A look at everything you need to know about Super Bowl LIX
If you’re reading about the Super Bowl, chances are you’re a pretty big football fan and know exactly what to expect come Sunday. You know that the Kansas City Chiefs are once again back in the mix, looking to become the first team ever to win three straight Super Bowls. You know that standing in their way are the Philadelphia Eagles, whom the Chiefs beat in the Super Bowl just two years ago.
On the other hand, maybe you don’t know any of that. Maybe you’re just a casual fan whose only engagement with football every year is going to a Super Bowl party and contributing a few words here and there during the commercials.
In that case, we’ve got you covered. This is the eighth annual casual fan’s guide to the Super Bowl, where we’ll teach you everything you could possibly need to know to turn yourself from a novice into an expert before the game begins.
Who’s playing in Super Bowl LIX?
Representing the AFC, we once again have the Kansas City Chiefs. They are in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in seven seasons, and if they win, they will be the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. Representing the NFC, meanwhile, are the Philadelphia Eagles. They lost to Kansas City two years ago and are looking to exact their revenge.
For this particular game, the Chiefs will be in their white uniforms and the Eagles will wear green.
What time is the Super Bowl? Where is it? How do I watch?
Date: Sunday, Feb. 9 | Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
TV: Fox | Stream: fubo (try for free), Tubi (free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
The Super Bowl starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. The game will be played at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The NFL rotates the location of the Super Bowl every year because it generally wants to provide a neutral site so that no team has home-field advantage. This has worked out in all but two seasons.
This year’s broadcast is on Fox and streaming on fubo. The average Super Bowl broadcast over the past 20 years or so has been about three-and-a-half hours. It’s pretty long. That includes a halftime show that generally lasts 20-30 minutes.
Who’s performing at halftime?
It’s K.Dot himself, 22-time Grammy winner Kendrick Lamar.
Who are the quarterbacks of the Eagles and Chiefs?
It’s always a good bet that the quarterbacks will play a big role in the Super Bowl. A quarterback usually wins MVP of the game, after all. A quarterback has won 33 of the previous 58 Super Bowl MVP trophies, and 16 of the last 24 since 2000.
The quarterback of the Chiefs is Patrick Mahomes (No. 15). Mahomes is already thought of as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and is generally considered the best player currently playing in the NFL. He has been the starter in Kansas City for seven seasons, and this is his fifth trip to the Super Bowl. He’s won three out of his first four, including each of the last two years. He’s widely regarded as the NFL’s most creative quarterback, and his ability to change arm angles and make throws that others cannot makes the Chiefs nearly impossible to defend.
The quarterback of the Eagles is Jalen Hurts (No. 1). Hurts is a dual-threat quarterback who makes as many plays with his legs as he does with his arm. He has been Philly’s starter for four seasons and this is now his second Super Bowl appearance, having lost to Mahomes and the Chiefs two years ago. He’s a strong deep-ball thrower and the league’s preeminent purveyor of the “Tush Push,” a quarterback sneak play that is wildly effective. He does tend to struggle throwing under heavy pressure and against the blitz, and Kansas City’s defense is capable of getting pressure in the face of any passer.
Are there other especially notable players I should know?
Of course! You don’t get to the Super Bowl without a ton of quality talent on your team.
Let’s start with the Chiefs:
- Tight end Travis Kelce (No. 87). Arguably the greatest tight end of all time, Kelce is still going strong at age 35. This was his seventh consecutive season with at least 90 catches, and his 10th straight making the Pro Bowl. He always steps his game up in the playoffs, and this year has been no different. And yes, he is Taylor Swift’s boyfriend.
- Wide receivers Xavier Worthy (No. 1), Hollywood Brown (No. 5) and DeAndre Hopkins (No. 8). Worthy is only a rookie, but he has become one of Mahomes’ most trusted targets. He also might very well be the fastest man in NFL history, having set an NFL Combine record with his 40-yard dash time. You can expect to see Kansas City use him quite often on short passes and crossing routes that get him the ball on the move. Hollywood was injured for most of the season but came back late in the year and has been an increasingly important part of the passing game. Hopkins was acquired via trade mid-season and is a contested-catch specialist who could be a big help in the red zone.
- Defensive tackle Chris Jones (No. 95) and edge rusher George Karlaftis (No. 56). Jones is one of the NFL’s top interior pass rushers, getting pressure on the opposing quarterback way more often than usual for a player at his position. He signed a massive new contract with the Chiefs this past offseason and again put together a fantastic year. Karlaftis is Kansas City’s best edge rusher. He tends to win more with power than speed, though, and that might not be as effective as usual against Philly’s massive offensive tackles.
- Offensive linemen Joe Thuney (No. 62), Mike Caliendo (No. 66), Creed Humphrey (No. 52), Trey Smith (No. 65) and Jawaan Taylor (No. 74). Pay particularly close attention to Thuney and Taylor. Thuney is an All-Pro guard who had to move outside to tackle because of Kansas City’s struggles protecting Mahomes’ blind side. (Caliendo moved into the lineup at guard to take Thuney’s place inside.) Taylor is considered a liability due to his penchant for taking penalties. The interior duo of Humphrey and Smith is arguably the best in the league.
- Cornerbacks Trent McDuffie (No. 22) and Jaylen Watson (No. 35). McDuffie and Watson are one of the NFL’s youngest and best cornerback duos. When they were both healthy, Kansas City’s defense performed at an extremely high level this season. They will, however, have their hands full in this game with Philadelphia’s elite wide receiver duo of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.
- Linebackers Nick Bolton (No. 32), Drue Tranquill (No. 23) and Leo Chenal (No. 54). This group, along with safeties Justin Reid (No. 20) and Bryan Cook (No. 6) is in for a very tough assignment in the Super Bowl, as they will be the players primarily responsible for making sure that star Eagles running back Saquon Barkley doesn’t break into the open field and rip off big plays.
And what about the Eagles?
- Running back Saquon Barkley (No. 26). Barkley is a former No. 2 overall pick of the New York Giants who signed with Philly last offseason and had the best season of any running back in recent memory, rushing for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is a finalist for the league MVP award and the likely Offensive Player of the Year winner. He has remarkable speed, power, vision and change-of-direction ability, and the Eagles hand him the ball more often than any back in the league.
- Wide receivers A.J. Brown (No. 11) and DeVonta Smith (No. 6). You could hardly find two receivers with more different builds and/or playing styles. Brown is all about the combination of speed and power, and he is a madman creating yards after the catch. Smith is more slippery and agile, getting by with his route-running and ability to create separation. They are each equally capable of going off for a huge game, though Brown tends to be Hurts’ top target most often.
- Defensive linemen Jalen Carter (No. 91), Milton Williams (No. 93), Jordan Davis (No. 90), Nolan Smith (No. 3) and Josh Sweat (No. 19). Philly has one of the league’s best defensive lines, and if the Eagles are going to slow down Kansas City’s offense, these guys will have to play a huge role. Carter, in particular, is an absolute game-wrecker on the defensive interior, and if he can find a way to dominate on the inside, that could swing the entire matchup.
- Linebacker Zack Baun (No. 54). Baun is a former edge rusher and special teams player whom the Eagles moved to middle linebacker after signing him to a bargain-basement contract last offseason, and he became an All-Pro and a candidate for Defensive Player of the Year. He roams sideline to sideline and seemingly makes every single tackle, and he’s also an effective blitzer.
- Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell (No. 27) and Cooper DeJean (No. 33). Mitchell and DeJean are both rookies, and they have been two of the best defensive backs in the NFL. DeJean’s insertion into the lineup at slot corner corresponded with Philly’s ascension to being one of the league’s best defenses.
- Offensive linemen Jordan Mailata (No. 68), Landon Dickerson (No. 69), Cam Jurgens (No. 51), Mekhi Becton (No. 77) and Lane Johnson (No. 65). Considered arguably the best offensive line in all of football, this group clears massive holes for Barkley and generally keeps Hurts very well protected. You’ll be able to pick out Mailata and Becton fairly easily because they are absolutely massive human beings, each standing at least 6-foot-7 and weighing at least 360 pounds. Johnson is considered the league’s top right tackle, and arguably its best overall offensive lineman. Jurgens, meanwhile, moved from guard to center this season to replace retired All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce.
There are obviously more notable players, but this list is a good start.
Who are the coaches of the Chiefs and Eagles?
The head coach of the Chiefs is Andy Reid. Reid is the best offensive coach of his generation, and one of the best coaches in NFL history. He’s been in Kansas City since 2013, when the Chiefs have been one of the NFL’s best teams with a remarkable degree of consistency. Before coaching the Chiefs, Reid coached the Eagles from 1999 through 2012.
The head coach of the Eagles is Nick Sirianni. A lightning rod of a coach, Sirianni has been known to get into it with fans — of opposing teams as well as the Eagles’ own. He was seemingly on the verge of being fired last offseason, only to keep the job and amazingly lead his team back to the Super Bowl for the second time.
The Chiefs and Eagles also both have several well-known assistant coaches.
- Kansas City’s offensive coordinator is Matt Nagy. Nagy returned to Kansas City in 2023 after a largely unsuccessful four-year head-coaching stint with the Chicago Bears. He had previously served as K.C.’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator before heading to Chicago, and also worked for Reid in Philadelphia.
- The Chiefs’ defensive coordinator is Steve Spagnuolo. A former NFL head coach, Spags has settled into his role as defensive coordinator in K.C. and seems content to be an extremely high-level assistant. He is known as a great game-plan designer, particularly in playoff settings, and his creative blitz packages are known to give opposing quarterbacks trouble.
- The Eagles’ offensive coordinator is Kellen Moore. He previously held the same role with the Cowboys and Chargers, and arrived in Philadelphia this year. He is the favorite to become the next head coach of the New Orleans Saints.
- Philly’s defensive coordinator is Vic Fangio. A former NFL head coach, Fangio is a defensive backs specialist and is widely credited with popularizing the two-high safety defense that is most common among NFL teams these days. He also arrived with the Eagles this year, and spearheaded a remarkably turnaround for his unit.
What’s a good talking point to bring up with fans of each team?
- Eagles fans: It’s time to get our revenge! (The Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVI two years ago.)
- Chiefs fans: Three-peat! (The Chiefs have a chance to become the first team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowls.)
When will people start caring about next year’s Super Bowl?
Literally the exact second this game ends. Get ready.