WASHINGTON — The Super Bowl is coming up with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas, with the winner getting the Lombardi Trophy and the glory.
And with 58 years of history behind the big game, there’s a lot of interesting facts about the Super Bowl to brush up on before Feb. 11. Here are a few:
Super Bowl LVIII is what number? Why roman numerals?
Super Bowl LVIII is the 58th Super Bowl. According to the NFL, the big game used roman numerals starting with Super Bowl V, when the Baltimore Colts beat the Dallas Cowboys 16-13.
“The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL Championship Game—the Super Bowl—is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season,” according to the NFL.
The NFL wanted to keep the Super Bowl number distinct from the annual season, because the 2023 season ends with a Super Bowl in 2024. The actual 24th Super Bowl, XXIV, was in 1990.
What was the most one-sided Super Bowl?
There has never been a shutout in a Super Bowl. The fewest points ever scored by a team is three (Dolphins in Super Bowl VI and Rams in Super Bowl LIII).
The biggest blowout was Super Bowl XXIV back in 1990: The San Francisco 49ers beat the Denver Broncos 55-10, a 45-point victory.
The most points scored in a game came when the 49ers beat the San Diego Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX.
Which teams have never made it to the Super Bowl?
The Lions came close to beating the 49ers to make it to the Super Bowl, but fell short keeping the championship game just out of grasp. In the 58 years of Super Bowl history, four teams have never made it: The Lions, the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.
The only other time the Lions have made it to the NFC Championship game was in 1992, when they lost 10-41 to Washington.
How many people watch the Super Bowl?
It’s no exaggeration to say that the Super Bowl is the biggest sporting event of the year for the U.S. More than 100 million people regularly tune in to the broadcast — roughly one third of the country’s population.
Last year’s Super Bowl, LVII, had 115 million viewers, making it not only the most watched Super Bowl in history, but also the most popular TV program of all-time in the U.S.
Super Bowl costs
Those watching the Super Bowl expect to spend $86.04 on average for food, drinks, apparel, decorations and other purchases for the day, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation.
The group’s 2024 survey found the game was most important to just 44% of viewers, followed by the halftime show being most important to 19% and the commercials being the most important part to 18%.
This Super Bowl is a 2020 rematch
Feb. 11 is the second time in five seasons the Chiefs will face the 49ers in a Super Bowl matchup.
In 2020, Kansas City took home the trophy 31-20, in a game that was one of the last major events for people around the country to gather before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. in full force.
The two franchises have a combined 14 Super Bowl appearances. The Chiefs have made it to six, with the 49ers at eight appearances (which ties them for second in the league with three other franchises).
What was the longest Super Bowl?
The longest Super Bowl by elapsed time from kickoff to end of the game, was 4 hours and 14 minutes — 254 minutes — in Super Bowl XLVII between the 49ers and Baltimore Ravens. That’s due to a 34-minute delay when the lights went out in the New Orleans Superdome.
How big is the Vince Lombardi trophy?
The Vince Lombardi Trophy, the ultimate prize for winning a Super Bowl, is seven pounds of pure sterling silver, standing 22 inches tall. But compared to other sports trophies, it’s miniscule.
The MLB World Series Commissioner’s Trophy weighs 30 pounds, standing around 24 inches tall. It’s made of silver as well.
The NBA’s Larry O’Brien Trophy is 15.5 pounds of sterling silver and vermeil, with a 24 karat gold overlay. It stands 24 inches tall.
For the NHL, the Stanley Cup clocks in at 34.5 pounds, and is the tallest of the bunch at 35.25 inches tall.
The most common QB number in the Super Bowl is 12
The most common jersey number for a starting quarterback is No. 12. It has appeared 31 times in the Super Bowl across the NFL’s 58 games. More quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl wearing that number than any other (18 times). But they’ve also lost more Super Bowls than any other (13 times).
Americans will eat HOW MUCH chicken?!
According to the National Chicken Council, Americans will consume an estimated 1.45 billion chicken wings during the 2024 Super Bowl.
According to the group, if those wings were put end-to-end, they would reach 1/3 of the way to the moon. That’s also enough to put 693 wings on every seat in all 30 NFL stadiums.
Nevada’s first time hosting the Super Bowl
With Super Bowl 58 in Las Vegas, Nevada becomes just the 11th state to host the big game. Other states that have held at least one Super Bowl include: Georgia, Texas, Michigan, New Jersey, Arizona, Florida, California, Minnesota, Louisiana, Indiana.