The seven most interesting stats in Super Bowl history

Super Bowl LIX will provide a historic result regardless of which team wins on Sunday: the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs.

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will be looking to end a 52-year drought, and the Chiefs, most notably, aim to complete the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

As we enter the final 24 hours before kickoff, let’s examine some of the craziest records and stats in Super Bowl history.

1. Saquon Barkley could break a Super Bowl rushing record set by a player who made his NFL debut in the big game

The most rushing yards recorded in a Super Bowl is 204, set by Washington’s Timmy Smith in 1988.

The rookie running back hadn’t started a single game that season until Super Bowl XXII. Barkley has rushed for over 200 yards twice this year and looks to make it a third on Sunday.

2. Tom Brady is the only QB to start in the Super Bowl after turning 40

And he’s done it three times. Brady started for the New England Patriots twice (Super Bowls LII and LIII) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once (Super Bowl LV) at ages 40, 41 and 43.

Steve DeBerg is the oldest quarterback to have been rostered at a Super Bowl (he was 45 years old when the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII in 1998), but he never played.

3. Super Bowl XXXV holds the record for most punts in the game

New York Giants punter Brad Maynard and his counterpart on the Baltimore Ravens hold the top two spots, respectively, for most punts by a single team (and player) in a Super Bowl (11 and 10).

They played against each other in Super Bowl XXXV, which also holds the record for most punts by both teams in the big game (21). The Ravens won 34-7.

4. Cooper Kupp did something in one year that Jerry Rice only accomplished once

Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp’s dominance during the 2021-22 season will remain unmatched. He won the Super Bowl LVI MVP, NFL Offensive Player of the Year and the receiving triple crown (yards, touchdowns and receptions) — all in the same year.

Jerry Rice was the only other receiver in NFL history to win each of those at least once in their entire career.

5. The first-ever Super Bowl ticket cost just $12

In 1967, a ticket to watch the Green Bay Packers play the Chiefs in the first-ever AFL-NFL Championship Game — later known as the Super Bowl — cost just $12.

Adjusted for inflation, that would come to about $87 in today’s money.

6. A Dallas Cowboys WR caught only one pass in his career, and it was a Super Bowl TD

Percy Howard, a college basketball player out of Austin Peay State University, caught his first and only career catch from Dallas Cowboys QB Roger Staubach in Super Bowl X.

His lone highlight in 1976 made him the second-ever rookie to score in the big game (Duane Thomas, Super Bowl V).

7. Only one player from the losing team has ever won Super Bowl MVP

In 1971, Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley earned the game’s most prestigious individual honor despite his team losing 16-13 to the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl V.

He recorded two interceptions and returned them for 22 yards, and is still the only losing-team player to earn game MVP.