By Natalie P. and Sora K.

When Tom Brady threw a pick-six from the Patriots’ own endzone, all hope was squashed from supporters of New England’s renowned football team. During that fateful American Football Conference wild-card game, the Patriots unexpectedly lost 20-13 to the Tennessee Titans. This loss came as a shock to many Patriot fans across the country, especially in Massachusetts, a state that is infamous for avid sports fans. Unfortunately, it seems that New England’s football dynasty may have come to an end. Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports passionately stated in a recent article that the Patriot’s performance was not “just the end to a season, the end of a postseason, or even the end to a decade, but the end to the greatest run the NFL has ever seen.”

New England’s star quarterback, Tom Brady, is 42 years old, and many are questioning where his career will lead him in 2020. Many fans believe that the Patriots’ next step should be to train a younger quarterback to replace Brady for the upcoming years. The Patriots did, in fact, have a talented, young backup quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo; however, they traded him to the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, after choosing to continue starting Tom Brady. Many are also afraid that Brady’s name and legacy were valued over his current performances, which have been less monumental than in the past. The fact that the 49ers were contenders in this year’s Super Bowl caused Pats fans to fear that the Garoppolo trade was a fatal mistake. 

 The NFL’s 2019-2020 season was an eventful one, on and off the field. Notable moments included Antonio Brown’s release following investigations into allegations of sexual assault, Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch’s brief return to the Seatle Seahawks for the playoffs, and Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson’s MVP-worthy performance. It concluded in Super Bowl LIV, the 54th Super Bowl and the NFL’s one hundredth season. The game was held in the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Sunday, February 2nd. 

Both the Chiefs and the 49ers had impressive records in the regular season and blazed a triumphant path to the championship in the playoffs. 102 million people turned on their TVs to witness the battle between the distinguished offenses, strong defenses, and notable coaching staffs. While the first half of the game was slow and resulted in a 10-10 tie between the two teams, the 49ers took a ten point lead in the start of the second half. However, Kansas City came back resilient in the fourth quarter, led by Patrick Mahomes, the team scored 21 points before the clock ran out. Thus, the Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years with a final score of 31-20. Patrick Mahomes was awarded the title of Super Bowl MVP, and it will be exciting to see him continue performing on the field in upcoming seasons. 

Before the first kick, a couple of Winsor football fans gave their predictions regarding the Super Bowl. Ms. Parsley said that while “both teams have explosive offenses… I think the Chiefs are vulnerable on defense–on a given day, they can give up a lot of points. San Fran has looked solid on both sides of the ball all year, and they looked really strong against the Packers. My prediction is a San Fran win.” By contrast, Sophie Fleishman ’25 confidently remarked that “the Chiefs are going to win because they have Mahomes who’s pretty good. They also have a lot of energy/spirit because they’ve been held back by the Patriots for the past couple years… the last time they were in the Super Bowl was like 50 years ago.” Elizabeth Martin ‘20 offered her opinions on both the game and the halftime show, anticipating “a 49ers win, not just because my sister wants the Chiefs, but also because Kansas City is actually located in Missouri which is grossly misleading to the public. I can’t stand in support of such deception. Also (generously) predicting Shakira and J-Lo will sing 30% of the time and dance the other 70%.” 

Amongst the action, three powerful women took the stage in Miami. Demi Lovato showcased her beautiful vocal range as she sang the national anthem phenomenally. Also, to no one’s surprise, Shakira and J-Lo amazed America with their music and dancing. The team attributed their performance to their Latin roots and their fans across the world. Whether you watched the big game for the sport, the halftime show, or the commercials, it is clear that Super Bowl LIV did not disappoint. 

Along with the exciting plays and show-stopping halftime performances, many would agree that the infamous “Super Bowl commercials” come in a close second to the game itself. The commercials have been a staple in Super Bowl history for decades, bringing laughs and team spirit to all viewers. When faced with the question of the top 3 Super Bowl commercials of all time, our first thought was “Alexa loses her voice” by Amazon in 2018. In this commercial the voice of the Amazon Alexa loses her voice and is replaced with cameos from celebrities such as chef Gordon Ramsay, rapper Cardi B, actress Rebel Wilson, and actor Anthony Hopkins. In close second, Always created a commercial titled “Always #LikeAGirl” in 2015 which portrayed female stereotypes and their prominence in the minds of older girls as opposed to younger girls. When asked to do actions such as “run like a girl,” the older girls’ actions fell under the stereotype of how a “girl” would run, which is slowly and delicately, waving their arms around senselessly, but when the young girls were asked the same question, they took off speeding through the studio with confidence. This commercial was tear-jerking for many, shedding light on the harsh reality of assumptions in society today. In third place, the prize went to Wendy’s commercial “Where’s the Beef?” made in 1984. This was overall one of the most entertaining commercials and many still love it to this day!