Super Bowl Sunday has come and gone along with 1.47 billion chicken wings! Wow! Beyond Americans consuming a record-breaking number of wings, several other records were broken as the Philadelphia Eagles overpowered the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether you were glued to your TV screen, cramming for a midterm, or simply popping in to watch Kendrick and SZA, here is your Super Bowl LIX recap so you don’t drop the ball when your coworker mentions it this week!
Highlight Reel
First things first, the Eagles won! Yippee for them! The Eagles delivered a blowout to the Chiefs with a knockout score of 40-22, securing their second Super Bowl Championship. A win for the Chiefs would’ve meant they had three consecutive championship rings on their fingers–something that has never happened in NFL history–however, they were just not strong enough to secure that title.
The Eagles victory was due to several player’s incredible performances. Jalen Hurts (quarterback) captured Super Bowl MVP by throwing two touchdowns and ran for a score on tush push. Cooper DeJean (cornerback) had an incredible interception and touchdown on his 22nd birthday. Happy Birthday, king! After finishing with 57 yards, Saquon Barkley (running back) set a new season rushing record of 2,504 total yards and broke Terrell Davis’ previous record of 2,476 yards. Pop off! There were so many amazing moments in the game with the Eagles smothering the Chief’s flame at every turn.
Super Bowl LIX had a lot of eyes on it as this isn’t the first time the Chiefs and Eagles have gone toe to toe; they first matched up back in 2023 with the Chiefs taking the win. Considering the fact that the score at halftime was 22-0, I’m certain the Eagles came to New Orleans ready to serve up some revenge.
Halftime Show
Onto the music: Kendrick Lamar also came ready to serve up some revenge (gotta love a hater). The Halftime Show presented by Apple Music started with Samuel L. Jackson posing as Uncle Sam dazzling in a red and blue suit with white stars to introduce the show. He continually popped up to offer commentary throughout the performance. After Jackson disappeared, Kendrick was spotted atop a car similar to the one on his latest album cover, a GNX. Dancers dressed in head to toe red, white, and blue filed out of the car as Kendrick sang “HUMBLE.” To simulate that his life is like a video game, his stage was reminiscent of a game controller with massive platforms of an X, O, square, and triangle sitting in the corners of the field while a long white catwalk ran down the center.
It was truly a spectacular and an incredible performance–dancers formed an American flag with Kendrick parting it down the middle, people hung from lamp posts, and SZA entranced everyone as she sang “All the Stars” and joined Kendrick on “luther.” Additionally, Serena Williams made a surprise appearance as she crip walked to “Not Like Us.” Kendrick’s Grammy winning song was built as a diss to Drake, who Serena previously dated. Talk about a massive F*** You.
As with all halftime shows, the costumes are a vital part. Kendrick donned a pair of denim bootcut flare jeans and the internet loved it. He also sported a chain with a lower-case a, which fans are attributing to his lyric “trying to strike a chord and it’s probably a minor” that accuses Drake of being a pedophile. It was a bad day to be Drake but a great day to be SZA. She stunned in a full red leather look with matching red hair (gorgeous). Serena Williams rocked a cobalt blue skirt and jacket with a white crop top. Pinning to inspo board immediately.
You can watch the full halftime performance here.
Special Guest Stars
Football is for everyone and several celebrities popped down to NOLA. Of course Taylor Swift was there to support Travis Kelce. Fans were speculative if she would be in full Chiefs gear or support her hometown team back in Philadelphia. She wore a cream outfit with a blazer, simple tank top, and jean shorts; perhaps a white flag of sorts?
Other guest stars included Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga (who performed during the pre-game show), Paul Rudd, Kevin Costner, Adam Sandler, Anne Hathaway, Kevin Hart, and many others. Jason Kelce was also spotted supporting his brother. President Donald Trump caught the camera’s eye before kickoff making him the first president to attend the Super Bowl while in office. Any guesses as to whom everyone was rooting for?
Honorable Mentions: Standout Commercials
The Super Bowl is great because even the moments in between the games are entertaining. Since 117.3 million people were predicted to watch the game–that includes around the world–commercial slots are insanely valuable and it’s time for companies to show up and show out.
Hellman’s brought in some fan favorites as Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal recreated the diner scene from When Harry Met Sally where Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm after eating a sandwich, this time with Hellman’s mayo spread on it. Sydney Sweeney even popped in to say that “[she’ll] have what she’s having.” Classic.
Another great one was given by Instacart where iconic brand mascots like the Energizer bunny, Mr. Clean, and the Kool-Aid Man ran to your doorstep to show that Instacart has all your favorites. Talk about nostalgia!
Nike premiered their first Super Bowl ad in 27 years and made it worth it. Stellar Female Athletes like Caitlin Clark, Jordan Chiles, Sha’carri Richardson, amongst others demonstrated their strength and style as Doechii narrated that everyone will say you can’t win, so you win. I’ve never felt more inspired and am always happy to see girls take their space in the sports world.
There were so many ads displayed with an incredible cast of characters such as David Beckham and Matt Damon for Stella Artois; Harrison Ford for Jeep; Peyton Manning, Post Malone, and Shane Gillis for Bud Light; UberEats pulled out all the stops with Matthew McConaughey, Greta Gerwig, Kevin Bacon, Martha Stewart, Charli XCX, and Sean Evans all joining forces. Shoutout to all the marketing experts because you had me opening my wallet without even realizing it.
I hope that everyone had a fantastic time tuning into Super Bowl LIX no matter if you were there for football or to see Alix Earle in two ads. Now that football season is officially over, we can welcome basketball (currently researching for my March Madness bracket). See you next year for Super Bowl LX and time to place your bets on who will go head to head next for that coveted ring. One last thing! The gatorade was yellow. Bye!