The stage is set for Super Bowl LVII. We know that the Kansas City Chiefs will be locking horns with the Philadelphia Eagles, presenting Patrick Mahomes with a shot at earning a second ring and a standing among the all-time greats.

We know that Rihanna will be performing the half-time show, with the Barbadian songstress following in some illustrious footsteps when it comes to putting on an epic performance, and we also know that State Farm Stadium in Glendale will be playing the role of host in all of the above.

Fireworks

The action on the ground is what should be whetting the appetite of a global audience that is set to extend to several hundreds of million. NFL betting odds have the Eagles as slight -120 favorites to prevail on the day, with the Chiefs coming in at +100.

However, anything is possible when the greatest show in American sport heads to Arizona. History has proved as much and there is every reason to believe that 2023 has more of the same in store. Fireworks of the literal and metaphorical kind should be expected in abundance on February 12.

State Farm Stadium, which used to be the University of Phoenix Stadium, is preparing to throw a Super Bowl party of the wildest variety for the third time in its existence. On the two previous occasions that the cream of an NFL crop headed down that path, games that lived long in the memory played out.

Back in 2008, the New York Giants took on the all-conquering New England Patriots with many expecting them to be sent back to the Big Apple with a large chunk taken out of them by Tom Brady and Co. It was not to be, with the play of the game – which has since been billed the ‘play of the decade’ – helping all odds to be upset.

David Tyree was the man to deliver a moment that left jaws dropping around the world, as he somehow got hands on a pass from Eli Manning, plugged the ball onto his head and completed a 32-yard play that will now forever be known as the ‘helmet catch’.

Arizona was not done with the drama there, with another Super Bowl for the ages delivered in 2015. The Patriots were back at the last dance once more, and this time fate smiled upon them. They appeared destined to suffer late heartache when the Seattle Seahawks lined up on the one-yard line with seconds left on the clock.

Famous

Inexplicably, Pete Carroll’s side chose a pass play, rather than handing the ball to wrecking ball running back Marshawn Lynch, and Malcolm Butler completed one of the most famous interceptions ever seen to preserve a 28-24 lead for the men from Boston.

Is it too much to ask for another thriller to play out in the present? There is certainly enough talent within the respective rosters of the Eagles and Chiefs to put on a show and, with the two teams so evenly matched, it may be that Arizona completes a notable hat-trick of Super Bowl stunners in 2023.