It can take a while to fully understand the intricacies of football, between the important stats of each player and of each team. Sure, not everyone has a handle on all of these facts, but anyone can fake their way through four quarters of talking points. Don’t spend your weekend cramming information into your brain that you probably won’t use again. Instead, check out Pipe Dream’s fun facts to carry you through the game and to impress your more-knowledgable friends.
— If the Broncos win, Peyton Manning will be the oldest quarterback to win a Super Bowl
— If the Panthers win, Cam Newton could become the first quarterback to win a Heisman Trophy, college football national championship, Super Bowl and NFL MVP award
— Both teams were the #1 seeds from each conference
— Manning (39) and Newton (26) have the biggest age gap for quarterbacks in Super Bowl history (13 years, 48 days)
— Manning has eluded that this may be his final season before retiring, which could make this the final game of his career
— Manning’s younger brother, Eli, is the quarterback for the New York Giants and has also won two Super Bowls
— Michael Oher, #73 for the Panthers, is the player whose life “The Blind Side” is based on.
— This is the first Super Bowl between two #1 overall draft pick quarterbacks (Manning 1998, Newton 2011)
Key Terms:
— Quarterback: The player you want to keep your eyes on. The Broncos’ QB is Peyton Manning, #18. The Panthers’ QB is Cam Newton, #1.
— Touchdown: The main way to score in football. Six points are awarded when one team’s offense brings the ball into the opposite team’s end zone. The team then has a chance to complete a field goal or a two-point conversion.
— Field goal: When the offense kicks the ball between the goal posts for three points.
— End zone: A 10-yard area at each end of the field. Each team has to defend one of the two while attempting to score on the opposite team’s zone. Every time a team enters their opponent’s zone with possession of the ball, they are awarded a touchdown.
— First Down: The first at four attempts by the offensive to move the ball 10 yards toward the end zone on the field. The downs reset to first down each time the offense passes the required number of yards on the field.
— Fumble: When the team who has possession of the ball drops it during a play. Whichever team possesses the ball after it’s dropped keeps possession.