With less than a week to go before the kickoff of Super Bowl XLVIII NFL fans all over the world are finalizing their party plans and, where the time difference (or after party) calls for it, concocting alibis explaining why they didn’t make it in to work on time Monday morning.
We here at Totally Stockholm thought we’d give you a few ideas of where in the city you can catch the big game – but first, how do the two teams who’ve battled their way to the final stack up against each other?
Super Bowl XLVIII will be played between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday February 2nd. The game pits veteran quarterback Peyton Manning’s record-breaking offence against the Seahawks’ downright intimidating defense – it’s not for nothing that Seattle’s defensive secondary has earned themselves the nickname ‘The Legion of Boom’ this season. Denver’s principle strength undoubtedly lies with their passing game. Under the cool-headed leadership of Manning they have put 161 more points on the board than the next highest-scoring team this season. However, pass-defense is where Seattle has excelled this year. The Seahawks’ corps of big and fast backfield defenders, which have allowed the fewest amount of passing yards in the NFL, will not permit Denver to rely purely on Manning’s arm. Running the ball on the ground will have to play a bigger role than usual.
Then there’s the weather. MetLife stadium in New Jersey, home to the New York Giants and the New York Jets, will be hosting this year’s Super Bowl. Amid not a little controversy, this is set to be the first cold-weather Super Bowl played in an uncovered stadium. Weather forecasts at the time of writing cover the spectrum from +2°C and rain all the way up to a blizzard. So far it’s been deemed a “wintery mix.” Seattle will certainly be hoping for a bit of wind to pile more pressure onto Manning’s passing game.
This Super Bowl looks set to pit both teams’ biggest strengths directly against each other, and though Seattle are going into the game as nominal underdogs, they undoubtedly have the ability to throw a spanner into Denver’s touchdown machine. It’s unlikely to be high-scoring, but fans all over the world are fired up in anticipation of what promises to be a classic game.
Super Bowl XLVIII is showing on both Viaplay and TV10 though with Viaplay you’ll get an hour of extra build up with their coverage beginning at 23:30. But should you want to get out with the fans, here’s our selection of venues that’ll be keeping their doors open and staff awake well into the wee hours of Monday morning. There have been talks that the Superbowl may be moved to a different date if the weather is bad enough. This MAY be a possibility but would be the very LAST option as moving this event would affect many, many things including many fans’ booked flights, the UFC 169, and more. Basically everyone’s praying for a game as scheduled and so are we.
With around 15 locations throughout Stockholm, O’Leary’s have left it up to individual bars whether or not to show the Super Bowl so it’s well worth calling your favorite to check. However, the O’Leary’s at Gamla Stan, Skanstull and Östermalm will be staying open until 5am and serving food and drinks. There’s no entrance fee but it’s well-worth calling to book a table if you want to be sure of getting fed.
This year the Hard Rock cafe will be bringing you contests and prizes throughout the night as well as half-time entertainment, all courtesy of Viaplay. Again there’s no entrance fee and food and drinks will be served all night. Table bookings are also available.
For those of you wanting to push the boat out a little, the Clarion Hotel Sign in association with the Swedish American Football Federation, TV10 and the American Club of Sweden will be showing the game on a big screen and providing an American-style buffet. Entrance-only tickets start at Kr320 but check the website for package deals on rooms and breakfast.
Words by Denny Way
