(C) U.S. State Dept This story was originally published by U.S. State Dept and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Reigning MVP faces ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ in Super Bowl rematch [1] [] Date: 2024-02-08 05:03:11+00:00 It’s time for the Super Bowl again. The National Football League (NFL) championship game is the biggest date on the U.S. sports calendar and an American obsession. On February 11, more than one-third of the U.S. population is expected to watch Super Bowl LVIII, the halftime show starring Usher and all those attention-grabbing TV ads. In fact, some expect viewership of the game held in Las Vegas to outpace last year’s 115 million viewers, as reported by Sports Media Watch. This year, the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers in a rematch of the 2020 Super Bowl, which ended with the Chiefs’ 31–20 comeback win. The teams earned their rematch by way of a 17-game regular season, followed by a 14-team playoff, spread over three weekends. While the Super Bowl attracts everyone from avid sports fans to those just wanting to spend time with family and friends, here are a few of the storylines that will be vying for their attention. Teams need great top-notch passers to scramble to the top of the NFL, and this year’s quarterbacks are no exception. But the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes II and the 49ers’ Brock Purdy took very different paths to the NFL. Mahomes was the 10th player selected in the 2017 NFL draft and has become the league’s unquestioned leading man. He’s earned both the NFL’s most valuable player (MVP) award and Super Bowl MVP award twice, including in the Chiefs’ 2023 Super Bowl win. He is appearing in his fourth Super Bowl in just six seasons. Though Mahomes didn’t have his best regular season, he is a master of the postseason. During his 17 playoff games, he has thrown a combined 39 touchdown passes to just seven interceptions. Purdy, on the other hand, is headed to his first Super Bowl, despite an unheralded resume. As the last player selected in the 2022 draft, he earned the distinction as that year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.” In the 2022 draft, 261 players, including seven quarterbacks, were picked before Purdy. Yet with Purdy starting at quarterback, the 49ers have a regular season record of 17 wins and four losses. Though not as dynamic as Mahomes, Purdy is an accurate passer and leads a potent 49ers offense that features top-flight players in running back Christian McCaffrey, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle. This year’s Super Bowl spotlight will also fall on Kansas City Chiefs’ All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce is dating pop music superstar Taylor Swift, whose Eras Tour has already grossed more than $1 billion, according to entertainment publications. The couple met after Kelce attended one of Swift’s July 2023 concerts in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs play. Attention to the celebrity couple has reached such a fever pitch that fans can hire someone who looks like Travis Kelce to attend their Super Bowl party for $1,500. The couple’s celebrity may bring even more eyes to this year’s Super Bowl matchup. Given the two terrific, but very different, quarterbacks, Usher’s halftime show and the legions of devoted Swift fans, Super Bowl LVIII may be the most watched ever. This story was written by freelance writer Fred Bowen. [END] --- [1] Url: https://share.america.gov/reigning-mvp-faces-mr-irrelevant-super-bowl-rematch/ Published and (C) by U.S. State Dept Content appears here under this condition or license: Public Domain. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/usstate/