With the Pro Bowl now in the rearview mirror, it leaves just one game left of this NFL season. The Super Bowl is set for Sunday, and while the teams are going through the craziness of Super Bowl week with media sessions, practices and other preparations, the league’s biggest game is quickly approaching.
With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the upcoming game as well as other news from around the league this week.
Super Bowl LIV Is Upon Us
The Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens will be the site of this year’s Super Bowl, featuring the San Francisco 49ers versus the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be a fantastic matchup of defense versus offense as the 49ers have one of the best defenses in the league going against the high-flying attack of Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers are led by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who threw for 3,978 yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Where they may really focus their attack, though, is in the run game.
Raheem Mostert had a huge day against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game and will look to do the same thing against a Chiefs defense that struggled against the run this year.
Still, with names like Richard Sherman, Nick Bosa, DeForest Buckner, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead and others on the defensive side, that is where the 49ers’ true strength lies. Going against a unit that ranked second against the pass this season, the Chiefs will have their work cut out for them.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they will look to Mahomes to once again lead the way, after he threw for 4,031 yards, 26 touchdowns and just five interceptions in the regular season. Not bad numbers considering he missed a couple of weeks with a knee injury.
Mahomes’ main target in the offense is tight end Travis Kelce, who had 97 catches for 1,229 yards and five touchdowns. With players like Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins as well, this team can beat you in a lot of ways.
As strong as the Chiefs are through the air, Damien Williams has provided a nice boost on the ground. During the regular season, he went for just 498 yards and five touchdowns, but he has been pretty solid during the postseason.
The Super Bowl is set to kick off on Sunday at 6:30 pm ET.
Manning Retires
With so many great veteran quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Drew Brees in the league, one name that often gets overshadowed is Eli Manning. The star quarterback who played with the New York Giants since 2004 has finally called it a career.
Manning lost his starting job this season to rookie quarterback Daniel Jones and rather than be a backup or find another team, Manning has decided to hang them up.
Manning had a remarkable career, going 4,895 for 8,119 for 57,023 yards and 366 touchdowns. He led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories throughout his career.
While he may not have quite as many accolades as his older brother Peyton had, he still had a remarkable career. Now, though, at just 39, Eli can focus on his life after football.
Browns, Texans Tab New GMs
Earlier this week, the Cleveland Browns found their new general manager, hiring Andrew Berry, who most recently served as the Philadelphia Eagles’ Vice President of Football Operations. Berry worked in Cleveland prior to being hired by the Eagles and now reunites with owner Jimmy Haslam.
Berry is set to take over for John Dorsey and will certainly have his work cut out for him to get the Browns to take the next step in their progression towards becoming a contender.
The Houston Texans also tabbed a new general manager, and their hire was really close to the club. How close? They have put their head coach, Bill O’Brien, in the role of general manager as well.
Even though he has already been in charge of the roster, this deal gives him the title to go along with the responsibilities. The Texans won the AFC South this year and advanced to the divisional round before falling to Kansas City.
Rivers Likely Done With Chargers
According to Jay Glazer, it appears that the Los Angeles Chargers have decided to move on from longtime quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers, who just turned 38, has played with the Chargers since the 2004 season, setting multiple franchise records, including career passing yards (59,271).
Still, it appears that the Chargers are set to move on, and that leaves Rivers needing to make a decision about his future. Some have speculated that he could retire, while others think that after moving his family back to his home state of Florida, a union with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could make sense.
Regardless, Rivers has had a fantastic career and could still have a little left in the tank. This season with the Chargers, he went 390 for 591 for 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns.
One slight blemish is an interception total that hit 20 on the season. Still, for a team like Tampa Bay that has some tools but needs a more consistent passer, Rivers could be an option.
Hunt Runs Into More Trouble
Sadly, Kareem Hunt is becoming a poster child for making bad decisions. Hunt has already faced the repercussions of domestic abuse, as he was suspended eight games this season after video surfaced of him kicking a woman.
Now, the Cleveland Browns running back was pulled over this week, and video from the image shows Hunt admitting that he wouldn’t pass an NFL drug test at the time he was pulled over. To further complicate matters, an open vodka bottle was found in his possession.
While there is not a whole lot of compassion for an individual who made headlines for domestic violence, it is very clear that Hunt is facing a lot of personal demons, and they have interfered with what could have been a remarkable NFL career.
This season with Cleveland, Hunt rushed for just 179 yards and two touchdowns. His most successful season was back in 2017 for Kansas City, as the then 22-year-old Hunt rushed for 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns while also catching 53 receptions for 455 yards and another three touchdowns.
It is unclear how this will affect his upcoming free agency, but it does make very clear that this young man definitely needs some help, not just for his playing career, but for his life outside of football as well.
