Just like that, we are almost finished for the year.
The NFL season comes to a close tonight as Super Bowl LIX takes place in New Orleans between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's been a busy week for Irish NFL fans, with the historic announcement of the home game in Croke Park for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which will take place later this year.
In the meantime, we have one final game, which could change the face of the sport forever.
An unprecedented three-peat is on the line
No team has ever won the Super Bowl three times in a row.
That’s it - it’s the main storyline in the days approaching the game.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is only 29 years old. He has already led the Chiefs to five Super Bowls in six years.
If Kansas City wins on Sunday, Mahomes would not only have four rings, but he would only be three away from Tom Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl wins as a player.
Rings aside, the prospect of an unprecedented three-in-a-row for Kansas City would put the team and its players into sporting immortality.
As incredible as Brady was throughout a generation, he never won three Super Bowls in a row. A win will see Mahomes move up in the discussion of being the best player to play the game, with Andy Reid - who is looking for a fourth win as well - in conversation regarding greatest coach.
It’s easy to say it, but history is on the line. If the Chiefs can do it, the record books will be changed forever.
Eagles resurgence
It’s fair to say that the Philadelphia Eagles have come back from a bad place. Two years ago, they were defeated by the Chiefs in the Super Bowl and last season was one to forget, with storming performances in the first weeks of the year, only for it to fall apart and end in an acrimonious manner.
Internal arguing, issues between quarterback Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni, among other problems, would have made many doubt whether the Eagles could get back to this stage for another crack at Mahomes and company.
This season, they have found a way, storming to victories after two difficult defeats to the Buccaneers and Falcons early on.
Like any team that reaches this stage, there is a real togetherness with the players. This was evident when we spoke to them up close on Opening Night in the Superdome. You could see first hand that the players have a real love and respect for the Eagles organisation, and want to win the Lombardi trophy for Sirianni.
International flair
Sunday’s Super Bowl will see two international players play on the biggest stage of them all.
Australian Jordan Mailata will take to the field to play in his second Super Bowl. The Eagles lineman has become one of the most recognisable faces of the Philadelphia resurgence. Back home when he was younger, the sport was alien to him.
"I only watched the half-time performance because that’s all I knew about the Super Bowl" he said at a press conference on Tuesday.
He has a chance to become only the second Australian to win the Super Bowl if the Eagles are victorious on Sunday.
Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis will play in his third Super Bowl, in his third season in the league. Karlaftis is from Greece and moved to the United States when he was 12. He has had an outstanding end to the season, recording 32 pressures since Week 14.
That is even more impressive considering he did not play in Week 18 and he had the benefit of a first-round bye week. With a win, he would become the first player to win three Super Bowls at the age of 23.
Spags
One of the standout performers of this Chiefs side is that of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo - or 'Spags’ - as he is known in the locker room.
The way that Spags will control the Chiefs defence on Sunday will be instrumental to the outcome of the game and the play-offs have identified a Chiefs defence that is not afraid to run special, new plays that we have not seen all season.
This Chiefs team love Spagnuolo. Speaking with RTÉ on Monday in New Orleans, George Karlaftis was clear about how key he is to the team. "With Spags, he has so much experience in doing it in the biggest moments and against the best teams," he said.
"With him dialling up the pressure but also the way he gets us ready for moments like these, it makes a big difference."
How Spags stops the run will be one of the fundamental elements of this matchup in New Orleans.
It’s Saquon’s world
The way that Eagles running back Saquon Barkley has played in his first season in Philadelphia has been nothing short of sensational.
His season has been that good, he only needs 30 yards on Super Bowl Sunday to break the record of rushing yards in the regular season and postseason, which has not been touched since Terrell Davis set the mark (2,771 yards) in 1998.
There is an argument that he could literally break the record on the first play of the game for the Eagles, if his performance in the NFC Championship game is anything to go by.
SAQUON ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!
— NFL (@NFL) January 26, 2025
📺: #WASvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/26534Ls9Mx
The NFL season has been one to remember for so many reasons. We can expect history with a game coming to Ireland, while we have seen Derry’s Jude McAtamney make his mark for the Giants, a standout season from Enniskerry's Dan Whelan and preseason memories from Mayobridge man Charlie Smyth.
Whether the Chiefs make history with a three-peat or the Eagles get over the line, tonight is sure to be a memorable finale.
