A Quick Primer on Super Bowl LIX for Casual Fans
What to know ahead of Super Bowl LIX.
Even for non-football fans, the Super Bowl’s center of gravity will likely draw you in on Sunday, February 9th. Across the country, there will be Super Bowl parties, packed bars, and other festivities for the year’s biggest sports game.
Naturally, many of those who watch Super Bowl LIX won’t have followed the action all season, but fear not, we can bring you up to speed with a quick cheat sheet. We’ll keep things as simple as possible, breaking down all you need to know ahead of the big game:
Who’s in?
Starting with the obvious one: It’s the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s actually a rematch of Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs came out on top two years ago. The game will be played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Technically, the Eagles are the home team, so they will have a choice of uniforms and so on.
The Favorite?
The Chiefs are slight favorites in the latest Super Bowl odds, but it’s very, very marginal. The game really feels like a toss-up.
Tale of the Tape?
The Chiefs had a 15-2 regular season, which looks great on paper, but it was characterized by some highly unconvincing wins. The team grew into the season and looked back to its formidable best when defeating the Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
As for the Eagles, they have been quietly brilliant all season. The spotlight was often on teams like the freewheeling Detroit Lions in the NFC Conference, but the Eagles flew under the radar. By the end of the season, they looked like true contenders. A fact reinforced during their run through the Playoffs.
Key Narratives?
The obvious one is the fact it is a rematch from two years ago. That game was a thriller, so neutrals will be hoping for more of the same. As always, there is an attempt to portray it as a duel between the two competing quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, who were also the starting QBs at Super Bowl LVII.
Of course, the other big story is that the Chiefs are chasing history, hoping to become the first-ever NFL team to win three Super Bowls in a row. This will be their 5th Super Bowl in six years, so whatever happens, it’s a remarkable achievement.
However, the biggest outside narrative might just be the accusations that referees have been favoring the Chiefs all season. It’s more of an internet conspiracy than something we should take seriously, yet it has really blown up in recent weeks.
Key Players
Patrick Mahomes on the Chiefs side will always be in the spotlight, but we think that this could be the Super Bowl that launches the Eagles running back Saquon Barkley into the stratosphere. He’s been the Eagles’ best player all season, putting up historic numbers. It’s also Barkley’s birthday on February 9th, so maybe it’s written in the stars for him to put in a huge performance.
The Coaches
The Chiefs Andy Reid is making a real claim to supplant Bill Belichick as the best NFL coach of the 21st century, with some believing he already is. Reid has turned the Chiefs into a winning machine, with such a knack for success that the team might even play badly and still come out on top.
The Eagles’ head coach, Nick Sirianni, had several coaching roles with the Chiefs, but he was let go when Andy Reid joined in 2012. He’s taken the NFL by storm since the Eagles gave him his first head coaching role in 2021, enjoying a superb 53-23 record. There is some pressure on him to deliver a Super Bowl, though.
And One Last Thing
You can’t escape it: If you google “Super Bowl LIX” the first thing that comes up is Taylor Swift. Her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is perfect fodder for the celebrity spotters. She’ll be there, and the cameras will probably spend as much time focusing on the megastar singer as on the field. That’s the Super Bowl for you.
