The Big Money In The Big Game Between The Eagles And Chiefs

We’re just a day away from Super Bowl LVII between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs, with kickoff set for 6:30 EST on Sunday. Both teams head into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, having hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in the last five years. Between a battle of brothers, a coach facing his former team and an injured MVP, there’s no shortage of storylines surrounding the biggest spectacle on the NFL calendar.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the big game.

The Matchup

The Eagles have become the NFL’s 10th most valuable franchise under owner Jeffrey Lurie, who built the team’s success under the principle that good isn’t good enough. Meanwhile, the Hunt family paid $25,000 to create the Chiefs in 1960 and presided over its growth into the $3.7 billion, Super Bowl-winning franchise it is today.

Ironically, Chiefs coach Andy Reid led the Eagles from 1999-2012. When he arrived in Kansas City, he fired an assistant there named Nick Sirianni, who will coach the Eagles on the opposite sideline Sunday.

The Players

This is the first Super Bowl featuring two Black starting quarterbacks: Patrick Mahomes, the 2022 NFL MVP, highest-paid player in Sunday’s game and No. 4 on our list of highest-paid players in the league; and Jalen Hurts, who is far more valuable than his $1.1 million salary this season would suggest. The biggest question mark in the game is Mahomes’ ankle, which he sprained during the Chiefs’ playoff run and has been rehabbing aggressively this week.

People are calling this the “Kelce Bowl” because Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is up against his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce. Jason must defend the league’s second-shortest quarterback against a Chiefs defensive line that loves batting down passes.

The Spectacle

Rihanna will take the stage in the first halftime show presented by Apple Music, not Pepsi, and, as is custom for halftime headliners, won’t be paid a single dollar for it. No worries. Forbes estimates she’s worth $1.4 billion.

At millions of watch parties around the country, the total spending on food, drinks, apparel, decorations and other purchases for the day could exceed $16.5 billion. To combat inflation, chicken wings and guacamole might be the most economical snack choices for your party. But make sure to bring plenty, because pregame coverage starts five hours before kickoff this year.

Still, watching at home will be much cheaper than attending the game. Ticket prices are running at the second-highest rate ever, over $9,000 on average. And for those making the trip, the surging prices of hotels, transportation, food, and exclusive live events in the surrounding area could make for an expensive weekend.

The Commercials

Companies are shelling out an average of $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime during the game, and leaning on a heavy dose of nostalgia to grab viewers’ attention. Beer companies will be pushing their non-alcoholic brews, and Bryan Cranston says he’s excited to go full Heisenberg in a chip ad.

The Bets

Americans will wager more money on the Super Bowl this Sunday than ever before. The $16 billion projection is more than double last year’s total, due to expanding legalized sports betting across the country. The Eagles are 1.5-point favorites in the game, marking just the third time in the last 40 years that the Super Bowl point spread is under two points.

Fans can also bet on increasingly absurd “prop bets,” like the outcome of the coin toss, the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach, or the color of Rihanna’s hair during her halftime performance.

The Last Word

“Some of them grew up Eagles fans, but we’re not going for the Eagles [on Sunday].” – Isiah Pacheco

Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco grew up loving the Eagles, as did most of the family who plan on attending the game Sunday. The Eagles coach he looked up to then, Andy Reid, is now his coach with the Chiefs. The full circle moment makes the former seventh round pick feel “truly blessed.”

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