The NFL playoffs are beginning to close in on the Super Bowl which is taking place on Sunday, Feb. 12. While close to 100 million viewers are expected to tune in, many casual watchers are not aware of the complexity and history behind the event. This is a helpful catch-up of the essentials that make up the Super Bowl.

A quick explanation of the Super Bowl is that it is the annual championship game of the National Football League and is played between the winners of the AFC and NFC conferences. 

The first Super Bowl was played on Jan. 15, 1967, and was known as the AFL-NFL World Championship Game. The game was created as a way to determine a true champion between the NFL and the AFL, which had been in competition with each other for several years. The Green Bay Packers of the NFL defeated the Kansas City Chiefs of the AFL in the first Super Bowl. The game was played in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and was attended by 61,946 fans. Over the years, the Super Bowl has grown in popularity and is now one of the most-watched television events in the United States. 

Fans and players alike experience tension and excitement throughout the NFL playoffs. 14 teams fight as the regular season comes to an end for the coveted Super Bowl trophy, with the victor being proclaimed as the National Football League champion.

The postseason is a period of strong loyalty and emotion for fans. The thrill of a playoff game is unmatched by any other event in America, and fans assemble with friends and family to watch their favorite teams compete on the field. The playoffs offer a genuinely unique experience for viewers, from the roar of the stadium to the heart-pounding finishes.

The playoffs are a period of extreme pressure and scrutiny for players. Under the glare of the postseason, every play, every choice, and every error is amplified. It takes a particular kind of athlete to rise to the occasion and guide their team to success since the pressure may be debilitating.

The stakes increase and the battle heats up as the playoffs go on. The teams that advance to the Big Game did so after putting in a lot of effort, commitment, and skill. And the Super Bowl is the ultimate reward for the victorious club, giving them the opportunity to go down in history as NFL champions.