The Super Bowl. The Holy Grail of football. The biggest event of the year. An American staple. The game played on the same day as the Puppy Bowl. 

While the Super Bowl is just a football game, it truly is bigger than that. Ever since the Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I at The Coliseum, the game has grown beyond just determining a champion of the NFL. It is practically an American holiday where, pre-Covid, friends and families gather to watch the game, enjoy food, and participate in this event that encapsulates all aspects of culture. 

Now we are forced to celebrate in a different manner. Watching the game on Zoom with the friends and dropping food at people’s doors pre-game. Surprisingly, there will be fans at the game because it is located in Tampa Bay where there are less strict Covid restrictions.

The Game

This Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs will take on The Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Super Bowl LV. Kickoff will be at 3:30 PT on the 7th. It will be shown on CBS. The Chiefs are reigning champions, with Patrick Mahomes looking to add a second Super Bowl ring in his young career, while Tom Brady is looking to win his 7th ring at age 43. 

Sports fans are constantly debating who the G.O.A.T. is and thinking of hypothetical matchups between the all-time greats, but this game is actually occurring in reality with two men who are constantly being compared to each other. Tom Brady is a legend of the game who is performing at a high level at an unprecedented old age. He holds the record for most Super Bowl appearances and wins. While Patrick Mahomes does not have the long résumé of Brady, he has taken the league by storm, winning both a regular season MVP and Super Bowl MVP last year. Mahomes is arguably the most talented quarterback the league has ever seen and Brady has proven himself as the greatest winner in football history. We are lucky to get to see these Hall Of Famers battle it out.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had a far-from-perfect season, but recently they have been on fire, beating two of the league’s best teams in the playoffs. They beat the New Orleans Saints, a division rival who blew them out twice in the regular season. To reach the Super Bowl, they defeated Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, who were seen as the favorites. Going into the season, this team had high expectations, with Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski joining the Bucs. They teamed up with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin while picking up Antonio Brown midway through the season to create one of the league’s most prolific offenses. 

On the other side of the ball, Lavonte David and Devin White anchored the defense, but will have their hands full against the potent Chiefs’ offense. Going into the game, The Bucs are +3 underdog, but with the form they have been in lately, a victory would not be surprising. The key to their victory is somehow slowing down Mahomes and his targets. They will need to bring the pressure to make Mahomes somewhat uncomfortable because when you let him sit back, he will pick apart any defense in the league. On offense, Brady needs to protect the ball. Against the Packers, he had three picks, but luckily they couldn’t capitalize on the interceptions. They certainly will not be as lucky against the Chiefs.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been the favorite since winning last year’s Super Bowl and all throughout this season. The Chiefs finished 14-2, placing top of conference, but their record does not tell the full story. This team has not dominated their opponents like in the past. Their margin of victories is much lower than last season and they saw themselves trailing in multiple games. In the Divisional Round they squeaked by with a five-point win over the Browns after Patrick Mahomes was knocked out of the game with a concussion. In the Conference Championship they trailed the Buffalo Bills by 9, but ultimately pulled out a comfortable win. I think the Chief’s path to victory is very similar to the Buc’s. We know the Chiefs’ offense is explosive with Patrick Mahomes, Tyreke Hill, and Travis Kelce, but they will need to contain the Buc’s offense. This could be a very high-scoring game with the strength of these offenses, so it may well come down to which team can force a turnover or a late game big play.

The Food

The Super Bowl is not just limited to the actual football game, as there are enjoyable aspects of the game for every type of person, from the funny commercials to the musical performance during the halftime show, and certainly the food. Here are some delicious game day recipes:

Loaded Tater Tot Skewers

https://www.madewithhappy.com/loaded-tater-tot-skewers/

This loaded tater tot skewer is easy to make and also very easy to serve to your family. It optimizes what people think of Super Bowl Foods: cheesy and fried.

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Bites

https://www.ourlifetastesgood.com/2015/10/baked-buffalo-cauliflower-bites.html

For a vegetarian option, these baked buffalo cauliflower bites are delicious. It’s simple and can be a healthier alternative to wings. 

Chicken and Waffle Sliders

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a48596/chicken-waffles-sliders-recipe/

This is not the traditional Super Bowl food, but I don’t know anyone that doesn’t like chicken and waffles. It is also a known fact that mini sliders taste better than normal-sized food.

Chocolate Churro Dip

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a49947/chocolate-churro-dip-recipe/

Yeah, this sounds like the best thing in the world. Homemade churro bites with Nutella dipping sauce. 

Halftime Show

Ever since 1967 when the Three Stooges performed with The University of Arizona Marching Band, there has been a musical performance at every Super Bowl halftime. The show is one of the most iconic moments every year, and has grown beyond the game. People who couldn’t care less about football tune in just for the performance. Some of the greatest artists of all time, like Paul McCartney and Beyonce, have had the honor of performing at the Super Bowl. This year, the honor goes to R&B singer, The Weekend. We can expect it to be a spectacle because The Weekend has put in 7 million dollars of his own money. Typically, the artist plays a combination of new music and their older classics, so I’m sure we will hear a couple songs from his most recent album, After Hours, while also listening to his earlier work like “Starboy” and “Can’t Feel My Face.”

This year has been anything but normal, but hopefully, the Super Bowl will allow us to take our minds off the world’s problems, and just enjoy our loved ones for a few hours. Sports has always been an outlet to relax and ignore the problem’s in one’s life. This game is sure to be a classic with two exciting teams and very high stakes.