Super Bowl LVIII: All Roads Lead to Vegas
For the first time in NFL history, the Super Bowl will be held in Las Vegas. 2024 will be the year it happens, as Super Bowl LVIII was awarded to the recently-constructed Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada after the original plan to have it at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans fell through.
In 2018, the league awarded Super Bowl LVIII to New Orleans; however, the expanded season that began in 2021 created complications, as the Super Bowl date (February 11, 2024) was in direct conflict with the New Orleans Mardi Gras festival. As a result, New Orleans will host Super Bowl IX, and Vegas will host Super Bowl LVIII.
NFL in Vegas: A History
After years of trying to find ways to renovate the Oakland Coliseum up to league standards, the Oakland Raiders owner, Mark Davis, came to the conclusion that he needed to explore other options. The lease on the Coliseum expired in 2013, prompting the next phase for the Raiders. Among the possible relocation city candidates were San Antonio, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego. Davis ultimately decided on Las Vegas, which he announced publicly in 2016.
Before then, the NFL had no affiliation with Las Vegas. Major sports leagues steered clear of the city due to the gambling implications. However, the NHL paved the way when they entered the Vegas market with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2016 and it was just a matter of time before other leagues followed suit.
In March 2017, the league voted 31-1 in favour of the Raiders relocating to Vegas, and shortly after, construction began on the 64-acre plot that would house a state-of-the-art domed stadium that was completed in July 2020—just in time for the inaugural 2020 season.
The Raiders experienced some growing pains in their first season at Allegiant. They finished with an 8-8 record overall and a 2-6 home record. The following season, they improved to a 10-7 record overall and 5-4 home record. The NFL has approved of the stadium and has already located a Pro Bowl game there in 2022 that saw 56,206 people attend. Up next is Super Bowl LVIII.
Favourites for Super Bowl LVIII
Kansas City Chiefs +600
The Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes duo earned a second Super Bowl after Sunday’s game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Mahomes led his team to greatness as he fought through the pain of a high ankle sprain that was re-aggravated in the second quarter of the game. Just like in their Super Bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers three years ago, Kansas City had to mount a come-from-behind victory after falling into a deficit.
Buffalo Bills +850
The Bills are on the verge of greatness. For the fourth straight year, they’ve been a contender in the playoffs, but this time around they fell to the Cincinnati Bengals in a snow-filled game in the Divisional Round. The Bills failed to generate much offense, with QB Josh Allen getting intercepted once and managing to run in one touchdown—the only TD of the game for the Bills. They’ll need to regroup and figure out how to get over the hump and to the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati Bengals +900
The Bengals could have very well been Super Bowl contenders this season. They pulled off a massive upset when they beat the Bills 27-10 as 5.5-point underdogs in the Divisional Round, and then had the Chiefs cornered in a 20-20 tie with minutes left in the AFC Championship game, before making a critical error when their defensive end was flagged for a personal foul. Cincinnati QB Joe Burrow had his best season yet in 2022 and will be eligible for a contract extension this offseason.
Philadelphia Eagles +900
The Eagles’ Super Bowl run ended with a holding call that gave Mahomes the first down needed to pull ahead. Jalen Hurts was the superior quarterback in the first half, showing poise and control as he led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 24-14 lead by the end of the first half. He’ll have this experience to build upon for the next season, which will no doubt see the Eagles as major contenders in the playoffs once again.
San Francisco 49ers +900
Who knows how far the 49ers could have made it if they didn’t run into the quarterback issues that saw fourth stringer QB Josh Johnson come off the field in the NFC Championship Game with a concussion. Third string QB Brock Purdy certainly made a claim to be starter material for next season, but he’ll have to heal from the surgery needed to repair the UCL tear in his right elbow first.
Allegiant Stadium: A Profile
With a final cost of $2.02 billion, Allegiant Stadium is the second-most expensive stadium in the world, after SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It took 31 months to complete and has a 65,000-person capacity, which is on the lower end of the spectrum when it comes to Super Bowl attendance. The stadium is shared with the UNLV Rebels in the NCAAF.
Just like we saw with Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium, Allegiant Stadium has a real grass field that is on a mobile tray, making it possible to wheel it out to sit in the sun when not in use (and only the Raiders get to use the real grass field). This four-foot-thick feature weighs roughly 19 million pounds and has the same Bermuda grass used on golf courses.
At the north end of the facility, there is a set of Lanai doors that offer an 80-foot tall, 200-foot wide opening to the outside. They take 10 minutes to open, and when they do, they offer expansive views of the Vegas Strip from the north end. That opening combined with a special roof that uses translucent ETFE roof panels create an outdoor experience while also being set up to protect people from the intense desert heat.
The stadium has hosted many sports events since its semi-recent opening, including college football playoff games, the NFL Pro Bowl, the CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in 2021, as well as major concerts with musicians. It will experience its first sold-out show in the coming weeks when Taylor Swift takes the stage in her “The Eras Tour.”