There is more to this year’s Super Bowl than meets the eye.
No, I’m not talking about the girlfriend of a certain star tight end that’s sucking up all the oxygen in the stadium. For me and a whole lot of other diehard football fans, we’re in the No Swift Zone.
Super Bowl LVIII is a rematch between the San Francisco 49ers, the top seed in the NFC, and the Kansas City Chiefs, the current reigning NFL champs.
The two teams actually met four years ago in Super Bowl LIV.
It was a game during which the 49ers blew a 20-10 lead, the Chiefs scored 21 unanswered fourth-quarter points, the final tally was 31-20, and the Chiefs took home the coveted trophy.
This year’s rematch is really one for the books.
On one side, you have the 49ers aching for the first Super Bowl victory the team has seen in almost 30 years. And on the other side, you have the Chiefs longing for another Super Bowl win like it saw last year.
Shortly after “Queen of Country” Reba McEntire finishes singing the national anthem in Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium, two young, gifted quarterbacks will take center stage on the gridiron.
Both quarterbacks are known for their creative improvised plays as well as their uncanny ability to befuddle the opposing team’s defense.
Brock Purdy is San Francisco’s second-year QB, and Patrick Mahomes is Kansas City’s two-time NFL MVP quarterback.
In quite a few ways, the two starters are figuratively goalposts apart.
Purdy will line up as the lowest-drafted quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl.
He was the 262nd and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. The media had even nicknamed him “Mr. Irrelevant” for his overlooked arrival after a college career at Iowa State. He only became the starter for the 49ers after two other players suffered injuries.
Ignoring his detractors, he persevered and flourished as a 49ers starter, leading the team to the 2022 NFC title game. Then during his first full year as a starting quarterback in 2023, he played all season long at MVP level.
On the opposite side of the field will be Mahomes.
The Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Since becoming the Chiefs' starting quarterback, he has led the team to six consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances.
He will line up as the first QB to have started in four different Super Bowls, all before the age of 30.
Despite their differences, the two QBs have one very significant thing in common. Both have been graced with the amazing gift of faith. Both, too, have been open about it.
From relative obscurity, Purdy was catapulted on to the big stage of professional football. He looked to his faith to find meaning and comfort in order to cope with the multitude of challenges that a celebrity athlete experiences.
In a video for the Sports Spectrum Instagram account, he described the manner in which the teachings of Christ helped set his priorities straight.
“I didn’t want to grip on to this life of, ‘My gosh, I’m in the NFL. I have a starting quarterback role. I can’t lose it,’” he said.
“I was reminded of what Jesus told us thousands of years ago in terms of don’t try to hold on to your life. You’re going to lose it … And the minute you have fame and if you’re trying to chase status and money and all this kind of stuff, you’ll lose your life…,” he said.
Purdy’s opponent Mahomes spoke about his faith after winning the game that propelled him to Super Bowl LVII.
After leading the Chiefs to victory in the AFC Championship, the first thing he did was give gratitude to God.
“I wanna thank God, man. He healed my body this week,” he said referring to his injured ankle in a post-game interview, adding, “To battle through that, He gave me the strength to be out here.”
His faith is central to his life, influencing all that he does on and off the field. His reliance on God is awe-inspiring.
“My Christian faith plays a role in everything I do,” he said. “I always ask God to lead me in the right direction and let me be who I am for His name.”
This got me thinking about when the clock runs out on Super Bowl LVIII and the game is over, one thing is for certain.
A true believing QB will be on the winning team.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen's Reports — More Here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.