On Monday night, the NFL will determine a champion in the Super Bowl for the 58th time – for the first time in Las Vegas. The defending champion is not the favorite in the gambling metropolis.
The Kansas City Chiefs will play for the NFL Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night (12:30 a.m. CET/RTL and DAZN). The Chiefs have the chance to defend their title and win for the third time in five years; the 49ers could set the NFL record with their sixth win and draw level with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots.
the initial situation
The Chiefs are the defending champions, the 49ers are the favorites. Since both teams qualified for the Super Bowl two weeks ago, the 49ers have consistently been the team with the better chance of winning among bookmakers. Kansas City was often significantly weaker during the main round than in previous years, but impressed in the playoffs with confident victories against the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens. The 49ers had to eliminate the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions in the playoffs and, after a big deficit against the Lions, showed that they also have comeback qualities. For the 49ers, it is also a chance for revenge: four years ago in Miami, the team lost to the Chiefs 20:31 in the Super Bowl.
Strengths and weaknesses
Both the Chiefs and the 49ers have a strong defense and exceptional players on offense this season. While the Chiefs’ main focus is on quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce – the boyfriend of pop superstar Taylor Swift – the 49ers’ expectations are spread across more shoulders. Quarterback Brock Purdy is a master at keeping the offense going and setting up his teammates Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. “Although both defenses are relatively strong, I think it will be a bit of a shootout. I think both offenses will be very explosive and we will see a lot of points,” said former professional Mark Nzeocha to dpa. The Franconian was still on the pitch for the 49ers four years ago.
The surroundings
One of the big questions before the Super Bowl had nothing to do with sports: Is Taylor Swift coming? The singer has been dating Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs for several months and has often been seen cheering in the stadium this season. However, she played a concert in Tokyo on Saturday evening. Logistically, it is possible to travel by private jet, and even the Japanese ambassador to the USA assured that Swift would be in Las Vegas in time for the game. However, her visit to the stadium had not yet been confirmed on the day before the Super Bowl, and Kelce kept a low profile all week.
If the Swift issue wasn’t so big, Usher would probably be much more in the spotlight as a musician. The R&B singer will appear in the halftime show and promised an extraordinary show in advance – including roller skating. There was speculation about guest appearances by other stars, but nothing was confirmed.
The costs
The NFL sold the cheapest tickets for Super Bowl LVIII to winners of a lottery system for around 2,000 US dollars (approx. 1,850 euros); the day before the game, tickets sold on average from online retailers on the secondary market, according to US media for 8,600 US dollars (approx. 7,970 euros) and at the top for 45,000 US dollars (41,700 euros). A hotel room from Saturday to Sunday cost an average of 750 US dollars (695 US dollars). A can of beer in the stadium costs between 14 and 18 US dollars (13.00 to 17.60 euros), a piece of pizza is estimated at 14 US dollars (13 euros).
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
