Super Bowl 2025 explainer: What to watch for if you don’t know anything about football

NEW YORK (AP) — 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?

Patrick Mahomes #15 and Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs observe aft the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to triumph the AFC Championship Game astatine GEHA Field astatine Arrowhead Stadium connected January 26, 2025 successful Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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 boyfriend 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 split successful the aboriginal wagering connected the Super Bowl. Sports betting site 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. ET 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.

Philadelphia Eagles backmost Jalen Hurts successful enactment earlier an NFL divisional circular playoff shot game, Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023, successful Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

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 end zone, thus scoring a touchdown, which is worthy 6 points (a successful extra constituent kick after 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 or intercepting the ball.

Teams person sets of offensive and defensive players. When a squad has the ball, their offensive players instrumentality the field, pushing guardant and protecting the subordinate with the ball. The squad without the shot has its defensive 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?

Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks connected anterior to the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders astatine Lincoln Financial Field connected January 26, 2025 successful Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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.

Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs passes the shot to Travis Kelce #87 during overtime astatine GEHA Field astatine Arrowhead Stadium connected November 04, 2024 successful Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

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 end 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.

Who are the coaches?

Philadelphia Eagles’ Nick Sirianni reacts during the NFC Championship NFL shot crippled betwixt the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, successful Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

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.

Kansas City Chiefs caput manager Andy Reid is doused aft their triumph against the Philadelphia Eagles astatine the NFL Super Bowl 57 shot game, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, successful Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

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:

Fun ads: Brands are paying large bucks to keep 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 onscreen successful “Avengers: Infinity War”) to beforehand Meta’s astute Ray Ban sunglasses.

Kendrick Lamar performs during the Festival d’ete de Quebec successful Quebec City, Canada connected July 7, 2017. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

The halftime show: 17-time Grammy victor Kendrick Lamar volition header 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 in last year’s rap beef.

Taylor Swift: While it’s astir intolerable to cognize wherever the superstar volition beryllium connected immoderate fixed day, she volition beryllium successful New Orleans connected Feb. 9 wearing reddish to enactment fellow Travis Kelce.

Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs kisses Taylor Swift aft defeating the San Francisco 49ers 2 during Super Bowl LVIII astatine Allegiant Stadium connected February 11, 2024 successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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.)