On Feb. 12, Super Bowl LVII will feature the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at 5:30 p.m. on FOX.

This game will end a season filled with drama, conflict, and cheer. In this game, both teams look to cement themselves as the team to watch in future seasons. However, what are these two teams bringing into this game, and who is going to come out on top?

The Philadelphia Eagles come into the game with a total record (playoffs included) of 16 wins and three losses. They also enter the game with one of the league’s best defenses-leading in sacks with a total of 68 across the defense. Leading that charge is breakout linebacker Haason Redick with 16; other notable pieces in the defense include cornerback Darius Slay and defensive lineman Fletcher Cox. 

Though the Eagles have a strong defensive front on the other side of the ball, Jalen Hurts and the offense has been getting it done on offense. 

The Eagles through the season have a total of 59 touchdowns and have scored over 450 points in total coming both the ground and air. On the ground, Jalen has shown his athleticism as he’s able to keep plays alive with his legs and move around in the pocket and down field. He leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 13; behind him is running back Miles Sanders with 11. 

As far as passing goes, it’s wide receiver AJ Brown that has proven to be a threat, leading the Eagles with 11 receiving touchdowns. The Eagles have shown themselves to be a well-rounded team that is able to play complimentary football with the defense setting up opportunities for the offense and the offense keeping the defense off the field. 

On the other side, the Chiefs come to the game with the same total record of 16 wins and 3 losses. However, the difference is that they come to the game with one of the best offenses in the league. They have a total of 5,250 yards receiving and 1,970 yards running the ball. 

As lopsided as those numbers are, the Chiefs have a respected run game- but the offense really gets its motor from the connection between quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce. The duo is responsible for 1,707 total yards and 16 total touchdowns. That isn’t to overlook the team’s effort, as they combine for 18 rushing touchdowns and 41 passing touchdowns.

The Chiefs, unlike the Eagles, are a little less balanced on the defensive side of the ball but still have some star power in Chris Jones who leads the team in sacks with 15. The Chiefs also come into the game with more experience than the Eagles, as they’ve made it to the Super Bowl twice and won it once. This could be a key factor as usually more inexperienced teams tend to crumble under the pressure because of the weight of expectation. 

Now that both of the teams have been introduced, what does this game mean for each of them and the sport of football going forward? Usually, the Super Bowl is a showcase for the future of football in the sense of what success might look like. For the Chiefs, that would be a dominating offense that is able to get down the field and score within the blink of an eye. On the other hand, the Eagles look to prove that defense isn’t a thing of the past and that it really does win championships. 

This Super Bowl will also be the first time that two starting Black quarterbacks will play each other, proving that the quarterback position is starting to change from the traditional pocket passer to favor the more mobile and athletic quarterback.

“I mean happy Black History Month. It’s just a big moment in history like you see how far the game has come from when it first started to now,”  Niles North Security Guard Dajon Nelson said.

This is also the first time in NFL history that two brothers would be playing against each other in the Super Bowl.

” It’s going to be different, it’s the first time in NFL history that it happened so I’m looking forward to it, and plus their mom wins either way,” Nelson said. 

For the Eagles, a win would mean a return to glory and give fans hope for future seasons to come. For the Chiefs, it would mean the possibility of a new dynasty in football, as they’ve made their division championship for the past 5 seasons and seem to be a favorite every year. 

With all that in mind, it could make it hard to pick a team, so here are some comments from Niles North students who are also football fans.

“I want the Eagles to win, if Patrick Mahomes wins I might get very very mad,” Niles North freshman and reporter Yoni Soloveychik said.

“I think the Eagles are going to win the Super Bowl because they have the better trenches…,” senior Joseph Byron said.

“I think the Eagles could win it but I could totally see Patrick Mahomes pulling it off,” senior Gio Castaneda said. 

Though people everywhere across the country will be tuning in for the last 60 minutes of football before the offseason, many are buzzing about this year’s halftime performance. This year’s halftime performance will be put on by Rihanna, and though it definitely has hype behind it, it also has big shoes to fill. Last year’s performance came from hip-hop legends Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, 50 cent, Eminem, and more. Along with the big expectations, many have already started to guess if Rihanna will at some point have a co-performer or fly solo throughout the act. In any case, fans are in for a good show on Sunday.