The Sportsish Road to Super Bowl LIX
It’s hard to believe the 2024 football season is now coming to an end. It seems like only yesterday we were spotting Taylor next to Mama Kelce on the Chiefs opening game, or watching Camryn Bynum inaugurate a series of epic celebrations when he did the Parent Trap handshake during the London game in Week 5. It feels like we’ve lived a thousand lives with the rollercoaster of emotions we experienced this season, but sadly, the ride is now coming to an end today as the Chiefs and the Eagles play one last time in the highly anticipated Super Bowl LIX.
Both teams had stellar runs, proving why they deserved to be the last ones standing. They also had top performances from their players: Travis Kelce became the player with the most receiving touchdowns in Kansas City history. Meanwhile, Saquon Barkley was only 101 yards away from the record for rush yards in the regular season—the Eagles RB still surpassed the 2,000-yard mark, a feat only eight other players have achieved before.
All in all, the championship feels too close to call, which makes it all the more exciting to watch. And since we can’t (and honestly don’t) want to pick sides yet, this feels like the perfect time to revisit each team’s top five sportsish moments from the season.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs (The Guardian)
5. Family Ties
With the crossover between Taylor and the NFL, a lot of fun traditions have merged. At the start of the season, Mama Kelce and Heidi Gardner–two of the Chiefs elite fans–attended a tailgating event where they made friendship bracelets to show their support for the Kingdom. It was a sweet moment, with Heidi even calling Donna her “bonus mom”, a title shared by everyone who is now acquainted with her as the league’s honorary mother.
4. Chillin’ with Mahomies
The Chiefs recent success has brought on a new wave of younger fans who look up to Pat Mahomes, showing up to the games all geared up and with endearing signs to show their support. The stellar quarterback is appreciative of all the love he receives on and off the field, and he’s sure to reciprocate it every chance he gets. During the season, he shared a sweet moment with a fan when he caught up with him after the game and gifted him with a game ball.
3. The Tayvoodoo of It All
At this point, everyone who has been keeping up with football lately has heard of Tayvoodoo—a term used to describe the alleged Taylor Swift effect on the Chiefs phenomenal season. And while Taylor doesn’t have any real interference in what goes on in the field, there are undeniable signs that sometimes the universe aligns in interesting ways. Week 15 saw the Chiefs visit the Cleveland Browns—a special moment for Travis Kelce as he was playing in his hometown. The game ended in a 21-7 win for the Kansas City squad, marking their 13th win of the season. That stat might seem irrelevant, but when you add up a hometown win for Taylor’s boyfriend plus the number 13 into the equation, there’s definitely some Tayvoodoo magic happening.
2. Creed Humphrey, Front and Center
Pat and Travis might be the face of the Chiefs, but Creed Humphrey gave us some of the most sportsish moments this season. During the first weeks, he showed that his great sense of humor is his best accessory. What started as an opening game outfit—a t-shirt stating “This is my shirt for the Ravens game”—became a staple every week, as he covered "Ravens" with tape and wrote the team he was facing that week. Travis and Jason Kelce even joked that it might be bringing the team good luck (Creedvoodo, perhaps?) so he kept doing it for several weeks.
Later in the season, he caught up with the band Creed during a game, giving us a Creed x Creed crossover we didn’t know we needed.
1. Holiday Touchdown
Nothing fills our sportsish hearts more than a good love story involving football, so the Chiefs Hallmark movie was just what we needed. The film follows an avid Chiefs supporter trying to win a “Fan of the Year” competition. In the process, she meets an executive from the organization who shakes up her world. If the romance and sports aren’t enough, it’s set around Christmas time, giving it an extra layer of unexpected magic and making it our top Chiefs sportsish moment of the season.
Honorable Mention: Andy Claus
When the Chiefs played the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas day, there was only one way to celebrate the win: Coach Reid dressing up as Santa Claus. The team celebrated the win by spreading Christmas joy in the locker room, with Big Red wearing the full Santa Claus suit and even bringing in one of his “helpers”.
Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagle (Bleeding Green Nation)
5. Twinning and Winning
Sibling rivalries are not uncommon in the NFL, as we’ve seen countless pairs of brothers meet each other on opposing sides of the field. However, this moment during Week 8 marked a special occasion in the league. It was the first time twin siblings played against each other. Sydney Brown, a safety for the Eagles, played his brother Chase and the Bengals, making it a heartfelt moment when they swapped jerseys after the game.
4. Top Notch Journalism
Brandon Graham might’ve been out of the season with an injury, but his children stepped in to make sure we still got some quality Graham-family content. Emerson and Bryson hosted “The Emerson Graham Show” on the team’s social media pages, where the two sat down with other players and even coach Siriani to ask the hard-hitting questions. The result was some adorable conversations, including this one where the kids asked Brandon's teammates what he says to the opposing players during the game. As Brandon is an avid trash talker, the players had to find some creative ways to describe his tactics without calling him out in front of his kids.
3. The Hurdle Seen Around the World
This moment might be more sports than ish, but it was undeniably cool and never seen before, making it impossible not to include it in the list. Saquon Barkley joined the Eagles last year after six seasons with the New York Giants. The move proved to be the right choice for him as he became a crucial part of their success this season. Week in and week out, he kept breaking expectations and showing his greatness, including the moment he did a backward hurdle jump over a Jaguars player.
2. Get’cha Head in the Game
Brandon Graham isn’t the only one using words to get into his opponents' minds—Jordan Mailata is also an avid instigator. One of his funniest moments this season was luckily mic'd up, capturing the moment when he quoted The Dark Knight Rises villain Bane to his opponent, saying, “I was wondering what would break first: your spirit? Or your body?”
1. The Barkleys
Saquon’s first season with the Eagles was spectacular, but the success has been even sweeter thanks to the support of his family on the sidelines. His fiancée Anna and their two kids, Jada and Saquon Jr., are at every game ready to cheer on Saquon. Some of the best moments they shared were before the games, with the running back and his daughter doing their own handshake as the cutest pregame ritual.
Honorable Mention: Jalen Hurts
We just wanted an excuse to share this picture of Jalen. That’s it, that’s the mention.
We can’t wait to see these two teams come out and give their best tonight after an incredibly successful run for both. Regardless of the outcome, maybe the real win is all the sportsish moments we've had along the way.