The largest recreation of the 12 months in US sports activities takes place on Sunday. We’re right here to reply all of your questions (or those we got here up with anyway).
Let’s get the easy stuff out the best way first. Who’s taking part in within the Tremendous Bowl?
This 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl – or Tremendous Bowl LIX for NFL model evangelists and followers of Roman numerals – will likely be between the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
You might be accustomed to the Chiefs’ physique of labor: that is their fifth Tremendous Bowl look in six seasons, and a victory could be their third championship in a row, one thing no NFL workforce has achieved earlier than. Briefly, they’re actually good.
The Eagles, in the meantime, are of their third Tremendous Bowl in seven seasons, thanks largely to the genius-level mind of their normal supervisor, Howie Roseman. Briefly, they’re additionally actually good.
When will the Chiefs and Eagles kickoff?
The sport begins on Sunday 9 February at 5.30pm native time in New Orleans, which is 6.30pm on the US east coast, 3.30pm on the west coast, 11.30pm within the UK and 10.30am on Monday in Sydney.
And the place can I watch or stream it?
Unsurprisingly, the sport is bought out however tickets are on resale for as, ahem, little as $2,800.
A barely cheaper possibility is watching it on TV. Fox is that this 12 months’s broadcaster within the US, with the primary analyst being Tom Brady, who received seven Tremendous Bowls himself throughout his taking part in profession. Spanish language viewers have two choices: Fox Deportes and Telemundo.
In Canada, the sport is on TSN and CTV; in Britain you may watch on ITV1 and Sky Sports activities; and in Australia you may catch it on the Seven Community and ESPN.
The place will or not it’s performed?
The Caesars Superdome, dwelling of the New Orleans Saints, will host the sport. The NFL tends to decide on heat climate cities as hosts to keep away from followers freezing in the course of the recreation. However northern cities do often get the Tremendous Bowl – the distinctly untropical Minneapolis was given the nod in 2018 – however in these circumstances they’re almost at all times performed in indoor stadiums.
Do groups ever play the Tremendous Bowl in their very own stadium?
Host cities are chosen years prematurely, so whereas groups can find yourself taking part in in their very own stadium, it’s uncommon. Solely two groups, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams, have received the Tremendous Bowl in their very own stadium. Proper now, the Saints are what NFL specialists discuss with as a Very Dangerous Staff – they didn’t make the playoffs this season.
Which celebrities will likely be on the recreation?
Simply in case you’re one of many eight individuals on the planet who don’t know this, Chiefs star Travis Kelce is Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. She’ll nearly actually be on the recreation, and the cameras will reduce to her each 39 seconds or so. Final 12 months, some on the US proper believed the sport could be mounted to make sure a Chiefs/Kelce/Swift victory with a purpose to give Joe Biden a bonus within the presidential election. The conspiracy didn’t fairly work out as deliberate.
In different handsome individuals information, Bradley Cooper is a hardcore Eagles fan and is greater than more likely to be on the recreation. Paul Rudd, a longtime Chiefs fan, was ultimately 12 months’s recreation and is more likely to attend this 12 months too. However there are a number of complimentary tickets to the Tremendous Bowl, so anticipate a lot extra celebs.
So the sport will unite a divided America?
Yeah … positive. Donald Trump is ready to turn into the primary sitting president to attend a Tremendous Bowl. And since we haven’t heard sufficient from him of late, he’ll sit down for a little doubt measured and conciliatory interview that will likely be broadcast earlier than the sport on Fox.
What sort of reception will Trump get?
Trump is an enormous sports activities fan. He has been cheered in school soccer video games however was booed and greeted with chants of “lock him up” when he appeared on the 2019 World Sequence in his first time period as president. The Tremendous Bowl will likely be performed in a Democratic metropolis in a Republican state in entrance of followers from throughout America, so the most definitely response is cheers and boos when he seems on display screen. Considerably surprisingly, on condition that Trump as soon as wrote “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” on social media, Kelce says it will likely be an honor to play in entrance of the president.
Will this have an effect on the rumored proposal Kelce has ready for Swift after the sport?
It could! Though Kelce pushed again on these rumors earlier within the week when he was requested if he meant to present Swift a hoop after the sport. “A Tremendous Bowl ring? Subsequent query,” he mentioned.
Who’re the gamers to observe?
The Chiefs have the very best participant on the planet, Patrick Mahomes, at quarterback. A win on Sunday could be his fourth Tremendous Bowl title, placing him on observe to interrupt Brady’s file of seven and threaten the previous Patriots star as the best quarterback of all time. Mahomes doesn’t roll out as many breathtaking throws as he as soon as did, however the 29-year-old almost at all times makes the appropriate choice and is finest when the stress is on, which is fairly helpful within the greatest recreation of the season. The Chiefs even have an excellent protection, masterminded by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.
The Eagles are led by operating again Saquon Barkley, who joined them from their rivals, the New York Giants within the offseason, and promptly had among the finest dashing seasons of all time. The Eagles even have a formidable protection and arguably the deepest and finest roster in the whole NFL.
Who’s doing the half-time present?
Dangerous information for Drake if he desires to observe: Kendrick Lamar will likely be acting at half-time (he additionally appeared on the 2022 Tremendous Bowl). Louisiana native Jon Batiste will sing the nationwide anthem.
Who’s the favourite to win the Tremendous Bowl?
The Chiefs are the betting favorites, which isn’t an enormous shock contemplating they’re the two-time reigning champs, have been to seven straight AFC Championships, received 9 straight AFC west division titles and have misplaced simply twice all season. However in addition they received a number of tight video games they might simply have misplaced, though some level out the truth that they accomplish that with monotonous regularity reveals they’re good quite than fortunate. The Eagles even have a deeper roster, which provides them the sting for a lot of pundits.
This text was amended on 7 February to take away a suggestion that Taylor Swift endorsed Joe Biden in 2024. She endorsed Kamala Harris on 10 September 2024.
