NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are vying for a historic three-peat in the NFL’s title game on Sunday in New Orleans, while the Philadelphia Eagles are the only remaining team that can stop them.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl after beating the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in a thrilling AFC championship game. They’ll face Philadelphia and star running back Saquon Barkley, who ran for three touchdowns as the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders 55-23 in the NFC title game.
This Super Bowl is a rematch of two years ago, when the Chiefs edged the Eagles 38-35 in Glendale, Arizona. Last year, Kansas City beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Las Vegas. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce won’t even be on the field at the same time as Philadelphia’s offensive front during Sunday’s Super Bowl, but it’s personal for Kelce, whose brother, Jason, was the Eagles’ center for 13 years before retiring after last season.
It was the younger Kelce that gave the Eagles the first bad omen: he called tails during the coin flip, a move that, again, did not fail.
The Chiefs won the coin toss and opted to defer, marking the 15th straight Super Bowl that the team who won the coin toss deferred.
The Eagles were going for it on fourth-and-2 from midfield and appeared to convert a 30-yard completion. But a flag came out for Brown putting his hand on cornerback Trent McDuffie’s face, leading to the questionable penalty.
A big topic heading into the game was perceived bias for officials in favor of the Chiefs. Commissioner Roger Goodell called it “ridiculous” but those complaints will only grow louder after that first penalty.
About halfway through the first quarter, it was the Eagles that scored first, going up 7-0.
If you’re already tired of the game, have no fear. Kendrick Lamar will be the headliner for the halftime show.
The rap megastar, who has won 17 Grammys, said he’s looking forward to bringing hip-hop to the NFL’s championship game, where he performed as a guest artist with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.
Lamar will be joined on stage by Grammy winner SZA — his former Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate. The singer appeared on Lamar’s recent album “GNX” and was featured on a couple of songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,” which also features sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn.
The duo’s previous hits include the Oscar-nominated “All the Stars” and “Doves in the Wind.” Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show.
Taylor Swift will be at the Super Bowl rooting for her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, and the Chiefs, but she’s far from the only star with a rooting interest.
The Chiefs’ famous fans include Paul Rudd, Rob Riggle, Heidi Gardner, Jason Sudeikis, Henry Cavill, Henry Winkler and David Koechner. Musicians Melissa Etheridge and Tech N9ne have each created songs for their team.
Meanwhile, the Eagles boast a starry roster of superfans such as Bradley Cooper, Will Smith, Kevin Hart, Miles Teller, Pink, Questlove and Meek Mill.
Donald Trump is making history as the first president to attend the Super Bowl while in office.
Trump has said that he thinks Kansas City will win, with quarterback Patrick Mahomes the difference-maker. Trump says in a pregame interview with Fox News Channel’s Brett Baier that “I guess you have to say that when a quarterback wins as much as he’s won, I have to go with Kansas City.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
