The “Super Bowl That Nobody Wanted” is upon us.

The National Football League’s showcase extravaganza takes place on Sunday, February 8 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. I haven’t been this unenthusiastic about a Super Bowl since 2014.

The fact that one of the two franchises from that game 12 years ago is also in this one is a testament to how uninteresting Seattle is, and not just the football Seahawks. For more on why Seattle is a mid-town with a mid-fanbase and just over all “mid,” check out this post Annoyances of Seattle Sports Culture.

Back to the matter at hand. This year’s Super Bowl features the Seahawks versus an upstart New England Patriots squad that had the easiest schedule in the league as well as a bunch of lucky breaks along the way, literally.

The best player in the league, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen was playing on a broken foot and nursing several other injuries in the last five weeks of his season. Denver quarterback Bo Nix broke his ankle on a running play in their win over Buffalo right before the Pats game.

Allen played hurt. Nix’s injury was season ending. The Pats benefited by not playing against Allen and by Nix not playing in the AFC Championship game.

Everyone outside of New England knows this team is fraudulent. Now they get to play the Seattle Seahawks, for all intents and purposes a very good team, in what many are predicting to be an outright blowout for the NFC Champions.

The problem is Seattle is led by Sam Darnold, who is relatively likeable but not that interesting as a whole. It’s like all of the Seattle sports culture bottled up into on quarterback. Kind of good at times but never really able to enthrall the masses outside of their city and region.

Darnold was in the same draft class as Allen and the other most exciting player in the league (when healthy) Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens.

Neither of those two have had the privilege of making it to the Super Bowl because inevitably they beat each other or have been beaten by one of the best ever in Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

This meme shared on my buddy Nathan Sager’s If You Cannot Play A Sport, Be One Facebook Group tells it all . . .

Even in this Super Bowl, where Darnold’s team is favoured to win, the majority of the talk is about second-year superstar quarterback in the making Drake Maye of the Patriots.

He is nursing a bit of an injury himself. He has led his team to the Super Bowl in what is certainly way, way ahead of any reasonable timelines. He is being bandied about as the next Tom Brady – except that Maye knows how to use his legs as well as arm to create offense.

However, it’s the Patriots and the stench of Bill Belichek and Tom Brady lingers and their six Super Bowl titles together (2002, 2004, 2005, 2015, 2017, 2019). Their former Patriots dynasty teammate Mike Vrabel is the head coach of this current group.

SIDEBAR: I’m glad Belichek was denied Hall of Fame entry on his first ballot even though all the talking heads south of the border are having fits about it . . . suck it up buttercups. You don’t get to be dirty and cheat and steal and lie and then suddenly have everyone forget about it.

Neither team screams “cheer for me” in this Super Bowl. It’s why I have dubbed it “The Super Bowl Nobody Wanted.” There is no Mahomes and the Chiefs to root against or players who are on their last legs looking for a first title win.

Both teams are relatively young and could be back again next year or the year after . . . they likely won’t but they could be. Okay, Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp is older, but he already won a Super Bowl with the LA Rams a couple of years ago.

As a Vikings fan, I will kind of be cheering for Darnold because I felt he earned himself a contract from them after the 2024 season. Instead, the Seahawks took the chance and are being rewarded it for it.

I will also be cheering for a competitive game that at least keeps things interesting late into the fourth quarter. I’m going to an annual Super Bowl gathering and it will kind of suck if the game gets out of hand early.

That brings us to our predictions on the coin toss (heads or tails), team to win, and MVP. The picks were made by me, Joe, and John made on The Chris O Show Podcast this week.

In case you missed it, check out our Spotify or Apple Podcasts page – there are weird prop bets we make picks on as well as chat about the Olympics and the Australian Open men’s final.

Joe V. Picks: Coin Toss – Heads. Winner – Seattle stomps them. MVP – Cooper Kupp.

John R. Picks: Coin Toss – Heads. Winner – New England in a close one. MVP – Drake Maye.

Chris O. Picks: Coin Toss – Tails. Winner – Seattle by a field goal. MVP – Kenneth Walker III

That’s it for me! Ciao for Now!