A Recap of Super Bowl LIX

Charlie Means, Guest Writer

As many of you know Super Bowl LIX was last Sunday, February 9th, 2025. Whether you watched as a huge football fan, or just watched the game to see the commercials, the game was legendary and I am here to share my thoughts with you all, and give you the keys to the game.

Super Bowl LIX was unique as we saw the second part of an intense faceoff between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs. After seeing these teams go head to head two years ago in Super Bowl LVII, there was a lot to gain and a lot to lose for both sides. Of course, a lot has changed since then. The Eagles have acquired Saquan Barkley (who, side note, carried me in fantasy this year), and the Chiefs now have Deandre Hopkins and Xavier Worthy. Despite these changes, the basic structure of both teams remains the same. It’s all about Jalen Hurts vs Patrick Mahonnes, AJ brown vs Travis Kelce, and football fans vs Taylor Swift fans. Now that main differences have been addressed, let’s talk about the keys of the game. 

Key 1

Key number one is pretty simple: turnovers. Neither Hurts nor Mahonnes has thrown a pick so far this postseason, but the bright lights of the super bowl tend to force mistakes. Last time these two teams faced off, a Nick Bolten fumble recovery shifted the momentum of the game in Kansas City's favor. On the flip side, Kansas City's main backs (Kareem Hunt and Isaiah Pacheco), did not give up a single fumble during the regular season, although Pacheco played just seven games.

Key 2

Now, speaking of running backs, they are our second key. The last time these two teams faced off Kansas City had more total yards on the ground, which no doubt contributed to their win. However, (imagine me saying this with all the authoritative gravitas of a courtroom lawyer), the Eagles were trotting out a combination of Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott, and Miles Sanders. Currently, only Gainwell is still with the team. As I mentioned before, the Eagles have Saquan now, who is no doubt an upgrade over the previous backs. 

Key 3

Last but not least, we get to talk about Taylor Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce (low hanging fruit, I know). Kelce is without question Kansas City's number 1 receiving option. He has been the team’s leader in both yards and touchdowns in postseason, prior to the superbowl. KC’s other receiving options are Xavier Worthy (a rookie), JuJu Smith Schuster (an all time great name but only a so-so player). More options include Deandre Hopkins (who arrived in Kansas City at the trade deadline), and Hollywood Brown (who missed most of the regular season). All this said, my point is Kelce is pretty much all the Chiefs have for reliable receiving options, and this lack of choices is evident in the game. 

In the end, the score was 22 to 40, with a victory for the Eagles. With public pressure, football politics, and team structure at the forefront of the game, the result was massively impactful. While we don’t know when the Chiefs and Eagles will have their next showdown, we do know that Super Bowl LIX will not be forgotten.

Football 101: Your Key to Understanding the Basics and Super Bowl LVI

By Alaina Valdespino, Staff Writer and Photographer

Each year, millions of Americans gather around the television to watch the Super Bowl. So, whether you're the host of the party, or the person in the room that doesn’t have a clue what’s going on, odds are you’re either going to watch the game or never hear the end of it because you didn’t. Nevertheless, if you’re like the millions of Americans who only watch one football game a year, I’ve got you covered. I’ve gathered some of the most basic facts about this coming Super Bowl and about football in general, so you can not only join in the conversations around you, but so you can also enjoy watching the game.

Super Bowl LVI is the 56th NFL championship game to be played and will be hosted in Los Angeles at the football arena, SoFi Stadium. An interesting fact to note about this Super Bowl is that this is the second year in a row where a team is going to have the home advantage, so if you want to impress anyone with a super bowl fact, that’s a good conversation starter.

As for the teams, we have the home team, the Los Angeles Rams, vs. the underdogs of the evening the Cincinnati Bengals. In picking a side to root for, 9 times out of 10 your hometown team isn’t going to be in the mix. Honestly with this year's lineup, the odds are about 50/ 50 when it comes to who's going to take home the title. The Rams have a solid record and have the advantage of playing at home, and as for the Bengals, they have never won a Super Bowl, so they are ready to make this their first. So, either team you choose has its advantages.

In understanding the basics of the game, itself, here are some key pointers that will get you through the Super Bowl and any other game you choose to watch in the future. In the NFL, games are divided into four 15-minute quarters, with commercial breaks throughout each. When it comes to scoring, the key thing to note is that any score difference of 7 points or less means it's a close game. So, if you see your team is down by 6 points with only 5 minutes left in the game, know that means there’s a real chance that the game could go your way.

The biggest things to note when watching football would be to understand these three things: Touchdowns, First Downs, and flags. A touchdown is the most common way for a team score. If your team scores a touchdown, then that means a player from that team made it all the way to the opposing team's endzone holding the ball. That sounds easy enough to understand, but when there are guys tackling each other and referees running around, it can seem chaotic for someone that may not be as into football as others. If the team scores a touchdown, they get a chance at a field goal in which their kicker will take the field and go for an additional point. Other ways a football team can score are by field goals which are just plays designed to help a team score if a touchdown isn’t likely, and safeties which are the least common way a team can score.

First downs are a little harder for people to understand at first, but it's simple. In football, each team gets 4 attempts to move farther down the field and towards the end zone to score. A first down means that the players were able to get the ball far enough down the field so that their 4 chances get restored and they have a new set of chances to potentially score. To put it simply, a first down means there’s more potential to score which in football is a big deal.

The last major thing to understanding a game of football will be flags. If you’re watching a game long enough, you’ll get to a point where you see a referee throwing a flag onto the field. While there are dozens of fine detail rules in football, the essence of it all is to understand that a flag is never good if it's against you. If it's against the other team however, that’s the time to get rowdy.

While there is clearly a lot to be learned about football, and about the Super Bowl in general, if you stick to these facts and topics, you’ll definitely give off the impression that you know what’s going on.

NFL strikes out on Super Bowl Halftime show performer

(Photo: Jim Dyson/Getty Images)

               Jay-Z has turned down an invitation to perform at the halftime show during Super Bowl LII in Minnesota, according to thesource.com.

               Although it may seem shocking that someone would turn down a show such as the Super Bowl Halftime show, Jay-Z is not the first to do so.

               Last year Adele declined the NFL’s offer to perform. "First of all, I'm not doing the Super Bowl," Adele told crowd during a Los Angeles performance in August 2015. "I mean, come on, that show is not about music. And I don't really -- I can't dance or anything like that. They were very kind, they did ask me, but I said no.”

               The NFL has taken a strong stance on artists who publicly decline their invitation to perform, such as Jay-Z.

               "No decisions have been made on the performer(s), and we are not going to speculate on particular artists," league spokesman Brian McCarthy told Pro Football Talk. "Along with Pepsi, we know that we will put on a spectacular show. When it is time to announce her name, we will do it. Or his name. Or their names.”

               For the Super Bowl is as big of an event as it is, let's hope that the NFL can find someone that can put on a better show than we’ve seen in the past few years.

Luke Cahill
Staff Reporter

Teams to Look for in Super Bowl LII

(Photo: Getty Images)

New England Patriots

                There is a reason that the Patriots are first on my list. Seeing as though they are the defending champs, they are fired up to get back into the swing of things. With the addition of wide receiver Brandon Cooks, Brady should have no excuses when it comes to his passing game. On top of that, the Patriots offense will have Gronkowski back in the lineup after an injury sidelined him last season. Don’t sleep on this team! They are loaded on both sides of the ball, and can definitely repeat what they did last year.

Seattle Seahawks

                Injuries didn't allow fans to see the true potential of this Seattle team last year. With Russell Wilson back healthy, this team has the potential to win 12 or more games. The defense had some issues last year in terms of consistency, but they have the talent to be great. Watch out for this Seattle team to take down the defending champs in the big game this year.

Green Bay Packers

                Aaron Rodgers, without a doubt, one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. With the addition of Martellus Bennett, the Packers offense will be locked-and-loaded to take down any competitor. The only thing that separates this team from Seattle is their defense. We’ll have to wait and see if using four of their draft picks on the defense was a good move. If the defense can do their job, this team has the potential to go deep into the playoffs.

Pittsburgh Steelers

                If this Steelers can prevent injuries, they’ve got the best shot to take down the defending champs in the AFC. This defense has some serious talent, especially on the line. Drafting T.J Watt should give this Pittsburgh team a good boost on the pass rush. He may be the answer to slowing down an elite quarterback, like Brady. If the trio of Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown can stay healthy going into the playoffs, I like this team’s chances against anybody.

Atlanta Falcons

                Putting last year’s Super Bowl in the past, Atlanta has the potential to make it to Minnesota in February. It wasn’t a fluke that they made it to where they did last year. This team has some serious talent on both sides of the ball. With almost every player returning from last season, they should no problem with getting off to a good start.

Luke Cahill
Staff Reporter
 

Brady and Belichik’s Patriots Win a 5th in Unprecedented Nail-Biter

(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

           You couldn’t ask for a better ending to an incredible NFL season than Super Bowl LI.  The New England Patriots overcame a rough first half to defeat the underdog Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in a dramatic overtime finish, the first in Super Bowl history.  

           Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons controlled the NFC all season and handled their wins with ease and poise as they earned the right to be in football’s biggest stage. Looking for their first Super Bowl in franchise history, it wasn’t going to be an easy road with Tom Brady, Bill Belichik, and the supporting cast of the New England Patriots in the way. The Falcons came out to a dominating start, holding a 28-3 lead with eight minutes left in the third quarter. All those watching had every right to believe the game was over, but the Patriots had a few tricks up their sleeves. With some crucial stops by New England’s defense and one of the best catches in Super Bowl history by Julian Edelman, it was no secret that the Patriots weren’t going out sad.

           The Patriots ended up completing the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, scoring 31 unanswered points, giving Tom Brady and Bill Belichik their fifth Super Bowl title together. It is a game that will be written in the history books not only because of the comeback, but also it being the only overtime game the Super Bowl has ever had. Congratulations to the New England Patriots, as they are world champions once again!

Danny Rolander Staff Reporter

Super Bowl 51 Commercials Get Political

(Photo: Youtube)

            If being able to watch one of the best Super Bowls of all time wasn't enough, this year’s commercials made it even better. The variety of serious and comical commercials made it very hard to let your eyes wander during the commercial breaks.

            Many of the same companies as previous years broadcasted their commercials, but there was an underlying evident theme in many of the commercials. Politics crept into a handful of the ads which can’t be said about many of the previous super bowls. 84 Lumber, Audi, Coca-cola, Budweiser, AirBnb, and Google were just a few of the companies that had politically driven ads.  The 84 Lumber ad seemed to be the talking point of the night on social media probably due to the fact that it was about a mother and daughter who encounter the proposed Mexican border wall and have to figure out how to get around it.

            Despite the 5 million dollar price tag for 30 seconds of airtime, the ads are an integral part of attracting viewers to watch the super bowl. All in all, Super Bowl LI was a great year for commercials, and an even better year for football!

Luke Cahill Staff Reporter