One telling aspect of the list below: How many notable names aren't listed.
It was extremely difficult to narrow down the group of people who could most greatly put their imprint on Super Bowl LIX between the Chiefs and Eagles on Sunday. That speaks to the immense coaching and playing talent on two teams that have combined for a mere five losses this entire season (with one defeat coming when Kansas City rested starters in Week 18).
Case in point: I left Joe Thuney, who is gunning for his fifth Super Bowl title and who has helped stabilize a once-shaky Chiefs offensive line, on the cutting-room floor. Isiah Pacheco, too. Multiple worthy Eagles, such as Josh Sweat and Dallas Goedert, also failed to crack the top 25.
Even the entertainment stars taking center stage Sunday are nowhere to be found here. That includes Taylor Swift, who made the cut last year but fell into the “Others receiving votes” category this time around. Now that’s firepower. (I briefly considered making the city of New Orleans -- which I love so dearly -- an entry unto its own self before realizing I’d probably have editorial rank pulled on me for attempting that stunt. This is a list of people, after all.)
By now, you certainly know many of the biggest names who did make the final rundown. Hurts and Mahomes. Reid and Sirianni. Kelce and Barkley. And on and on …
But there are other important figures who figure to play massive roles in Sunday’s showdown. Counting backward from 25 to 1, here are the people I think have the best chance to make their mark on football’s biggest stage.
Ron Torbert might not be a household name among casual fans, but as the head official for the Super Bowl -- taking on the job while controversies and unfounded conspiracies swirl -- viewers are sure to know his name by the time Sunday is over, one way or another. Super Bowls are officiated by “all-star” crews, with officials pieced together from different groups that work together over the course of the season. And for what it's worth, this will be Torbert's second Super Bowl assignment (his first was Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles).
Interestingly, Torbert has not officiated a Chiefs game this season. He officiated two Eagles games in 2024, including the NFL’s first Brazil game in São Paulo, with his crew throwing 17 combined flags (seven on Philly) that game. Now Torbert gets to close out the season in another party city.
The broadcast is a major part of the Super Bowl experience, and though Tom Brady is as seasoned a Super Bowl participant as any man alive, this will be his first in the booth. Brady’s announcing critics were a bit harsh early in his “rookie year,” but he seems to have settled in and won over some of those initial detractors -- even while making more with his broadcasting contract than nearly every player in this game.
Funny enough, Brady’s first Super Bowl as a player came in this same building. The fresh-faced kid was mostly scoffed at, paling in comparison to the firepower of Kurt Warner and the Rams. But a funny thing happened that day at the Superdome in early 2002, as Brady won MVP in the Patriots’ shocking upset that kicked off a two-decade dynasty. He has always been a big-stage player, so perhaps Sunday will be Brady’s finest hour behind the mic.
It’s DeAndre Hopkins’ first Super Bowl appearance in his 12-year career, having only played six postseason games prior to joining the Chiefs a few months ago. Things have certainly looked up for Hopkins, in terms of team success, even if the receiver's role has been reduced, catching one pass in their two playoff games.
Ignore Hopkins at your own risk, though. He came up with several big moments in November and December after coming over via trade from Tennessee, helping the Chiefs win close games against the Buccaneers, Broncos, Raiders and Chargers, among others. Perhaps he’ll be a sleeper option for Kansas City on Sunday.
If there’s a wild-card choice for an impact defender in this game, it’s probably C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He was a big-play artist for the Eagles in their Super Bowl run two years ago, helped the Lions reach the NFC Championship Game in the 2023 season and returned to Philly to resume his role as a disruptor on this year’s defense.
CJGJ had six of the Eagles’ 13 regular-season interceptions, including four when he was on a tear in December. Gardner-Johnson can line up at free safety, in the box or as a slot defender. He has been used at times to combat tight ends, such as Washington’s Zach Ertz, so it figures that Gardner-Johnson also will be part of the Eagles’ answer for covering Travis Kelce.
The Eagles’ leader in receptions and receiving touchdowns this season, DeVonta Smith really is the 1B to the team’s 1A receiver, A.J. Brown. But Smith has been a perfect complement to Brown, proving down the stretch that he can be a leading man when called upon, thriving in late-season showcase efforts against the Steelers and Cowboys.
Smith has been a little quieter in the postseason, battling through a hamstring injury and missing some practice time leading up to the Super Bowl. But reliability has been one of Smith’s hallmarks, even with injuries. When Jalen Hurts throws Smith the ball, he usually catches it, with 35 receptions on his 39 targets over his past five games.
If the Chiefs pay too much attention to other Eagles weapons, Smith could torch them. In three career games against Kansas City, he has done just that with 321 receiving yards on 20 catches -- and 99 or more yards in every game.
Harrison Butker's Eagles counterpart, Jake Elliott, certainly could also play a big part in Sunday's outcome, given his occasional kicking misadventures. But Butker has been an elite kicker for a long time now and has patterned histories of success in the regular season (88% FG makes) and playoffs (90%).
He’s made 16 straight playoff field-goal tries, even since his first attempt against the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII two years ago, when Butker doinked it off the left upright. Outside of that miss, however, he made all five of his extra-point tries that game and hit the one that mattered most: the game-winner with eight seconds remaining in the contest to give the Chiefs their second title in this era. Butker certainly could play a huge role in Sunday’s quest for championship No. 4, given his clutch résumé and the team’s tremendous faith in his ability.
Darius Slay might be the best-known DB on the Eagles’ roster, but Quinyon Mitchell will be in the Chiefs’ crosshairs Sunday night. How will the rookie respond? If his playoff performances to date are any indication, Mitchell will be ready for the challenge. He has interceptions in two of the three postseason victories, allowing a measly passer rating of 2.8 on 15 playoff targets -- the lowest by any player targeted at least 10 times in a playoff run since at least 2018, according to Next Gen Stats.
Mitchell, who has been an underrated element of the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, helped bottle up Terry McLaurin in the NFC Championship Game and could be asked to match the speed of Chiefs WRs Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown on Sunday. Worthy set the record in the 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL Scouting Combine, but don’t forget that the 6-foot Mitchell ran a scalding 4.33-second time himself. Both rookies can absolutely fly, potentially setting up a track meet on the Superdome turf.
Anyone who has watched the Chiefs’ Super Bowl era knows how much Nick Bolton has stepped up when he’s most needed. In LVII, he got the Chiefs back in the game with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, and he nearly added a second TD in the game, but it was called back by replay. Bolton also had a 13-tackle showing in Super Bowl LVIII last year against the 49ers, and he was again at the center of the action in this year’s AFC Championship Game, credited with the stop on Josh Allen on the controversial fourth-down play.
In many ways, he’s been the heart and soul of the Chiefs’ defense the past four seasons, and they’re 10-1 in playoff games with him in the lineup. But Bolton is also a free agent-to-be, so this theoretically could be his final game in the red and gold. Either way, the big hitter figures to lay it all on the line on Sunday.
The Eagles were forced to shuffle their offensive line in the NFC Championship Game, with Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens each trying to battle through injuries, but it appears both will be in decent shape for Sunday. That means the Eagles should have their standard starting five lining up.
Lane Johnson is the veteran of the unit and the team’s most accomplished blocker. But he’s also not living on his laurels, either. The Packers and Rams stressed Johnson some in the first two playoff games, but he rallied with a clean outing against the Bills. Johnson had an excellent showing in the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, and the Eagles have immense faith in their soon-to-be 35-year-old right tackle, often leaving him one-on-one on the outside.
It hasn’t been a completely smooth ride for the Chiefs’ offensive line this season, working in both Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris at left tackle earlier in the year before shifting left guard Joe Thuney to that spot. Now, with Thuney settled in at left tackle and Mike Caliendo at left guard, things have quieted down a bit up front.
At the center of it all, keeping the whole operation glued together, is Creed Humphrey, who has arguably had his finest NFL campaign in 2024. The 25-year-old has been called for only one flag all season, a hold back in Week 5. The Eagles will counter with one of the largest and most menacing DT combos up front in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, so there’s no question that Humphrey will again play a significant role in Sunday’s outcome.
Like with Lane Johnson, Philadelphia shows tremendous faith in Jordan Mailata, who has developed into one of the finest left tackles in the game. Then again, the Eagles’ pass protection in the playoffs has been spotty at times, even if we must also put some of the sacks Jalen Hurts has taken on the quarterback himself.
Mailata will see some of Chris Jones, but he’s likely to face off with Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna on the left side. Omenihu is still ramping up from an injury that cost him most of the season, and Danna wasn’t quite as good this season as he’s previously been. However, Danna was terrific against the Bills, with five pressures on 16 pass rushes. Can the Chiefs generate pressure vs. the Eagles’ terrific OT duo?
When the Eagles signed Zack Baun to a one-year, $3.5 million contract early in free agency (mere hours after they added Saquon Barkley), it barely caused a ripple. The former third-round pick made little noise in his first four years in the league with the Saints, seemingly miscast and barely cracking the starting lineup by Year 4. Boy, did the Eagles sure figure out how to use him quickly.
Baun kicked off a career-changing 2024 season with a two-sack, 15-tackle debut against the Packers and authored his finest NFL campaign to date -- better than his previous four combined -- with 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. He’s arguably been better in the playoffs, too, making huge plays in all three games.
If there was ever a stage for Baun to prove once and for all that the Saints misused him, it would be right back on the field he called home for four wasted years.
One of the best cover men in the NFL, Trent McDuffie can blanket receivers on the outside or in the slot. He’s also, as the AFC Championship Game reminded us, a quality blitzer who can make the key pressure when needed, as McDuffie did on Josh Allen’s incomplete pass (that Dalton Kincaid should have caught) with just under two minutes left.
How the Chiefs decide to deploy McDuffie will be fascinating. As a rookie, he had the unenviable task of covering A.J. Brown, who gave McDuffie everything he could handle, roasting him for a 45-yard TD in Super Bowl LVII.
McDuffie was better the next meeting against the Eagles in the 2023 regular season, blitzing more often (two sacks) and mostly manning the slot. But that was when Kansas City had L’Jarius Sneed. The Chiefs might have no better option now than to ask McDuffie to line up opposite Brown more often than not and just try to prevent the big plays.
The Chiefs know Vic Fangio, and Vic Fangio knows the Chiefs. Unfortunately for Fangio, his record against Patrick Mahomes has not been good: He's 0-8 all time as a head coach and coordinator. Six of those games came against Fangio's Broncos from 2019 to 2021 and two more in 2023, when he coordinated Miami's defense.
Mahomes hasn't exactly slaughtered Fangio's units, but he's only turned the ball over three times in those eight games. Interestingly, Fangio's teams averaged 11.9 points against K.C. in those contests, so it's hard to fault his defenses too much for that record.
But Fangio has been exactly what the Eagles hoped for after moving on from the Sean Desai/Matt Patricia experience, which lasted just one year. Fangio will be going for his first ever Super Bowl ring in the stadium where it all started for him as an NFL assistant, back in 1986, when he was a linebackers coach with the New Orleans Saints. There's even a fun little battle between Fangio and Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy; they spent a year together with the Bears in 2018.
Outside of the occasional drop, Xavier Worthy has been a godsend for the Chiefs as both a receiver and runner, most recently harassing the Bills in the AFC title game. Not counting his one-snap effort in Week 18, Worthy has had five or more touches in nine straight games. The first-round pick is second on the team in points scored this season, behind only Harrison Butker. Crazy but true: Worthy has more touchdowns than Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins have combined to score for the Chiefs this season.
Worthy has lined up outside far more than in the slot this season, but it has been far closer to an even split down the stretch and in the playoffs so far. That means we could have a terrific rookie-vs.-rookies battle, with Worthy squaring off against Eagles first-year DBs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Steve Spagnuolo is one of the most decorated defensive coordinators in league history, having won four Super Bowl titles -- and he's got a shot at No. 5 on Sunday. It's been nearly 15 years since his head-coaching struggles with the Rams (2009-2011), and now there is a quiet cry by some fans and observers for the longtime assistant to get a second crack at it, even if this hiring cycle is nearly closed. Certainly, shutting down one of the candidates for the Saints' vacant job, Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, in the Superdome would be one way for Spags to amplify his candidacy for another job one day.
But for Sunday, Spagnuolo's mission would appear to include finding ways to slow down Saquon Barkley. In two previous playoff games against the NFL's leading rusher that season, Spagnuolo's defenses came up big both times. The Chiefs held Derrick Henry to 69 yards on 19 rushes in the 2019 AFC Championship Game and limited Christian McCaffrey to 80 yards on 22 carries in Super Bowl LVIII. Kansas City won both of those contests, too. Spags has made his mark in big games with big-game calls (such as blitzing Josh Allen on fourth down in the AFC title match), and he'll likely need a few more on Sunday.
The most famous tight end on the planet and his even more-famous girlfriend will once again be a Super Bowl power couple, dominating a lot of pre-game chatter. Super Bowls don't just attract traditional sports media; the entertainment folks always come strong, and it will be especially so this year, thanks to the combo of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift in New Orleans.
Kelce's role has vacillated week to week this season, but he's become his usually heroic self again down the stretch, catching touchdown passes in big games against the Steelers and Texans. The Bills clearly tried to take Kelce out of the game in the AFC title bout, when he logged two catches for 19 yards on four targets, but trying to erase Kelce in a Super Bowl has proven difficult. He's caught six or more passes in each of his four appearances, totaling 31 catches for 350 yards and two scores. One way or another, he's going to get open Sunday.
Whatever words A.J. Brown locked in on during his sideline perusal of Inner Excellence in the Wild Card Round, they've since paid off. Brown carried his exceptional per-game production over from his brilliant 2022 and '23 seasons through most of the '24 campaign, even with an early-season injury, but his playoff results were shockingly limited through two games; he caught just three passes for 24 yards on 10 targets against the Packers and Rams.
Brown's frustration -- even with the Eagles winning -- was tangible. But he kept his focus and returned to his standard level of dominance in the NFC title game, catching six passes for 96 yards and a touchdown in the statement victory over the Commanders. The Eagles might be a run-heavier operation now than they were when Brown first arrived in 2022, but he still is the biggest pass-catching difference maker in the Super Bowl.
Similar to Ryan Day at Ohio State prior to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Nick Sirianni likely feels that he needs a victory Sunday to truly win over his team's fans, who have high expectations for the franchise. It's an incredible thing to write, because Sirianni has won more than 70 percent of his regular-season games as a head coach -- an impeccable mark over four years -- and has a 5-2 postseason record the past three seasons.
Yet, the ride has been anything but smooth in Philly during his tenure, especially since the Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs. The Eagles carried a 10-point lead into the third quarter of that game but scored only 11 points over the final 30 minutes. The relationship between Sirianni and Jalen Hurts reportedly nearly led to a major fracture last season, and by the end of the year, Sirianni's future with the team was quite uncertain.
But the brash coach now has the franchise on the doorstep of its second Super Bowl title in eight seasons, and a win should buy Sirianni at least a year of credibility with Birds fans. (That's a joke, and it works both ways.)
Jalen Carter has become more of a household name this season as he's developed into one of the most disruptive defensive linemen in the game. His showing against the Rams might have been one of the more dominant performances by a single defender in this year's playoffs. The Chiefs have faced him before, in November of the 2023 first-round pick's rookie season, but he's come a long way since then.
The Eagles ask a lot more of Carter now. Only Denver's Zach Allen played a greater percentage of his team's defensive snaps this season among interior linemen. Carter has played an even higher percentage in the postseason (189 of 206 defensive snaps -- and that total would have jumped further had the Eagles not taken a 25-point lead vs. Washington in the NFC title game). If Carter can make hay inside, the Chiefs' offense could really have some issues.
There's a darned good debate about who the best defensive lineman is in this game, but it's hard for me to go against Chris Jones. His production isn't quite as lofty as it was the past two seasons, but Jones' impact was clear in Kansas City's two playoff victories.
And he does it from multiple spots, often lining up inside and kicking outside on pass-rush downs, which very few interior players can do and do well. According to Next Gen Stats, Jones was the only player this season with 25-plus pressures from both the inside and outside. That means he'll be going up against the Eagles' great pair of offensive tackles, as well as the team's stout interior -- and Jones has to be part of the solution for stopping Saquon Barkley. That's a lot on his plate.
Jalen Hurts is simply a different quarterback now than he was two years ago. In 2022, he was the runner-up to Mahomes in the NFL MVP race, and Hurts was mostly terrific in the Super Bowl loss, throwing for 304 yards and a TD and rushing for 70 more yards, three more scores and a two-point conversion. His second-quarter fumble (returned for a TD) was painful, and Hurts slowed down after halftime, but it's a reach to say he had much to do with Philly losing.
To say that Hurts is a far worse quarterback now, however, feels like misinformation. His per-attempt passing efficiency is remarkably similar to his 2022 output; he's just not throwing the ball quite as often. The most worrisome development has been Hurts' sack frequency, which is much higher now. If he can avoid falling victim to the Chiefs' pass rush and play with the same measure of effectiveness as he did in the last Super Bowl meeting, it would be hard to deny Hurts' place among the game's best generals.
Super Bowl LIX will be Andy Reid's 45th NFL playoff game as a head coach, pushing him past Bill Belichick (44) for the most all-time. Belichick still has the better postseason record (31-13 to Reid's 28-16) and leads in Super Bowl wins, six to three. Reid also trails in regular-season victories by 29, but with Belichick off to college and the Chiefs still rolling, Reid could pass him in about Week 3 of the 2027 season.
And on Sunday, Reid can do something no coach ever has: captain a team to three straight Super Bowl titles. Two is hard enough. The previous eight teams gunning for three straight rings -- including Belichick's 2005 Patriots -- all came up short. Reid can write his own chapter in NFL coaching lore with a win Sunday, even if he'd never talk about his own trophy mantel willingly.
He'll also have to work his usual game-plan magic along with Matt Nagy, facing a tough Eagles defense. Reid is typically at his best when he has extra time to prepare for an opponent, and Kansas City knows Vic Fangio -- who coached the AFC West-rival Broncos from 2019 to 2021 -- well.
Saquon Barkley might have broken the narrative about RB value in today's NFL with what he has done this season. Derrick Henry and Josh Jacobs also were clear success stories as major acquisitions at the position, helping reshape their respective new teams' offensive identities, and we can't forget the Lions' terrific RB duo, but Barkley operated on a near-MVP level this season.
In last year's Super Bowl, the Chiefs faced a different -- but equally impactful -- type of back: the 49ers' Christian McCaffrey. Kansas City held CMC in check as a runner (80 yards on 22 carries) but allowed him to catch eight passes for 80 yards and a score. Barkley hasn't been utilized heavily as a receiver this season, so you can bet the Chiefs will do everything they can to try to bottle him up on the ground.
That's easier said than done. Barkley was held to less than 4.2 yards per carry twice this season, in games against the Browns and Steelers, and he was fighting through an injury against Pittsburgh. The Rams were determined not to let Barkley beat them singlehandedly for a second time in two months in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, and all he did was run for 92 yards and a TD on plays when the Rams stacked the box with eight or more defenders. He's a bad, bad dude.
Hardly a novel concept here, but Patrick Mahomes is just the man. Through the endless Josh Allen-vs.-Lamar Jackson MVP debates, Mahomes simply endures. Title No. 4 is within his grasp, and there's no better big-game "money" player out there right now. Even in his one Super Bowl loss to the Bucs after the 2020 season, Mahomes did everything he could for the Chiefs.
Winning Sunday would put Mahomes in the four-ring inner circle, currently home to just three quarterbacks: Terry Bradshaw and Joe Montana, who have four apiece, and Tom Brady, who has seven. But Brady didn't win his fourth until age 37; if Mahomes harbors hopes of one day catching the legend, the 29-year-old has a chance to jump way ahead of Brady's pace.
First, though, Mahomes must beat an Eagles defense that has forced 20 turnovers in its past six games. The problem for Philly? Mahomes has only one turnover in his past eight games, and 11 all season.