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Gavin Patrick
BY GAVIN PATRICK
Sports Editor
The Super Bowl is the greatest convergence of mediums the world has ever seen. From sports, pop culture, music, food and marketing, there really is something for everybody.
For a person like me who can appreciate it all, it’s four hours of heavenly embellishment.
That’s why I’m excited to celebrate this sacred day in American culture by writing my first column, of what will be a yearly tradition, to recap all things Super Bowl.
Clearly, the Super Bowl has three big components: the game itself, the commercials and the halftime show.
So, I divided my analysis into three sections to properly avert my attention to each ingredient – and boy, are they tasty. Which makes me wonder: am I part of football’s conspiracy to sell you food? (Find out when I discuss the Uber Eats commercial.)
If I’ve already lost you with the commercial reference, maybe this column isn’t for you. Thanks for the click, though!
Feel free to skip to any section of this column to read about whatever part of the Super Bowl interests you. Maybe you couldn’t stand Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show, like everyone in my family over 35. Or maybe you loved the halftime show.
Maybe you missed some commercials while stuck in the bathroom and heard your whole family laughing at the TV. (I’ve been there.) Or, since you saw the Eagles whoop up on the Chiefs so badly, the football talk may be a waste of your time. That’s cool.
Like I said up top, there’s something for everybody.
Whatever your Super Bowl experience was, I’m glad you came to my column to relive its finest moments – or catch up on the things you missed while on the toilet or scrolling TikTok. Or both. It’s a day of multitasking, and I’ll try to do it justice.
Let’s dive in to Super Bowl 59…
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The Big Game
Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Winner: Eagles
Final Score: 40-22
Highlights: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles | Super Bowl LIX Game Highlights
“There will be nooo three-peat.”
Those were the words uttered by legendary play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall on January 20, 1991, when the San Francisco 49ers lost to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship, crushing the 49ers bid to become the first three-peat Super Bowl champion in NFL history.
24 years later, the same words ring true.
The 2024 Kansas City Chiefs were the eighth team to ever embark on the legendary quest for a third straight Lombardi trophy – and the eighth team to fall short. Although, they made it further than the other seven by reaching the season’s final game. They also became the first of the bunch to win 15 regular season games that third year.
But nonetheless, it was a goal that fell painfully short, just like the others.
The best way to tell this game’s story is not by the final score. The Eagles were leading 40-6 (!) with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Everything that happened afterward (and probably long before) was an exercise in futility.
As much as it pains me to say, because it goes against everything Patrick Mahomes has taught us not to think to this point in his career, this game was probably over by halftime, with the Eagles leading 24-0. Perhaps you turned your “tv off” like Kendrick says. Or… you probably watched him first.
It was a stunning result to see happen to a team in the Chiefs who had shown to be better prepared for these moments than maybe any team in history.
Here are three big takeaways I have from the game:
1. Talent, not scheme, still rules the day.
The Eagles plan on defense for this game was very simple: Let the 4-man rush eat, and talent will do the rest. Philadelphia didn’t blitz Mahomes once on his 42 dropbacks, yet generated 16 pressures and got him home for six sacks, the most Mahomes has ever taken in a single game.
For anyone with a beginner’s level of football knowledge, that’s not supposed to happen.
The Super Bowl was the first game in the NFL this season where a team went an entire game without even blitzing twice. The Eagles, simply, did not need to. Their defensive lineman were winning all game, constantly either condensing the pocket into Mahomes’ lap or forcing him into frantic scrambles. There were plays where he had receivers open downfield; there just wasn’t enough time to pull the trigger, or he was too caught up worrying about where the next pressure was coming from.
This game was the first time I could recall seeing Mahomes rattled. His feet were uncomfortable. His eyes were all over the place, quickly averting his reads. His team didn’t have an answer, and he knew it.
And it’s hard to find answers when something so basic is working against you.
The Eagles stripped it down to the basics of football – like they had been doing all season. This year, under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who is considered one of the greatest defensive minds ever, the Eagles rarely used exotic coverages. This could imply moving people in the secondary pre-snap or post-snap and disguising individual assignments.
The Eagles lined up point-blank, essentially, and because their players are so talented and disciplined, they were able to execute at a very high level. Better than anyone in the league, hence the No. 1 ranked defense to their name.
The unit is very detail-oriented; they play with a team-first mentally; everyone does their job, and it’s a beautiful sight to see. We could talk about rush-lane integrity, but I have a deadline to meet.
Everyone in the football world knew the Eagles were the more talented team compared to the Chiefs. We had just expected Kansas City to level the playing field with their all-world quarterback, big-game experience, coaching and voodoo magic, so to speak. No, not the refs – their knack for winning and coming through in the most consequential moments of games, especially close ones.
Well, this game never got close because the Eagles were able to win up front (in “the trenches”), never giving the Chiefs’ genius quarterback and coaches any time to adjust. When a team can’t block, they can’t win. It’s one of the surest bets in the 105-year history of professional football.
It’s easy to compare this game to the other Super Bowl the Chiefs lost in 2021 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the team was without four starting offensive lineman and gave up 25 pressures, 10 QB hits and three sacks. But this game felt even worse than that. The Chiefs were at full strength, defending back-to-back championships and Mahomes was four years wiser and had seemingly “seen it all” at this point.
He certainly didn’t see this coming – and neither did we.
2. Jalen Hurts is one of the game’s best big-game players.
It’s time to put some respect on Jalen Hurts’ name.
I’ve heard much too often this season about Hurts not being able to win a game with his arm, how he’s missing open receivers, playing too conservative, relying on Saquon Barkley to carry the offense – and all of that may have been true for most of the season. But in the playoffs, this guy’s a different cat.
I just went over why the other side of the ball for Philadelphia was the deciding factor in the game, but they also had to get to 40 points somehow. Hurts made everything go on offense. He was sensational against K.C.’s stingy pass defense, only missing on five throws all game and posting a 120 passer rating. He also led all players with 72 rushing yards on 11 carries, with a patented “tush-push” touchdown to boot.
That’s right: All players, including Saquon Barkley, rushed for more yards (2,504) than anyone ever has in a single-season in NFL history. To the surprise of many, the Chiefs’ defense bottled up Barkley about as well as anyone could imagine. They limited his 25 carries to just 57 yards (2.3 yds/carry), his lowest total since October after averaging a whoping 147 yards over the last three playoff games. That meant Hurts had to pick up the slack and, to the dismay of his doubters, delivered.
Maybe Hurts didn’t quote-on-quote “win the game with his arm” because of how well a position his defense put him in, but he made big, timely throws that put the game out of reach – and on critical downs.
His first big delivery came on 4th & 2 of the game’s opening drive. Although negated by a questionable offensive pass interference call, Hurts threw a beautiful back-shoulder ball to A.J. Brown up the right sideline for 32 yards, which would have put Philly in a position to score even earlier.
The second instance did lead to the first score. Hurts changed the play pre-snap to pick up the blitz and delivered another beautiful go-ball up the right sideline, this time to Jahan Dotson for 27 yards, setting up shop at the one-yard line for an automatic touchdown.
Checking to better plays at the line of scrimmage is something Hurts doesn’t get nearly enough credit for. He did it again on a 3rd & 7 in the second quarter. He recognized the single-safety, man-to-man look from K.C. and gave a trigger signal for Brown to go deep, once again delivering the proper back-shoulder throw for a first down.
But perhaps Hurts’ best throw put the nail in the coffin. His defense had just stopped the Chiefs from converting on fourth down, setting up the offense four yards past midfield up 27-0. First play, Hurts comes out of play-action and launches a bomb to Devonta Smith running full-speed on a post pattern for a 46-yard touchdown. It was one of those throws that made you stop and say, “Wow.”
It was the ultimate dagger play and felt like a walk-off at that point, with the Eagles now up 34-0 with 2:40 left in the third.
Hurts has always had that killer mentally going back to his days at Alabama. He’s had a lot of experience in big games and never met a moment that was too big for him. Super Bowl 59, with the Grim Reaper on the other end, was no exception.
That’s why Hurts was the game’s MVP. He pulled a Grim Reaper and delivered in the biggest moments.
3. The Eagles broke the mold.
X’s and O’s and betting lines aside, every superficial sign looked to be going the Chiefs’ direction headed into Sunday. Let me explain.
Kansas City very much felt like “the team of destiny” in this game. First off, they had made it further than any other back-to-back Super Bowl champion did their next season. And, dating back to last season, they did so winning 17 straight one-score games, the longest such streak in NFL history.
People expected this game to come down to the wire, and if that was the case, it felt inevitable that the Chiefs would find another way to come out on top and complete the three-peat. So there’s the notion of, “They’ve made it this far. Why slow down now?”
Second, of the three quarterback rematches in Super Bowl history, the winner of the first meeting also won the second time. Mahomes and Hurts now marked the fourth QB rematch, with Mahomes winning the first battle two years ago, and the opposition he faced was Vic Fangio. In his career, Mahomes was 8-0 versus Fangio defenses – from his time as a head coach and defensive coordinator.
So no problem there, right?
Add in the time Mahomes and company had to prepare, and this looked like a cakewalk. Andy Reid, the Chiefs’ head coach, came into Sunday 32-7 in his career (including playoffs) coming off a week’s rest. Kansas City had that going again this year from Pro Bowl week, with every key player healthy, so the trend was alive and well.
But wait: There’s more. The Chiefs also were wearing light-colored jerseys on Sunday. You know what the record was going into Sunday for teams that wore light-colored jerseys in the Super Bowl over the last 20 years? 16-4.
“Yeah, we got this in the bag,” Chiefs fans said (hypothetically).
*Record scratch*
That’s actually not how football works.
Numbers don’t lie, but there are so many out there that we can use to tell almost any story we want. And that’s exactly what I just did – because I was rooting for the Chiefs.
I could’ve brought up the fact that Mahomes was up against probably the best defense Fangio had ever deployed and by far the toughest unit he faced all year. (The numbers back that up.) I could've also brought up that the Eagles came into Sunday having won 16 of their last 17 games. (Why, too, would they slow down now?)
And get this: Reid was actually 3-4 when his opposing team also came off an open week, which made over half of those seven losses. Well, up that number to five because the Eagles had that extra week from the Pro Bowl, too.
Again, this can’t be stressed enough: Once Philadelphia was able to bully the Chiefs up front, nothing else mattered. We might as well throw out those stats from previous years because it was a new game, and Mahomes was about as good as a chicken with his head cut off. That guy wasn’t 8-0 against Fangio defenses.
We must remember that football is the ultimate team game, and each week is kind of like a new season. Teams can change in what seems like a blink of an eye. Trends flip, streaks stop. We just don’t pay attention to most of them. The ones we do pay attention to are seen as the most important, but one player or one stat doesn’t define outcomes. Teams do, and championships are the product of a collective.
The Eagles dominated the Chiefs on both sides of the ball by way of 22 people doing their job – and a select few standing out from the pack. Not even the greatest player in the world, or destiny itself, could lift Kansas City out of that hole.
Or even the refs. (That’s its own narrative to debunk.)
Although I do know one stat that pulled through in Super Bowl 59. I call it the “Brady Blowout Effect.”
Tom Brady just completed his first season as a broadcaster for FOX and, of course, was on the call for the Super Bowl. From watching his games all season, he became notorious, at least to me and my dad, for calling games that resulted in blowouts. Well, Super Bowl 59 turned out just as we feared. It ended up in an 18-point margin, but we all know it was worse than that.
The average score of a Brady game before that score factored in? 32-19.
The trend lives on. For now…
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Apple Music Halftime Show
Headliner: Kendrick Lamar
Guest Performers: SZA, Mustard, Serena Williams
Link: Kendrick Lamar's Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show
Ah, yes, the boy who cried Mustard.
Most people should know by now that Kendrick Lamar holds the throne in hip-hop music, and his halftime show at Super Bowl 59 only further cemented it.
The performance was unlike anything ever seen on the Super Bowl stage. First off, casting Samuel L. Jackson as Uncle Sam to be the show’s narrator, essentially, was a surprising but effective move. Lamar said in his pre-show press conference on Feb. 6 that he wanted to tell a story, and Jackson’s role certainly set the roadmap for what was an extravagant 13-minute journey.
After Jackson introduced “the great American game,” Lamar kicked off the music in a squat position on top a GNX with “Bodies,” an unreleased track used as a teaser for his latest album “GNX.” The trap beat dropped as he rapped the lyric “we goin’ body for body,” and dancers started to file out of the car one-by-one. Lamar also began slowly rising dramatically from his squat, with his keen rapping on full display.
Then, all of a sudden, the speakers yelled “Christ,” just as the song goes, and all performers ducked as the stadium lights flickered like a machine gun. That’s when Lamar popped up and uttered the first of his freestyled lines, perhaps the defining line of the show:
“The revolution ‘bout to be televised, you picked the right time for the wrong game.”
It was as exciting a start to a show that a music fan could hope for. Only the next 12 minutes were just as scintillating.
The standout moment for me was how Lamar built up his five-time Grammy-winning diss track “Not Like Us.” He knew that every fan watching would be clamoring for it, so he lured them in when he went up to his lady dancers and teased the song’s stirring violins, or as it's known to the masses, the “duh-duh-duhhh duh.” I got a huge kick out of his sly little grin.
Instead of dropping the hardest beat known to man, Lamar decided to “slow it down” with SZA and played their smooth hits “Luther” and “All the Stars” – much to the approval of Uncle Sam.
But America didn’t come to see calm; they wanted a demolition.
That’s when Lamar blew the roof off Caesar's Superdome with – you probably know what I’m talking about.
As good as “Not Like Us” is, though, it was important for Lamar to freshen it up with some new flavors, and he did exactly that. He started building the anticipation early, and when he finally arrived at the moment, again with his lady dancers, he freestyled in between spurts of the intro as the ladies asked, “You really ‘bout to do it?”
The answer: yes. And when it hit, it was nasty.
Lamar did not shy away from his well-documented feud with Canadian rapper Drake. You knew he wouldn’t. He turned and smiled right at the camera as he said the iconic “Say, Drake” line.
I clapped my hands in amusement. Whenever Kendrick smiles like that, it just hits differently.
Of course, the crowd took a large part in the “A-minor” line, which has become a cherished tradition, even at the Grammys.
When the chorus dropped, that’s when legendary tennis player Serena Williams popped on the screen with her bouncy but blistering dance moves. The disdain on her face was evident as “They Not Like Us” sounded.
Williams and SZA were brought on the stage for a reason, and they both happen to have a failed romantic history with Drake. What a troll job that was.
The Record Of The Year sizzled right into part two of “tv off.” We knew what was coming next. Lamar took the tasteful route and started freestyling over the wind-up, and the rest of us braced ourselves and took a deep breath for… (Fine, let’s do it.)
“MUSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRD!”
No, not the condiment, dad.
This was the climax of the show. I thought he’d save it for the end, but the way he landed on it still got me – and in the best way. Then, of course, like everyone predicted, Mustard, in all his glory, came running out onto the stage beside Lamar, and they both did circles with the camera as Lamar rapped the chorus.
Fans were basking in the musical wizardry, but the end came before we knew it. On the last round of “turn his tv off”’s, Lamar made the “come with me” gesture and he gave us one last grin and point before he, literally, turned it off.
The lights, that was. The ones that remained in the crowd spelled out “Game Over,” possibly signaling a final victory in his feud with Drake and relating to the video game theme throughout the set.
Overall, Lamar delivered an absolutely sensational performance that left music fans across the globe mesmerized.
He fully embraced the spotlight in ways only he could. His rapping was crystal clear and added new lyrics. The musical deviations hit like a firecracker. And the guest performers were masterfully incorporated.
Much better than the football game.
Grade: A+
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Commercials
I was thoroughly impressed with this year’s lineup of commercials. I was jotting down possible candidates to rank in this column as they were happening, and there were so many that stood out.
Just like Lamar’s performance (and even the presentation of the football game), storytelling was a key factor. Some were just more satirical than others, like it should always be.
Putting together a list was difficult, but I managed to rank my top 5 favorites. Don’t be mad about the cuts—because they, too, were outstanding—like Novartis’ breast cancer awareness message that put guilt in the stomachs of many, Liquid Death’s “drinking (water) on the job” declaration, Google Pixel’s use of Gemini to prepare for a dream job interview, Angel Soft’s potty break; and don’t forget Little Caesars’ and Pringles’ use of eyebrow and mustache flapping. That was genius.
I could’ve kept going with honorable mentions, but it’s time to narrow down the best of the best.
5. “A Century of Cravings” | Uber Eats
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Bacon, Sean Evans, Martha Stewart, Charli XCX, Greta Gerwig
Link: A Century of Cravings | Uber Eats
This commercial series has been one of my favorites of all time, and it all culminated on the biggest stage.
In this one, Matthew McConaughey tells the origin story of how football was designed to make people hungry (I discussed the series’ first installment in November.) It was entertaining, alright, alight, alright, and McConaughey lived to tell the tale.
It went all the way back to 1876 when the football was named the pigskin – to make people crave bacon, of course. Then, the Buffalo Bills supposedly got their team name from buffalo wings, the town’s most prominent game-day food. Then, former Bears defensive tackle William Perry was famously nicknamed “The Refrigerator” because of his massive size – and to encourage a cold snack. Even Peyton Manning got in on the plot with his famous quarterback cadence “Omaha,” or as McConaughey said: “Omaha! (steak) Omaha! (steak).”
This year, the Super Bowl was held at Caesars Superdome, named after the salad, of course. And the sponsor of the halftime show, Apple Music, was obviously named after a fruit. I gotta give it up for McConaughey and company. They really make a compelling case.
But I’m with what Greta Gerwig said at the end: “No one believes that football was invented to sell—”
Okay, fine. You won, Uber Eats.
4. “Knock Out” | Pfizer
Link: Pfizer | Big Game Commercial 2025 | Knock Out
Pfizer had the first slam dunk of the night.
A young boy channeled LL Cool J’s 1990 smash “Mama Said Knock You Out” to celebrate his victory over cancer, with boxing gloves and everything.
As he laid in his hospital bed one last time, he watched ring announcer Michael Buffer on his TV provide the ultimate jump-start: His famous line, “Let’s get ready to rumbbbbllle.” The boy then got up from his bed and rang the bell – like a true champion.
After taking a victory lap around town, he made it home and embraced his mother. The music turned heartfelt, and pictures from the boy’s real-life journey came flashing on the screen.
It was a loveable and inspiring message from Pfizer, one that reinforced their commitment to fight for “8 cancer breakthroughs by 2030,” while eyeing continued support from stakeholders. I can imagine how many people cried at this one.
3. “So Win.” | Nike
Stars: Sha’Carri Richardson, Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Jordan Chiles, Sabrina Ionescu, JuJu Watkins, Alexia Putellas, Sophia Smith Wilson, Aryna Sabalenka
Link: So Win. | Nike
In a world where doubters are at a premium, Nike gave us a piece of piercing female empowerment.
Athletic standouts Sha’Carri Richardson, Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Jordan Chiles, Sabrina Ionescu, JuJu Watkins, Alexia Putellas, Sophia Smith Wilson and Aryna Sabalenka all stood defiant as they heard repeated declarations of them not being able to do empowering things, such as “take credit,” “speak up” and “be ambitious.”
The narrator flipped the script, though, saying, ‘Why not?’
Reserve psychology had its day in these 60 seconds, blaring the message of, “You can’t do it. So do it.” Prove them wrong; show them what you’re made of; block out the noise and just be you. It was a call for women to work past double-standards in society, using the athletes as inspiration.
And while Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love” may not be the most female-empowering song in the world, we got the point.
2. “Hey Meta, Who Eats Art?” | Ray-Ban, Meta
Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Kris Jenner
Link: Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, and Kris Jenner in the Art Gallery with #RayBanMeta
https://www.facebook.com/uploadvr/videos/1739180226407/4027121984190516/
What was even more surprising than the outcome of the game was Ray-Ban and Meta teaming up for a commercial. Who knew those two worlds could meld?
The companies combined to air two 30-second commercials, one in each half, to introduce their new AI-powered eyeglasses. Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt each wore a pair while exploring Kris Jenner’s art gallery.
One thing they saw was a $6.2 million banana duck-taped to the wall. Pratt was able to find out what it was by asking Meta. He also asked the glasses to translate something written in a foreign language – because, apparently, it sees what you see.
In case anyone watching was freaked out by this, Hemsworth brought comedic relief by eating the prized banana – and to the frantic concern of Pratt. They darted to the fridge to search for a new banana, only to be caught by Jenner, who asked Meta to call her lawyer.
In the second installment, Hemsworth had Meta film Pratt through his glasses as he playfully puckered up to a sculpture crafted by Swiss visual artist Urs Fischer. They discovered Fischer through Meta, too, but they instantly regretted their little video after Pratt accidentally decapitated the sculpture. Good thing Meta could delete videos, ‘cause that’s exactly what they did.
In all, it was a great way for Ray-Ban and Meta to showcase a product that most people hadn’t heard of. It was as original as it was funny, and it brought the conversation around AI glasses to an all-time high.
1. “Owner’s Manual” | Jeep
Star: Harrison Ford
Link: Jeep® | Big Game | Harrison Ford x Jeep | Owner’s Manual
Jeep sent a beautiful message about individuality through the wisdom of Harrison Ford.
Ford waxes poetic about the meaning of life and recommends using an owner’s manual to guide life’s vision. But not one of a vehicle, one that we write ourselves.
This is to be used as a template for what makes us happy, to help properly delegate our priorities. It’s the freedom to choose your path in life, with no path being paved the same.
A big message was to embrace our differences, but be kind to others. As Ford said, “You don’t have to be friends with someone to wave at ‘em.”
There’s another part where Ford tells us to appreciate the “real heroes in the world,” who gave Americans the freedoms he was discussing in the first place, by leading humbly - “not the ones in movies,” like himself. Those, perhaps, are the ones “driven by pride.”
Of course, since it's Jeep, the freedom Ford discusses is synonymous with vehicles, and everything ties back to identifying the Jeep vehicle you see yourself most in. They even work in the two types of Wranglers: “The roar of one man’s engine” – gas-powered – “and the silence of another’s” – plug-in hybrid.
Even though I couldn’t care less about Jeeps, I loved how I felt Ford talk directly to me, like he was in my living room having a conversation. Even just the way he pointed to the Jeep he was sitting in felt authentic. And bringing up the last name was a genius move because it shows that, in a free world, even a Ford can drive a Jeep.
I trust Ford’s wisdom. He’s practically as old as the first Jeep.
It really is a free country, and nothing says that more than the Super Bowl.
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