25 things to know about the Super Bowl

How many of these things to know ahead of the Super Bowl do you know?

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts meets with the media during Super Bowl LVII opening night with the Eagles players and coaches at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Monday, February 6, 2023.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

by Ed Barkowitz, For The Inquirer

Published Feb. 8, 2023, 10:00 a.m. ET

This was a prove-it season for Jalen Hurts. There was no question he was going to be the Eagles quarterback in 2022, but there was enough draft capital stored up in Howie Roseman’s war chest that the Eagles could have moved on if Hurts had stumbled. He was 9-11 as a starter and was mediocre in his only playoff game, last year’s wild-card loss to Tampa Bay.

But a funny thing happened in 2022. Hurts got the ability to work with the same offensive coaches for a second consecutive season, the first time he’d been afforded that comfort since high school. The Eagles added a WR1 (A.J. Brown) to go along with their WR1a (Devonta Smith). The offensive line, already solid, got even better.

Today, Jalen Hurts is favored to win the Super Bowl MVP. Life happens fast.

The NFL’s championship is part football, part extravaganza. Put down those chicken wings, here are some healthier things to chew on ahead of the latest chapter in Hurts’ fascinating saga.

*The Eagles will be designated the home team, which means Kansas City’s captains will call the coin toss. This has, strangely, become one of the most popular Super Bowl sports-betting propositions because of its simplicity. Heads or tails.

*In addition to the players and officials, four scholars of the Pat Tillman Foundation will supervise the coin toss. Tillman is the former Cardinals player who walked away from football and a million dollar contract to join the Army following the 9/11 attacks. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

*Tillman left a note for his wife before shipping out. Marie Tillman told CNN that Pat wrote, “Through the years, I’ve asked a great deal for you. Therefore, it should surprise you little that I have another favor to ask. I ask that you live.” Whoa.

*This will be Carl Cheffers’ third Super Bowl as referee. He was there for the Patriots’ historic comeback against Atlanta in Supe 51, and again four years later when the Chiefs were bounced by the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.

*Cheffers was a side judge before becoming a referee in 2008. The Eagles are 6-8 all-time when he’s reffing, including a win over the Giants in this year’s regular-season finale to clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

*Kansas City is 16-7 in games reffed by Cheffers, 12-4 since 2013, when Andy Reid took over as KC’s coach.

*If the Eagles defense can get two sacks against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, their defense will have as many as the ‘85 Bears. And because the Eagles had a playoff bye, they’ll have played the same amount of games as that defense, which mauled the Patriots in Super Bowl 20 and is considered one of the greatest defenses in league history.

*Rihanna is topping the bill for the halftime show. She reportedly would get terrible headaches as a child from living in a fractured home and would sing to relieve the stress.

*Babyface will sing “America The Beautiful,” Chris Stapleton will handle the national anthem, and Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

*Both teams arrived in Arizona on Sunday. The Eagles have been staying at a Sheraton in Phoenix. KC has quartered at a Hyatt in Scottsdale.

*Lamar Hunt, the founder of the Chiefs who died in 2006, is generally credited with inventing the name “Super Bowl.” It was derived from the toy sensation “Super Ball” that his daughter Sharon would play with in the 1960s.

*Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (+110) was favored to be named Super Bowl MVP at BetMGM on Thursday, just ahead of Chiefs counterpart Patrick Mahomes (+125). Next on their odds board was Travis Kelce (+1100), A.J. Brown (+1400) and DeVonta Smith (+2500).

*This will be the first Super Bowl for Fox announcers Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen. Burkhardt worked his way up as a Mets broadcaster on SNY, and made appearances on the old CN8 and Comcast SportsNet’s Daily News Live.

*Olsen, who is terrific as an analyst, was an NFL tight end for 14 seasons. He had four catches in Super Bowl 50, when Carolina lost to Denver.

*The Super Bowl trophy weighs 6.7 pounds and is 20.75 inches tall. It was renamed in 1970 to honor Vince Lombardi, who led the Packers to five NFL championships, including the first two Super Bowls. Only one team ever beat Lombardi in the playoffs and it happened in the 1960 championship game at Franklin Field. Yes, the Eagles did it.

*Super Bowl I, in 1967, was on two networks: CBS and NBC. The half-hour pregame show also was televised in color. The Rolling Stones were booked to play The Ed Sullivan Show later that night.

*None of the five players to score a touchdown for the Eagles in the Super Bowl five years ago are still with the team.

-Zach Ertz, 32, had 47 catches for Arizona this year, but also had ACL and MCL surgery in December.

-Nick Foles, 34, played for the Colts this year, but is on his last legs.

-Corey Clement, 28, was with the Ravens and Cardinals this year and is hanging on.

-Alshon Jeffery, 32, was released in March 2021.

-LeGarrette Blount, 36, retired in 2020.

*The Eagles and Chiefs each played at State Farm Stadium this season. Kansas City overwhelmed Arizona, 44-21 in Week 1 (Mahomes had 360 yards passing and five TDs). The Eagles slipped by the Cardinals in Week 5, hanging on for a 20-17 win when Arizona kicker Matt Ammendola missed a 43-yard field goal which would have forced overtime.

*The Eagles are using the Arizona Cardinals’ facilities for practice. Kansas City is training at Arizona State.

*Players on the winning team get $157,000 each. The losing team gets $82,000 per.

*Next year’s Super Bowl is in Las Vegas. After that, it’s in New Orleans. Expect plenty of debauchery.

Source: Inquirer research, Pro-Football-Reference.com