Okay, so everyone has surely prepared for the game, by now. I was late myself this year, because like with so much else as I find myself growing older, it all seemed to sneak up on me mighty quickly. But I finally got the good, including Buffalo wings and veggies, and Snickers ice cream bars, and the like. Plus, I made my official predictions here, so I'm set, right?
Still, there are a few things about the Super Bowl that seem worth taking note of. You see, I can geek out about quite a few things, including Star Wars, Goldorak (he is known as Grendizer in English, Goldrake in Italian, and UFO ロボ グレンダイザー Yūfō Robo Gurendaizā in Japanese). I can also geek out about Indiana Jones, about some science that gets me excited (despite my lack of actual ability in science), and about a few authors, especially Kurt Vonnegut and Stephen King, both of whom I have been reading now for many, many years. And there are other things that I can get wrapped up in, as well.
But one of those things can be certain sports stories. I can get like that with the World Cup especially, when it comes around (and it will later this year), and to a lesser extent, the Euro tournaments. I can get like that sometimes with the NBA playoffs and, also to a lesser degree, to the Stanley Cup playoffs, mostly because I lost a lot of interest in hockey over recent decades, with all of the strikes and the watered down teams, due mostly to excessive expansion into traditionally non-hockey markets (like in Vegas where, not so surprisingly, the expansion team is doing very well this year). But I can also definitely get like that around this time of the year, during the Super Bowl, and have for many years now.
I'm not kidding, either. Without much effort, I can tell you every score of each and every Super Bowl, and this is a skill that seems to truly amaze many people, when they question me, internet in hand, and put this knowledge (many initially think I am kidding or exaggerating) to the test. But the Super Bowl always fascinated me, and it seems like it is bigger now than it was during my childhood, although maybe this year, it will not be quite as big as in recent years, due largely to the numerous controversies that the NFL has been involved with, one way or the other, including the issues with domestic violence, concussions, and players kneeling during the national anthem, something that obviously drew the ire of President Trump and his supporters. Still, everyone is talking about the big game, and the controversies have largely been forgotten, at least for now.
And I have paid attention to certain trends with the Super Bowls. For this Super Bowl, the Patriots chose their white uniforms, which makes sense. This bucks the league tradition of wearing the home jerseys (which is to say, the dark jerseys) in favor of the white ones for the big game. Why? Well, right now, the team wearing white jerseys has a decisive advantage overall in Super Bowl games, with teams wearing the traditional away whites enjoying a 33-18 overall record. That is pretty decisive, but wearing white has been especially advantageous in recent years, with teams wearing white jerseys having won 12 of the last 13 Super Bowls (the exception was the Packers beating the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV). From Super Bowl XXXIX (coincidentally, that was the Super Bowl that matched this year's participants, the Eagles and the Patriots) to Super Bowl XLIV, the team wearing white won six straight Super Bowls, a record at the time. But right now, the team wearing white has also won six straight, and with the Patriots opting to wear their white unis in this one, they have a shot to make it seven in a row.
It feels a bit reminiscent of the old "NFC Streak" from the 1980's into the late 1990's, when the NFC teams won Super Bowl after Super Bowl, for 13 straight years. It reached a point where AFC teams were not even taken seriously, and the NFC Championship Game came to be regarded as the de facto Super Bowl, especially when the Cowboys and 49ers matched up against one another in the first half of the nineties.
The overall record of teams wearing their whites in the big game is already quite impressive, but it is even more decisive in Super Bowls played indoors. Teams wearing their white jerseys have compiled an overall record of 14-4, dating back to Super Bowl XII back in the late 1970's (teams wearing white won XII, XV, XVI, XX, XXIV, XXVI, XXVIII, XXXIV, XL, XLII, XLVI, XLVII, XLIX, and LI, while teams wearing dark jerseys in indoor Super Bowls won XXXI, XXXVI, XXXVIII, and XLV). Only two teams have actually managed to win indoor Super Bowls while wearing their dark home jerseys - the Green Bay Packer and the New England Patriots, each winning it like that twice. That is surely a part of the reason why the Patriots opted to wear their white jerseys, because in the Belichick/Brady era, they have gone 3-0 in Super Bowls while playing in their white jerseys.
The New England Patriots will be in their tenth Super Bowl in franchise history tomorrow in Minnesota. There was only one previous Super Bowl played in Minnesota, that being back in the 1991-92 season. Back then, the Washington Redskins were one of the most dominant teams in NFL history, and they played that way in the big game, too, jumping out to a 17-0 halftime lead over the Buffalo Bills, and taking a 37-10 lead in the fourth quarter, before the Bills scored a couple of touchdowns late in the fourth, when the game was long before decided, to make it look more respectable.
That was during that infamous NFC streak, but that ended a long time ago, as well. Now, the NFC still holds an advantage overall in Super Bowls, but no longer is it a decisive one. Now, the NFC is clinging to a very narrow 26-25 advantage, with the Patriots hoping to even things up by winning this game. New England is 5-4 overall in their previous Super Bowl appearances, but they have gone 5-2 in the Belichick/Brady era, with only the New York Giants managing to beat them (albeit twice).
And yes, one of those wins was against the Philadelphia Eagles, back in Super Bowl XXXIX. Philly has made it to the big game two previous times, but they lost both of those. The Oakland Raiders beat them, 27-10, back in Super Bowl XV, and in Super Bowl XXXIX, which was already mentioned, New England edged the Eagles, 24-21.
Also, when the top-rated defense plays the top-rated offense, the defensive team has almost always won. That said, neither team has the overall top-rated defense or offense for this season going into this game. Turnovers usually are huge, and quarterbacks, more often than not, win the Super Bowl MVP award. Brady himself has won it a record four times!
So, just a few last minute thoughts that I figured would be worth sharing just before the big game tomorrow.
Enjoy the game, and God willing, see you on the other side of this Super Bowl weekend!
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