ZWF: A familiar pro football championship clash
Zander's Weekend Facts #105: Sunday, February 11, 2024
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a preview of tonight's biggest football game of the year, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast! Episode 132 features a preview of Super Bowl LVIII. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, February 11, 2024:
Super Bowl LVIII Preview
For the eighth time, this year’s edition of the National Football League championship game will be a matchup already seen in the season’s final event.
Tonight at 6:30 pm et, the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 58, the final game of the 2023-2024 NFL season. The game takes place at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and will air on CBS, Nickelodeon, and stream on Paramount+, with a Spanish telecast on Univision.
The Chiefs and 49ers previously met up in Super Bowl LIV, with the Chiefs winning 31-20 for their first title in Patrick Mahomes era. Chiefs-49ers joins Cowboys-Steelers, Dolphins-Redskins, Bengals-49ers, Bills-Cowboys, Giants-Patriots, Patriots-Rams, and Eagles-Patriots as the only repeat Super Bowl matchups.
Like that matchup in Miami four years ago, Patrick Mahomes remains the starting quarterback for Kansas City. Mahomes, along with head coach Andy Reid, has led the Chiefs on one of the most remarkable runs in NFL history. Kansas City is one of just three teams in NFL history to have reached four Super Bowls in a five-year span, joining the 1990-1993 Buffalo Bills and the 2014-2018 New England Patriots.
But it isn’t just Mahomes and his reliable tight end Travis Kelce who can get the Chiefs across the finish line in 2024. The Kansas City defense was statistically second-best in the league this season, with Chris Jones and George Karlaftis one of four pairs of teammates to each record at least 10 sacks during the regular season.
The defense of the 49ers is no slouch either, ranking just behind the Chiefs at #3. Charvarius Ward leads all 49ers or Chiefs players with five interceptions on the season. San Francisco’s defense also had the second-fewest missed tackles in the league this season.
Yet, the storylines for the 49ers reside on the offensive side of the football. Quarterback Brock Purdy is the lowest-drafted starting quarterback to reach the Super Bowl (262nd and last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft) and is looking to quiet many doubters despite having the best QBR in the league this season (113.0). His running back, Christian McCaffrey, had the league’s most rushing yards while tight end George Kittle had the most reception yards at his position this season.
While this is San Francisco’s third time in the Super Bowl this century, their last win in the big game came in 1995. The 49ers’ previous five Super Bowl titles are behind just the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for most in NFL history. Winning tonight’s game would give San Francisco six titles, putting them ahead of the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC.
Two of Kansas City’s three previous Super Bowl championships have come in the last five years, with victories in 2020 and 2023. The first came in 1969, while Kansas City also won three AFL Championships before the merger with the NFL in the 1960s. The Chiefs are looking to become the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the Patriots in 2004 and 2005.
ZANDER’S PICK: Chiefs 24 - 49ers 17. There’s no reason to doubt Patrick Mahomes, as evidenced by the Chiefs’ two Playoff wins away from home on their way to this game. Kansas City will become just the fourth team to win three Super Bowls in five years, putting them in the conversation of the greatest dynasties the game has seen.
To get some more factual analysis, check out the latest episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast:
132. Previewing the biggest football game of the year
There’s perhaps no bigger event in America this year than what will be taking place on Sunday night. This week on the Zander’s Facts Podcast, Zander breaks down Super Bowl LVIII, including the matchup of the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, the facts you need to know, and ultimately gives his fact-filled prediction for who will hoist the Lomba…
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from ESPN - Super Bowl guide: 49ers-Chiefs picks, key stats, predictions
What Zander’s been reading
It may be hard to fathom today, but over 50 years ago, the NFL annually held a game to determine the season’s third-place team. For nearly ten years from 1961-1970, the two teams that failed to advance to the NFL championship game - and later the Super Bowl - would play in the final game of the season, dubbed by some as the Toilet Bowl.
Check out this week’s featured article at the Washington Post - Before the Super Bowl, the NFL staged the ‘Toilet Bowl’ - (Apple News link)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NFL Honors: Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took home his second career NFL MVP award at Thursday night’s NFL Honors show. In both of Jackson’s MVP seasons - 2018-2019 being the other - Jackson has passed for 3,000 yards and had 800+ rushing yards, the only player to do that in NFL history multiple times. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey took home Offensive Player of the Year, while Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett won the award on the defensive side. The Houston Texans swept the Rookie of the Year awards, with quarterback C.J. Stroud winning on offense and the defensive award going to defensive end Will Anderson Jr.
NBA All-Star: The full rosters for this year’s edition of the NBA All-Star Game were revealed last week. For the first time since 2017, the game will be played in a conference-based format instead of the top two vote-getters holding a draft to select their teams. Giannis Antetokounmpo will captain the Eastern Conference team, while Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Haliburton, and Damian Lillard make up the East starters. Out west, LeBron James captains the Western Conference team in his 20th All-Star Game appearance, a new NBA record. James is joined by Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the starting lineup. The All-Star festivities begin on Friday in Indianapolis, with the All-Star Game taking place next Sunday night.
World Cup Schedule: FIFA released the initial schedule for the 2026 World Cup last Sunday. The 2026 edition of the world’s largest international soccer tournament will be played in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. The first match of the tournament, the first to feature 48 teams, will be played on June 11 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. The tournament will last until July 19, with the final being played at Metlife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The semifinals will take place in Arlington, Texas, and Atlanta, while the third-place match will be played in Miami. The first match for the U.S. will be in Los Angeles on June 12.
Kobe Bryant Statue: The first of three planned statutes of Los Angeles Laker great Kobe Bryant was unveiled on Thursday. The 19-foot bronze statue showcases Bryant walking off the court after his career-high 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in January 2006. Bryant is wearing a white Lakers #8 jersey in the statue located outside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The second statue will feature Bryant in a Lakers #24 jersey, while a third will have Bryant and his daughter Gianna, both of whom died in a helicopter crash in January 2020.
Sports Streaming Bundle: A groundbreaking new service to watch sporting events was announced on Tuesday. ESPN, Fox Corp., and Warner Bros. Discovery announced the launch of a joint sports streaming service that is set to debut in the fall. The service will allow subscribers to stream the networks owned by ESPN, Fox, and WBD that air sports, including the ESPN network, FS1, and TNT. Each of the companies will own one-third of the service. While no price for the service was announced, estimates range from $30-$50 per month. The next day, ESPN announced their plan to launch a service featuring only ESPN networks in 2025.
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Biden Special Counsel Report: The special counsel investigating President Joe Biden’s handling of classified materials released his report on Thursday. In the report, special counsel Robert Hur, the former U.S. Attorney for Maryland, found that Biden had “willfully” retained and disclosed classified material. However, Hur concluded that “no criminal charges were warranted,” saying in the report that the evidence “does not establish Mr. Biden’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.” Hur did raise concerns regarding Biden’s memory of dates while he was vice president, leading Biden to respond by saying “My memory is fine.”
Trump Supreme Court Hearing: On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case to determine former President Donald Trump’s eligibility for the presidential primary ballot in Colorado. In December, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled Trump ineligible for the state’s ballot because of Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, which bars anyone who engaged or aided those engaging in an insurrection from seeking office. However, a majority of justices seemed hesitant to side with Colorado, making it likely they’ll rule to allow Trump to remain on the ballot.
Presidential Primaries: Both Democrats and Republicans continued their presidential primaries last week. On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden won last Saturday’s South Carolina primary with 96.2% of the vote. Biden also won Tuesday’s Nevada primary at 89.4%. For the Republicans, former President Donald Trump received 99.1% of the vote in Nevada’s caucus. Nevada also held a Republican primary, which did not have Trump on the ballot. While former UN Ambassador Nicki Haley got 30.7%, the option ‘None of these candidates’ received 63.2% of all votes. The Republican primary in South Carolina is next up on the calendar, taking place in less than two weeks on February 24.
Immigration in Congress: Just one week after striking a bipartisan deal on immigration, the bill failed to pass the U.S. Senate last week. The $118 billion bill would have strengthened immigration laws while also giving aid to Israel and Ukraine. Only four Republican Senators voted for the bill after former President Donald Trump urged the GOP to reject the deal. In the House of Representatives, a bid to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas failed on Tuesday. The House voted 214-216 to block the impeachment, which would have been just the second ever of a Cabinet official. Four Republicans joined all Democrats in voting against the measure.
AI Robocalls: The Federal Communications Commission ruled on Thursday that robocalls featuring AI-generated voices are illegal. The 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which prohibits junk calls using artificial and prerecorded messages, allowed the FCC to prohibit using AI robocalls. New Hampshire’s Attorney General is currently investigating calls that were made last month using AI technology to mimic President Joe Biden’s voice. The investigation is centering on two companies out of Texas that sent robocalls using Biden’s voice to discourage voting in last month’s New Hampshire presidential primary.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, February 18, 2024.
