With Super Bowl Sunday nearly here, Pennsylvania’s atmosphere is abundant with excitement.

Each February, the Super Bowl takes America by storm, proving to be one of the most memorable events of the year.

No matter what teams are facing off for the most anticipated football game of the season, people gather to celebrate the occasion’s fun festivities.

However, this year, Pennsylvanians will be taking it up a notch because our very own Philadelphia Eagles will be competing in Super Bowl LIX.

The Eagles have performed impressively this season, sporting a record of 17-3. Their three losses were to the Washington Commanders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. The losses to the Commanders and Falcons were upsets, with the Eagles losing by three points to Washington and one point to Atlanta.

However, the Eagles were outscored by 17 points in their matchup against the Buccaneers, with a final score of 16-33. Their record is an incredible step up from last season, in which they had a record of 11-6. Time will only tell if the Eagles can secure their 18th and final win of the 2024-25 season. Although most of the state of Pennsylvania would be delighted to see Philadelphia bring home the win, becoming champions will be no easy feat.

The Eagles will be opposing the Kansas City Chiefs, who sport a record of 17-2, which is nearly identical to that of the Eagles. The Chiefs also are reigning Super Bowl champions, as they defeated the San Francisco 49ers in 2024 for the title. Not only that, but the Chiefs have competed in the Super Bowl every year since 2020, with the exception of 2021. What makes matters worse is the Chiefs defeated the Eagles in the Super Bowl a mere two years ago, in 2023. That being said, the Eagles are eager to make up for that loss and triumph over the Chiefs.

Football is not the only element of the Super Bowl that makes America go crazy over the occasion, however.

The highly anticipated Super Bowl halftime show is one of the largest stages an artist can perform on, and each year’s performance comes with many surprises.

This year, rapper Kenrick Lamar will take the stage. Lamar is coming off a high, taking home five Grammy Awards this past Sunday, including wins in two of the “Big Four” categories — Record of the Year and Song of the Year. His dis track “Not Like Us” was one of the biggest songs of the year, and the momentum from the Grammy’s will without a doubt contribute to an unforgettable halftime show.

It has also become customary for halftime performers to bring out special guests, like Usher surprising the crowd with Alicia Keys in 2024. It is unknown if Lamar intends to pull a similar trick, but many hope for an appearance by SZA or Taylor Swift. Lamar and SZA share several popular songs together, and with Swift being in attendance to support her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, fans hope for her to join Lamar on the field to perform the “Bad Blood” remix.

The excitement in the Pennsylvania air can all be attributed to the Philadelphia Eagles participation in Super Bowl LIX. The game will begin at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Although the fight between the Eagles and Chiefs will be close, Pennsylvanians are hopeful that Philadelphia will secure the championship title.