The Super Bowl LVII matchup is officially set

The GIST: The Super Bowl LVII (aka 57) matchup is officially set. The AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs will face the NFC champ Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, February 12th. Let the countdown to the Kelce Bowl begin.

AFC: Vengeance has a name, and it’s Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City quarterback (QB) pushed through a high ankle sprain to defend his house and lead his team to a 23–20 victory over QB Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, sending KC to their third Super Bowl in four seasons.

• In a stunning finish characteristic of these familiar foes, it all came down to the final play, as Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker nailed the game-winning field goal. What pressure?

NFC: The Eagles reminded everyone why they were the best team in the conference all season long, dominating the San Francisco 49ers 31–7 in a game marred by SF’s injuries. And these Birds did it with their legs — the Eagles outran the number one defense in the league, rushing for a franchise-record four touchdowns (TDs) to return to the Super Bowl for the first time since winning it all in 2018.

What’s next: With the typically snoozy Pro Bowl competition (the NFL’s All-Star festivities) taking place next weekend, there are just under two weeks to go until the big game. Someone grab that mic and hand it to RiRi. It can’t come soon enough.