What to watch for in the Super Bowl if you don't know anything about football

NEW YORK -- You don't person to beryllium an American shot fan, oregon adjacent an American, to person heard astir the Super Bowl. For the NFL faithful, the lawsuit is simply a last propulsion toward the extremity portion pursuing a season-long thrust down the gridiron, each gait filled with changeable nerves and precocious humor pressure. But for those who are conscionable joining for the last sprint (and didn't recognize the metaphor successful that past sentence), here's everything you request to cognize to get caught up to speed.

Who's playing?

Last year's Super Bowl winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, volition beryllium playing against the Philadelphia Eagles.

If a Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl sounds familiar, that's due to the fact that it is. Just 2 years ago, the 2 teams competed successful Super Bowl 57, erstwhile backmost Patrick Mahomes helped pb his squad to victory.

What's each this chatter astir a 'three-peat'?

This year, each eyes are connected the Chiefs. Not conscionable due to the fact that Taylor Swift's fellow is connected the squad ( though it helps ) but due to the fact that they person the accidental to bash thing that nary squad has ever done before: triumph 3 consecutive Super Bowls.

Can they bash it? We shall see.

Gamblers are divided successful the aboriginal wagering connected the Super Bowl. Sports betting tract BetMGM has the Chiefs arsenic the favored winners with likelihood astatine -130. The underdog Eagles person their likelihood astatine +110.

When is the game, and however tin I ticker it?

At 6:30 p.m. EST connected Sunday, Feb. 9, the 2 teams volition look disconnected astatine the Caesars Superdome successful New Orleans. The crippled volition aerial connected Fox, but for those without cable, the web volition watercourse the crippled connected Tubi, a free, ad-supported streaming service, for the archetypal time.

How does shot enactment again? What are the rules?

For each its ubiquity successful the U.S., shot is simply a amazingly analyzable sport. So let's instrumentality with the basics and speech done immoderate presumption you mightiness perceive connected the broadcast.

There are 2 teams, and each 1 wants to people arsenic galore points arsenic possible.

When a squad has the ball, they volition effort to either tally oregon propulsion the shot down the 100-yard-long tract successful hopes of getting it into the extremity zone, frankincense scoring a touchdown, which is worthy 6 points (a palmy other constituent footwear aft the touchdown would marque it 7). The different squad volition question to halt their hostile by either tackling the subordinate with the ball, knocking the shot to the crushed oregon intercepting the ball.

Teams person sets of violative and antiaircraft players. When a squad has the ball, their violative players instrumentality the field, pushing guardant and protecting the subordinate with the ball. The squad without the shot has its antiaircraft players instrumentality the field, attempting to halt their opponents from advancing. The squad with the shot has 4 chances (called "downs") to determination 10 yards down the field. If they successfully beforehand 10 yards, the fig of downs resets. If they fail, the shot indispensable spell to the different team.

There are a batch much details and exceptions, but these cardinal rules should assistance get you done the game.

Who are immoderate cardinal players to watch?

Eagles moving backmost Saquon Barkley, #26, helped pb the Birds to the Super Bowl and had an unthinkable season. He signed a $37.75 million, three-year declaration past March and became the ninth subordinate ever to unreserved for 2,000 yards successful a regular season. He besides acceptable an NFL grounds by completing 7 touchdown runs of astatine slightest 60 yards successful the regular play and playoffs.

Eagles backmost Jalen Hurts, #1, had a large Super Bowl against the Chiefs 2 years ago, but helium mislaid a fumble that was returned for a touchdown successful the archetypal fractional of Kansas City's 38-35 comeback victory.

But that won't chopped it this time, particularly not successful Philadelphia.

As for the Chiefs, backmost Patrick Mahomes, #15, oregon arsenic his teammates and coaches telephone him, " Laid-back Pat, " is 1 of the top successful the sport. He already has 3 Super Bowl rings and is chasing a fourth, and is simply a two-time league MVP who is shattering records each season.

Travis Kelce, #87, has been ranked by AP arsenic the NFL's apical choky extremity 2 years successful a row. Kelce is Mahomes' astir trusted walk catcher, truthful you tin expect to perceive the 2 players' names mentioned successful tandem a batch connected Sunday.

hiladelphia Eagles backmost Jalen Hurts, left, and Kansas City Chiefs backmost Patrick Mahomes (15) shingle hands connected Monday, Nov. 20, 2023, successful Kansas City, Mo.

AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File

Who are the coaches?

Nick Sirianni took the helm for the Eagles successful 2021, his archetypal clip serving arsenic caput coach. He's worked to capable the shoes of manager Doug Pederson, who led the squad to a Super Bowl triumph successful 2017.

Sirianni has the highest winning percent among progressive NFL coaches and the fifth-best successful NFL history. However, he's often ridiculed for his sideline antics that tin overshadow his coaching success.

The Chiefs' Andy Reid is an NFL stalwart who's guided the squad for implicit a decade.

Reid is nary alien to the Eagles himself. Before joining the Chiefs, helium coached the Eagles for 13 seasons and was the astir palmy successful the team's history. Go figure.

Despite starring opposing teams, Reid and Sirianni person thing successful common: At immoderate point, Eagles fans wanted them some fired.

What if shot conscionable isn't my thing?

You don't person to support your oculus connected the shot to bask the large game. Here are a fewer things to ticker retired for this year:

1. Fun ads: Brands are paying large bucks to support the nostalgia bid rolling. Former "When Harry Met Sally" costars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal volition reunite for a mayonnaise commercialized acceptable successful Katz's Deli, and Chrises Pratt and Hemsworth volition usage their bromance (last seen connected surface successful "Avengers: Infinity War") to beforehand Meta's astute Ray Ban sunglasses.

2. The halftime show: Seventeen-time Grammy victor Kendrick Lamar volition execute astatine this year's halftime show, continuing his taste domination with different triumph thigh pursuing the merchandise of his chart-topping "GNX" medium and decisive triumph implicit Canadian rapper Drake successful past year's rap beef.

3. Taylor Swift's presence: While it's intolerable to cognize wherever the superstar volition beryllium connected immoderate fixed day, it's harmless to presume she'll beryllium successful New Orleans connected Feb. 9 wearing reddish to enactment her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

4. Betting connected the game: If you're implicit 18 and successful a authorities wherever it's legal, you tin go 1 of the galore millions of Americans who stake connected the large game. And if the crippled itself doesn't involvement you, determination are tons of different proposition bets that person thing to bash with football. They could beryllium thing from what colour the Gatorade volition beryllium erstwhile it's dumped connected the winning manager (a long-standing shot tradition), to however agelong the nationalist anthem tally clip volition beryllium and whether Kelce volition suggest to Swift astatine the extremity of the game. ( Yes, this is simply a existent thing.)