made the game more than just a football story. It became a part of the family legacy. “It was just so cool, man, to see her get to celebrate that with us,” Jason added. “I’m just so happy for her… that she got her moment.”
Even amid a historic matchup, the Kelces showed vulnerability. The postgame exchange between the brothers was simple and honest. “I love him and he played a hell of a year,” Travis said. Jason’s tears weren’t just for the loss, but they were also for the joy his family got to experience. “Ironically, you lose the Super Bowl and you’re crying after the game, and they’re not tears of sadness; they’re tears of joy,” he reflected.
In the end, what Peyton Manning feared was absolutely true, and that kind of game changes everything. But thanks to how the Kelce brothers handled it, with honesty, even though heartbreak came along. It also gave fans one of the most human moments the NFL has ever seen.
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