(Reuters) – Top storylines to watch out for during the Super Bowl LIX clash between the two-times defending champion Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans on Sunday.
HISTORIC RUN
The Chiefs are appearing in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in six years. A win over the Eagles would give them an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title and further cement their status as the NFL’s newest dynasty.
Led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who in only seven years as a starter in the NFL has already built a resume worthy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Chiefs are eyeing their fourth Super Bowl win in the last six years.
The Chiefs are the ninth team to have won back-to-back Super Bowl titles, but the first of that elite group to reach the NFL’s championship game the following season and earn a shot at a three-peat.
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BAD BLOOD REMATCH
This year’s Super Bowl is a rematch of the February 2023 title clash when the Chiefs overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Eagles 38-35 after Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left in the game.
While plenty of familiar faces from that matchup return, the Eagles have added running back Saquon Barkley, who this year became just the ninth player to eclipse 2,000 yards rushing in a single NFL regular season and has been dominant in the playoffs.
In a matchup of high-powered offenses, Kansas City are slightly favored to defeat a Philadelphia team whose defense are a disciplined pass-rush unit that could create headaches for Mahomes.
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WHISTLE BLOWERS
The years-long narrative that the Chiefs get preferential officiating treatment grew louder after they punched their Super Bowl ticket with a win over Buffalo in a game that was marred by some controversial calls that went in favor of Kansas City.
The Chiefs have dismissed those criticisms at every turn but Super Bowl game officials are sure to be a major talking point leading up to Sunday’s kickoff.
The NFL named Ron Torbert as Super Bowl referee, marking his second time refereeing the championship game. Side judge Boris Cheek will officiate his fourth Super Bowl while the rest of the eight-person crew have no prior Super Bowl experience.
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FAMILIAR FOE
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid is not only looking for his fourth Super Bowl trophy at the helm of the Chiefs but also a second win in the championship game against the team he spent 14 years with as a head coach prior to his current role.
During his Eagles tenure, Reid compiled a 130-93-1 record and made one trip to the Super Bowl but was never able to bring the championship Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Philadelphia.
In February 2023 Reid became the fifth head coach in Super Bowl history to face a team he previously led, joining Pete Carroll, Jon Gruden, Dan Reeves and Weeb Ewbank.
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TRAVIS AND TAYLOR
The fascination with the relationship between Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and pop superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift may not be as intense as it was at last year’s Super Bowl but the couple will still command plenty of the spotlight.
Swift’s attendance at this year’s Super Bowl has not been confirmed but she has been at nine Chiefs games this season, including their Jan. 26 AFC Championship clash with the Buffalo Bills where she celebrated on the field with Kelce.
Last year’s Super Bowl, with Swift cheering in the stands, drew a record 123.7 million U.S. viewers, which made it the biggest U.S. audience for any event since the first astronauts walked on the moon in 1969.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Toby Davis)
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