The 57th annual Super Bowl will take place on Sunday, February 12, when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs. With over 100 million people expected to tune in for the game, two recent Super Bowl champions will battle for the title at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between what will likely be a thrilling halftime performance from Rihanna and an exciting game from MVP candidates in Eagles’ Jalen Hurts and Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, viewers will almost certainly enjoy this Sunday’s spectacle. 

While the two teams have enjoyed little postseason success in their over 60-year histories, both franchises have had successful seasons in recent years. After participating in two Super Bowls in 1967 and 1970, a 50-year hiatus left the Chiefs with little hope for a championship, until the drafting of quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2017 from Texas Tech. Since Mahomes became the first choice at quarterback for the Chiefs in the 2018 season, Kansas City has reached the conference finals in every year since, including three Super Bowl appearances.      

This year, Mahomes leads the NFL in touchdowns, passing yards, and Quarterback Rating (QBR) among starting quarterbacks. “He [Mahomes] is a huge factor”, said junior Logan Kucharski. He’s definitely the best quarterback in the league, and the Eagles secondary will definitely have to work hard to keep him in check.” Fueled by Mahomes, who leads Kansas City along with an elite supporting cast of Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the Chiefs have turned what was once one of the least-filled arenas in the NFL to a stadium that averaged a 100.8% fill rate over the 2022 regular season.

On the other hand, the Philadelphia Eagles have emerged as a serious title contender. After losing in the 1980 Super Bowl, the Eagles waited for decades until the franchise would finally lift the coveted Lombardi Trophy in 2018. Struggles in the following years would see the Eagles knocked out of the playoffs early in 2019, 2020, and 2022. However, the team from Philadelphia is back with a purpose: to become the first team to win the Super Bowl as the #1 seed entering the playoffs since the Eagles themselves did it in 2018. With a balance between an MVP contender in quarterback Jalen Hurts and one of the most successful run games in the NFL, the Eagles are sure to give the Chiefs defense a challenge. 

In a game that will hold historic firsts for the NFL, the 2023 Super Bowl is the first to feature two black quarterbacks, with only three black quarterbacks in history to have brought home the Super Bowl trophy, Mahomes being one of them. If the Chiefs win, he would then become the first black quarterback in NFL history to win multiple Super Bowls. In addition, Super Bowl LVII is the first in its history to feature a pair of brothers. The Eagles’ Jason Kelce has become a reliable center for his team, while his brother Travis has made a name for himself in Kansas City as one of the best tight ends in recent years. 

Junior Kellen Clark believes that Kansas City will emerge as champions this year. “The Chiefs offense is very strong, and Mahomes is a great passer. I don’t think the Eagles will be able to beat them.” However, Kucharski disagrees. “The only advantage the Chiefs have is at the quarterback position. I think the Eagles are going to win by a margin of 13 points.” While viewers may be split over the final result, all fans can agree that this year’s Super Bowl will be one to remember.