No doubt Super Bowl LX will get great ratings. But that doesn’t mean there will be much buzz about it. There isn’t. Here’s why.
On Monday night, Super Bowl LX Opening Night, once known as Media Day, took place at the San Jose Convention Center. Can you feel the excitement heading to Sunday’s Super Bowl? Maybe you don’t, and if that’s the case, I don’t blame you for feeling that way.
Let’s face it. This Super Bowl will not get people worked up. Sure, people will watch, and there will be watch parties for this game all over the country. But it will not generate excitement.
That happens when you have a second-year NFL quarterback who is still finding his way, and an NFL quarterback vagabond who is finally experiencing success at 28.
How many folks even know Mike Macdonald is an NFL head coach, let alone Seattle’s? (photo courtesy USA Today)
The Seattle Seahawks should be a team of envy. They boast plenty of quality guys. They’re entertaining to watch. Their defense is ferocious. They know how to execute their offensive plays with precision to get a first down and score when they are near the end zone. Besides, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald doesn’t act like he knows it all, and the team made an impression this postseason by dominating the San Francisco 49ers and edging the Los Angeles Rams to earn a Super Bowl appearance.
Sam Darnold is a player people are rooting for after enduring so many early failures in his NFL career. He handled his time with the Jets with class, taking accountability rather than blaming the organization for his struggles. He persevered until he is where he is today. He certainly earned respect from his teammates.
Add it all up, and it’s why everyone wants to see Darnold and the Seahawks win the championship.
On the other hand, I get why so many fans hate the New England Patriots. The Patriots are back in the Super Bowl after a several-year hiatus, including a 4-26 record over the last two seasons.
Drake Maye (photo courtesy Reception Perception)
Still, it’s hard to see why so many hate the team. Head coach Mike Vrabel is a likable guy, and one reason is that he’s about as far away from Bill Belichick as you can get. The players are likable, too. Drake Maye isn’t the second coming of Tom Brady (no brashness or deflated footballs), plus he is the second-youngest quarterback to play in the Super Bowl after Dan Marino.
Overall, my analysis also says that this Super Bowl lacks what we need in Super Bowls: a team to hate; someone wearing that black hat has to lose. We were all happy when the Giants denied the Patriots immortality in the 2008 Super Bowl. When I say “we,” I mean America, not just New York and New Jersey.
If the Los Angeles Rams were playing, the country would unite against them. One reason is that America is tired of LA winning championships. The Dodgers are enough. I believe fans would have preferred the Rams over the Seahawks in the Super Bowl, so many fans could root against them.
Here’s another thing missing about this year’s Super Bowl: lack of star power. Darnold? He’s a redeemed player for sure, but he’s not a star in the star-power sense. Jaxon Smith-Njigba should be the star of this game, but he needs more years like this season to become a household name. And while the Seahawks are known for their defense, that does not resonate with casual viewers. Offense does. The casual fan wants to watch touchdowns. As efficient as the Hawks are offensively, no one will confuse them with the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Patriots don’t have a bevy of star players. Indeed, outside of Maye, casual fans would have trouble naming another player.
It’s hard to think people will remember much of this game when it’s over.
This year’s Super Bowl is just dull at best.
