by SEBASTIAN POLONIS and ERICA MENG
From San Francisco to Kansas City, San Diego to New York City, and all around the globe, both football and non-football fans are bubbling with anticipation in advance of Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Sin City’s first time hosting the Biggest Game.
Since 2004, the games have been played continously in February, after a long history in January. The annual football championship game has been held since 1967, created as a battle royale between the winners of the National Football League and American Football League.
The very first game was played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs in front of only 61,94 … far short of a sellout. The favored Packers from the NFL won, 35-10. Born of such humble roots, a tradition began.
This year’s Super Bowl again features the defending champion Chiefs against the slightly favored San Francisco 49ers. A victory on Sunday would make Kansas City the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Tom Brady and the New England Patriots did it in 2004 and 2005.
One man who cannot be left out of any discussion about the Chiefs is quarterback Patrick Mahomes. This the fourth Super Bowl appearance in Mahomes’ storied career. If he wins his third ring, he will become one of five QBs in NFL history to ever win three or more Super Bowls.
Meanwhile, the Niners are back in the Super Bowl with their star-studded roster featuring big names such as running back Christian McCaffrey, defensive end Nick Bosa, tight end George Kittle and, of course, quarterback Brock Purdy. Purdy, the 262nd–and last–pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, came into his own this season while setting the franchise single-season passing record, throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns, with 11 interceptions.
The Niners have historically played well in the regular season, making the NFC Championship Game four out of the last five seasons. Their playoff performances, however, leave questions on the board.
The Niners have more than enough talent to win this game, but their recent history has led many to question their ability to perform on the biggest stage.
It’s worth noting that these two teams have met recently in the
Big Game. The 2020 Super Bowl in Miami saw the Chiefs beat the Niners 31-20 in a game that saw Kansas City erase a 10-point deficit in the last six minutes of the game. The rosters from these teams have changed drastically since 2020, with each club retaining only eight players from their earlier championship rosters.
There’s always a lot more to the Super Bowl than just the game itself. This year’s contest will still have the entertaining TV commercials and a dazzling halftime show starring a special singer-songwriter, Usher.
He is almost sure to perform songs such as the global hit Yeah!, which generated more than 1.1 billion Spotify streams and about 900 million views on YouTube. Other hits he’ll likely perform include DJ’s Got Us Fallin’ In Love and My Boo.
Oh, and there’s one more star rumored to be flying in from Tokyo for this year’s Super Bowl. She’s a pop legend, she’s currently touring worldwide and she is dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Since showing up to Kelce’s first game in September, Taylor Swift has been everywhere.
All that’s left to wonder is how much of Taylor Swift in her luxury suite will CBS let us see?
Fans will be eager to watch the Chiefs and the Niners duke out on Sunday night.
After a strenuous season and frantic playoff games, all of us are ready for one last thriller in Vegas.
The Mainsheet 