2022-2023 Season Recap

The 2022-2023 NFL season has had many memorable moments. Before the season started, the Washington Football Team committed to a full rebrand with new jerseys, a new logo, and most importantly, a new name: The Washington Commanders. As the season winded down, the NFL became more united than ever when Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin underwent cardiac arrest on the field and was rushed to the hospital. Players and fans from around the world took to social media to give their prayers to Damar and his family. Soon, a GoFundMe by Damar Hamlin resurfaced that he created prior to his injury in support of a toy drive for kids in his community. He had a goal of $2,500, but with a little help from NFL teams, players, fans, owners, and more, as of February 4th, the charity has raised over $9,000,000, demolishing their original goal. After the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were eliminated from the playoffs, Tom Brady posted a retirement video after 23 seasons in the NFL. All of these moments lead up to the final showdown. On Sunday, February 12th at 6:30 PM EST, the Eagles and Chiefs will face off in Super Bowl LVII (57) at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Here’s everything you need to know.

How They Got Here:

The Eagles finished their season 14-3, securing the first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They were led by their young quarterback Jalen Hurts, a 24-year-old from Houston, Texas. This is his third year with the Eagles, but only his second year as a starter. After the regular season, the Eagles played the Giants and obliterated them 38-7 in the NFL Divisional Round. One week later, they played the 49ers in the NFC Championship, and the game had a similar outcome, 31-7. Now the Chiefs are the only team standing in the Eagles’ way of winning their second Super Bowl in franchise history.

The Chiefs also finished their season 14-3 and secured the first-round bye and home-field advantage as well. Their quarterback is Patrick Mahomes, a 27-year-old from Tyler, Texas, about a three-hour drive from where Hurts was raised. This is his sixth year with the Chiefs and already his third Super Bowl appearance. His Super Bowl record is 1-1, having lost to the Rams in Super Bowl LV and then defeated the 49ers in Super Bowl LVI. During this season’s Divisional Round, the Chiefs defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20, during which Mahomes suffered a minor injury to his right ankle. One week later, the Chiefs defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20, but Mahomes’ injury was speculated to impact his game. Now all eyes are on Mahomes to see if he can recover in time for the big game.

Super Bowl of Firsts

Super Bowl LVII will be the first Super Bowl with two black starting quarterbacks. In 2022, there were 11 starting black quarterbacks, which means that about 35% of quarterbacks in the NFL were black. Thus, in theory, there should be a Super Bowl with two black quarterbacks every nine years. Yet, this is the first time in 57 years!

This will also be the first Super Bowl where two brothers play each other. Jason Kelce, center for the Eagles, will play his brother Travis Kelce, tight end for the Chiefs. Their parents, Donna and Ed Kelce, are used to rooting for both teams separately. But what happens when they play against each other? In an interview with TODAY, when asked which team she would be rooting for, Donna Kelce cleverly answered, “The offense.”

Super Bowl LVII

As of January 31, the Eagles have a two-point betting favorite, in other words, they are predicted to win. However, Vegas is not always right. In the Eagles’ last Super Bowl, they were predicted to lose but went on their famous “Underdog” run and ended up winning the Lombardi Trophy. So are there any slight advantages to either team? Well, neither team has a home-field advantage, but the Philadelphia Eagles are almost twice as far (2,350 miles) from their home location than the Kansas City Chiefs (1,211 miles). However, the game will ultimately come down to skill, and the better team will prevail. We can guess and predict all we want, but in the NFL, there is a famous saying: “Any given Sunday.”