If you’re new to following football or don’t know as much as the football fans in your life, you might know that the Super Bowl is this weekend and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend will be playing in it.
But Travis Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes aren’t the only superstars on the field Sunday, Feb. 9, although they are the most talked-about.
Here’s a roundup of some of the stars of each team, a little bit about how they might impact the game and what to know about Super Bowl 59.
What is Saquon Barkley famous for?
Saquon Barkley is a running back for the Philadelphia Eagles. He joined the Eagles this year as a free agent and in his first year with the team, has scored the eighth-most rushing yards in a single season in NFL history.
He scores a lot of long touchdowns and has the most 60-plus yard rushing touchdowns in the league this season with seven. Essentially, Barkley is a football superstar because he plays the game in a very exciting way that is fun to watch as a fan. Many analysts consider him one of the best running backs in the league right now.
Who’s favored to win the Super Bowl?What to know about the game, who’s playing and when
Who is Carter on the Eagles?
Jalen Carter is a defensive tackle for the Eagles and is actually from the Sunshine State! He grew up in Apopka, Florida.
He was involved in a fatal street-racing accident in college that resulted in two deaths. Carter and one of his teammates from the University of Georgia, where he played football in college, were celebrating after winning a national championship when they were involved in a deadly crash. UGA Recruiting Analyst Chandler LeCroy, who was driving the other car, and Carter’s former teammate, Devin Willock, died in the accident. Only Carter and the backseat passenger from the other car, UGA Athletics Staffer Victoria Bowles, survived the crash.
On the field, Carter is now widely considered one of the best players in the league at his position. This is only his second season in the NFL.
What is Jalen Hurts most known for?
As of right now, many know Jalen Hurts as the Eagles quarterback who made the “Tush Push” play famous. If you don’t know, the “Tush Push,” sometimes called the “brotherly shove,” has quickly become one of the most controversial plays in football and even has the potential to spark an NFL rule change.
The almost-unstoppable Tush Push works best for the Eagles and Jalen Hurts, who utilize the play often. For two seasons, the play has had NFL critics questioning if it should be labeled as cheating and banned from the game.
In a Tush Push play, the team whose offense has possession of the ball crowds behind the quarterback (Hurts) to literally push him, with the ball, through the opposing team’s defense. This pushing of the backside is typically done to the quarterback after he takes the ball from the center at the start of the play. It’s used to make a short gain when needed.
Off of the field, Hurts is also known for answering press conference questions with motivational phrases and quotes that often go viral online. Some football analysts have called Hurts overrated and say he leaves a lot to be desired, especially those who don’t like the Tush Push play.
Who is number 11 on the Eagles?
A.J. Brown is a wide receiver for the Eagles. The Tennessee Titans traded him to the Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft and he’s helped a lot with improving the Eagles’ passing game since then.
Brown also had a moment of internet virality recently, when social media posts of him reading a book on the sideline of a game caught flame. The book, “Inner Excellence: Train Your Mind for Extraordinary Performance and the Best Possible Life,” by Jim Murphy, skyrocketed in popularity afterward, reaching the top of Amazon’s best-sellers list shortly after he was seen reading it.
Was Mahomes drafted into the MLB?
Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback for the Chiefs and this will be his fifth Super Bowl in seven years. His wife, Brittany Mahomes, has become popular for striking up a friendship with fellow Chiefs WAG (Wives and Girlfriends of pro athletes) Taylor Swift.
He has the third-most yards by a quarterback in a single season in NFL history (2022) and is only one of four black quarterbacks to win the NFL MVP award. He and Peyton Manning are the only players in NFL history to have more than 5,000 passing yards and 50 touchdowns in one season (2018).
Former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was the first to throw for 5,000 passing yards in a single season (1984) and threw 48 touchdowns that season, which was the record until Manning broke it in 2013 with 5,477 yards and 55 touchdowns.
Mahomes is one of only three players in NFL history to have multiple seasons of 5,000 passing yards – the only other players to accomplish that are Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
Fun fact: Mahomes almost wasn’t a football player. He was actually drafted in the Major League Baseball draft out of high school. He was chosen in the 37th round of the 2014 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers, but chose to play college football at Texas Tech instead.
Is Travis Kelce good at football?
Travis Kelce isn’t just Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. He’s also really good at football and considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history.
This weekend will be his fifth Super Bowl in six years. Kelce holds the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season (2020) and is only the fifth tight end in history to reach 10,000 receiving yards in his career. He reached the latter milestone faster than any tight end in NFL history, becoming the fourth tight end to reach 11,000 receiving yards in 2023.
Also in 2023, he broke the record for career playoff receptions for any player, not just tight ends, overtaking the playoff reception record from Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
Off of the field, he hosts a podcast called “New Heights” with his brother, Jason Kelce, who played center for the Philadelphia Eagles and is recently retired. The podcast was the eighth-most popular podcast on Apple Music in the U.S. in 2024. And of course, his girlfriend is Taylor Swift.
How long has Chris Jones been with the Chiefs?
Chris Jones plays defensive tackle for the Chiefs and, much like Jalen Carter on the Eagles, is considered by some to be one of the best players at his position in the NFL.
He isn’t as flashy off the field as some of his teammates are, but Jones gets the job done. He’s a six-time All-Pro defensive tackle, which means he’s been voted as the first or second best player at his position six years in a row. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive games with a sack. He’s been playing with the Chiefs since 2016.
Is Andy Reid a good coach?
He may not be on the field, but he calls the plays and is definitely a star on the team. Chiefs Coach Andy Reid boasts a whopping 301 career wins and ranks fourth all-time in regular season wins and second all-time in playoff wins. He has won three Super Bowls, all with the Chiefs.
Reid coincidentally was the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 through 2012, during which time the Eagles lost a Super Bowl to the New England Patriots. That Super Bowl loss was in 2005 and the game actually took place in Florida. More specifically, the game took place at the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars, at what was then-Alltell Stadium (now Everbank).
Not only is Reid famous for coaching and now TV commercials, he also has a famous mac and cheese recipe that you can try out for yourself.