Will the real Chris Matthews please stand up?
When a Seattle Seahawks rookie made four key catches that led to gains of more than 100 yards during the first half of the Super Bowl, he was applauded as a potential MVP — but he ended up sharing the spotlight.
NBC Sports announcers Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth joked about which Chris Mathews — the player or the host — outranked the other on Wikipedia, sparking jokes on social media and the trending topic: “Hardball with Chris Matthews.” Based on the player’s Twitter handle, @TheRealCMaTT13, it seems this isn’t the first time he’s been mistaken.
MSNBC host Chris Matthews took to Twitter to congratulate the player after his standout catches. “Congratulations on a great first half to the @Seahawks Chris Matthews from the @hardball Chris Matthews!” he said.
Congratulations on a great first half to the @Seahawks Chris Matthews from the @hardball Chris Matthews! #sb49 #SuperBowl #hardball
— Chris Matthews (@hardball_chris) February 2, 2015Did Cris Collinsworth just say HARDBALL WITH CHRIS MATTHEWS? I've been waiting the entire game for that
— Chris Jansing (@ChrisJansing) February 2, 2015After the Seahawks defeated the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game at Seattle, the host tweeted: “Congratulations to the “other” Chris Matthews! Way to play #hardball!”
Commenting on the Seahawks’ performance from that game, host Chris Matthews during a “Hardball” segment said “That’s what I did over the weekend. Chris Matthews — What an honor. Does he know who he was named after? Just kidding.”
The wide receiver and breakout star Chris Matthews joined the Seattle team a year ago after essentially being drafted from a Foot Locker. He was originally signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Browns in 2011, but his run didn’t last long. After getting some praise from the Canadian Football League — he was named Most Outstanding Rookie of the CFL in 2012 — he suffered an injury that took him off the field and into a position at a Foot Locker. The Seahawks called him, and the rest was history.
During the game, talk show host Arsenio Hall posted a photo to Instagram of the two Matthews’ side by side. “Patriots prepared for the wrong Chris Matthews!” he captioned.
The Seahawks ultimately lost the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots 28-24, but chances are this won’t be the last time we hear about Chris Matthews. At least one of them.
Anna Brand