The 100th anniversary of the NFL is nearly complete, and the final matchup (Super Bowl 2020) is set. The AFC Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, led by Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will face off against the NFC Champions, the San Francisco 49ers, led by their record-setting pass rush featuring Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner in Super Bowl 54.
Super Bowl 54 marks the first time the two franchises have met in the championship. It also breaks a long infamous streak for the Kansas City Chiefs, as this is their first Super Bowl appearance in over 50 years. With a potential win in Miami, the 49ers would be tied for the most Super Bowl wins by a franchise, holding 6 titles alongside the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
How They Got Here – Kansas City Chiefs
Fresh off of his MVP title, Mahomes proved in his second year he was no one season wonder. The young quarterback led the Chiefs to a 12-4 regular season record, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns.
His play in the postseason is what made Mahomes special though. He successfully led the Chiefs to two consecutive come from behind wins. During this stretch, he accounted for 9 touchdowns and over 700 yards.
Divisional Round – Chiefs vs. Texans
The Chiefs opened their postseason against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round on January 12th. Shocking the league, Houston jumped out to a 24-0 lead after the early 2nd quarter, and looked en route to pull another huge upset in the NFL playoff landscape. Following this, Kansas City and Mahomes rattled off an NFL playoff record 7 consecutive touchdowns to go up 41-24 before the end of the 3rd quarter. Mahomes finished with an astounding 5 passing touchdowns, 3 of which went to his tight end Travis Kelce, as the Chiefs defeated the Texans 51-31.
AFC Championship – Chiefs vs. Titans
On Sunday, January 19th, Kansas City matched up against the red hot Tennessee Titans, who were fresh off of back to back wins against the current Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots and the Super Bowl 54 favorite Baltimore Ravens. Tennessee looked promising early, and jumped out to a 17-7 lead against the Kansas City Chiefs which appeared to be another huge incoming upset by the Titans.
We know how this story goes though. On the back of Patrick Mahomes again, the Chiefs offense exploded, and scored four straight unanswered touchdowns to beat the Titans 35-24. Mahomes combined for 4 touchdowns while the Kansas City defense held Titans star running back Derrick Henry in check to under 70 rushing yards. With this Chiefs win, this will be their third ever Super Bowl appearance, and their first since the NFL – AFL merger in 1970.
How They Got Here – San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were truly the Cinderella story of the 100th NFL season. After finishing the 2018 season with a 4-12 record, the 49ers were predicted by many major sports media outlets to finish the 2019 season 3-13 and be an easy win for opponents. Their starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo was fresh off of a major knee injury that kept him out for the entirety of the 2018 season, and their young head coach Kyle Shanahan was on the hot seat to produce in his third season.
Backed by one of the best modern day defensive units, and a high profile offensive rushing attack, the San Francisco 49ers finished the 2019 regular season 13-3 and clinched the number 1 seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time since 1997.
Divisional Round – 49ers vs. Vikings
San Francisco opened their postseason against the Minnesota Vikings on January 11th. The Vikings were just off a huge win against the New Orleans Saints, and were looking to pull off another big upset on the path to the Super Bowl. The contest was a defensive battle in the early stages, and the 49ers held just a slight lead at halftime, up 14-10. The second half saw San Francisco take a strong hold of the game though, as they shut down the Vikings offense and scored 13 unanswered points to defeat the Vikings 27-10. Yet again, the 49ers defense was the focus, holding the Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook to just 18 yards rushing, his lowest all season.
NFC Championship – 49ers vs. Packers
This win set up a momentous clash between the 49ers and the Packers, the 1 and 2 seeds of the NFC respectively. The Packers were led by future hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a Bay Area native who was looking to again get revenge for the 49ers passing on him in the NFL draft years ago. The game played out a bit different though, as the 49ers jumped out to a 27-0 lead in the first half, and never looked back. Despite Aaron Rodgers’ second half efforts to make a comeback, the 49ers defeated the Packers 37-20. This performance booked them their 7th appearance in a Super Bowl, and their first since their 2013 defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.
When is Super Bowl 54?
The 2020 Super Bowl will be played on Sunday, February 2nd, and is scheduled to kick-off at 6:30pm ET.
Where will Super Bowl 54 be held?
The game will be played at the home stadium of the Dolphins, the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. This is the eleventh time that the game will be held in Miami, and the sixth time that it will be played at the Hard Rock Stadium.
Who are the half time performers of Super Bowl 2020?
Pop sensations Shakira and Jennifer Lopez will share the stage as co-performers this year.
Where to watch Super Bowl 2020 online?
For any of those watching on cable, Super Bowl 54 will be shown on FOX. If you’re looking to watch the game online, you can watch with a few options:
- Hulu with Live TV
- Fubo TV
- Sling TV
- YouTube TV
- FOX Sports App (requires cable subscription)
- Direct TV Now
- Xfinity Residential
Interesting facts about the Super Bowl:
- The very first Super Bowl was played on January 15th, 1967 in Los Angeles. The Green Bay Packers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
- No team has ever been shut out during a Super Bowl. The lowest point total scored by a single team was 3 (Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl 6, Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 54).
- The Super Bowl has only been decided once in overtime. That was Super Bowl 51, when the Patriots came behind from a 28-3 deficit to defeat the Falcons 34-28.
- The Browns, Lions, Jaguars and Texans are the only franchises to have never competed in the Super Bowl. The Detroit Lions were established in 1930, making them the oldest franchise to have never played in a Super Bowl.
- The 1972 Miami Dolphins are the only team to have ever completed a perfect season, going 17-0. They then defeated the Washington Redskins 14-7 in Super Bowl 7.
- The Buffalo Bills hold the record for the most consecutive Super Bowl losses, losing four straight Super Bowls between 1990-1993.
- Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest food-consumption day in the US, second only to Thanksgiving Day,
- Super Bowl 47 was the first Super Bowl where the two head coaches were actually brothers. John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens defeated Jim Harbaugh’s San Francisco 49ers 34-31.
- Super Bowl 49 is the most watched Television broadcast in the US, with a viewership of over 114 million. The New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24. Russell Wilson infamously threw a last minute interception on the goal line. The team was heavily criticized for not handing the ball off to their star running back, Marshawn Lynch.
- Tom Brady is the only individual player to have ever won 6 Super Bowl rings after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53. He alone has more Super Bowl Wins than 30 other franchises.
What about the food?
- Roughly 1.25 billion chicken wings are consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
- 1 in 10 Americans call in sick to work on the Monday following the Super Bowl. Better start making up your excuse now!
- Super Bowl 14 was the most attended Super Bowl of all time, with 103,985 fans packing the LA Coliseum.
- The highest scoring Super Bowl of all time was Super Bowl 29. The San Francisco 49ers and the San Diego Chargers combined for a whopping 75 points. The 49ers scored 49 of those points.
- The lowest scoring Super Bowl was last year’s Super Bowl (53). The New England Patriots defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3, combining for an unimpressive 16 points. Don’t feel guilty if you fell asleep during the game!
- San Francisco also holds the records for most points scored by an individual team in a Super Bowl. They defeated the Denver Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl 24.
What else do I need?
No matter what type of fan you are, there’s plenty of fun to be had on Super Bowl Sunday.
So kick back, relax, have a chicken wing and a cold beverage (from Drizly that is), and spread some new information about the Super Bowl to your friends and partygoers.
Just remember, if you’re planning on calling into work the next day, prepare a better excuse than “being sick”. Chances are others at your place of work will be using the same excuse!
Planning to host a Super Bowl Party this year? We have some party games for your Super Bowl Party!
May the best team win, happy Super Bowl 2020!
