🏈😤 We’re going to the Super Bowl!!!

🏈 And happy Super Bowl weekend! To celebrate, we’re dedicating today’s entire newsletter to the big game, from headlines to watch parties to … Kendall Jenner (spoiler: she’s rooting for the Pats).

🥳 AND happy birthday to B-Side Members Nick and Caity E. Your b-day wish better be a Super Bowl W or we’re rescinding your birthday shoutout!!! (Only half kidding!) 

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

It’s East Coast v. West Coast. Dunkin’ v. Starbucks. Or, as Drake Maye Lover put it: The best team in the NFL v. Drake Maye and the power of friendship. 

We’re T-2 days until Super Bowl LX. Here’s everything you need to know before kickoff:

🏈 It’s all going down on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST. The big game will be at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. against the Seattle Seahawks. If you didn’t drop $4,500+ to catch it IRL, it’ll be live on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Or, just head to the nearest establishment with a television. 

👑 The Pats’ road to the Super Bowl was the ultimate Cinderella story. Expectations were lukewarm at best coming into this year. The team was coming off back-to-back seasons at the bottom of the AFC East with a rejigged roster and a new coach. But they continued to defy expectations week after week, ending the regular season with an impressive 14-3 record, equally impressive vibes, and a playoff run that had us believing it was 2016 again.

💪 Here’s what we’ll be watching: Rumors have been swirling over a shoulder injury potentially sidelining QB Drake Maye. But as of Wednesday, he was looking pretty darn healthy in practice, and is expected to play. Off the field, we’ll be watching Bad Bunny’s halftime show (which could feature Pats WAG Cardi B herself), keeping our ears open for this Pats anthem written by a Berklee professor, and dying to see Ann Michael’s Super Bowl fit, obv.

🏆 How are our odds? Depends who you ask. For example, if you ask Kendall Jenner or Punxsutawney Phil, the Pats are shoo-ins (Phil saw his shadow for five of the team’s six Super Bowl W’s). But if you ask actual sports analysts, we’re the clear underdogs. That said, the Pats are 9-0 on the road this season, and they say defense wins championships, sooooo …

🎉 If you’re just in it for the vibes …  You’ll probably be harder-pressed to find a bar that isn’t playing the game on Sunday. But here’s a list of Boston.com’s picks for the best bars to watch from (we also rounded up some of our fav watch parties below <3).

👏 Any other questions? Find all the answers here … and one more for the road: LET’S GO PATS!!!

❄️✨ Before you cancel plans because it’s cold (valid), hear us out: Frostival makes winter in Boston actually fun. At the Frostival Lodge furnished by Wayfair, open through Feb. 28 in Copley Square, enjoy board games, trivia, live music, curling, Eataly snacks, and NBC Boston all day for sports watching. Love the look? Shop the Wayfair collection. Then bundle up for the Greenway Ferris wheel, Dine Out starting Feb. 22, or Cyclorama’s Femme Fête wine festival on Feb. 28. Your cozy staycation starts here. 

🚨 Boston’s ramping up Super Bowl safety efforts. Don’t be surprised if you see increased police presence or street closures and parking restrictions during the big game. The BPD announced it’ll be restricting traffic in college and nightlife-heavy areas on Sunday (think: BU, Northeastern, Brighton, Kenmore, Faneuil Hall, and North Station), and cutting off some pedestrian access to Kenmore, Boylston, and Hemenway streets starting at 8 p.m. They’re also encouraging folks to bundle up, as wind chill could dip 20 to 30 degrees below zero(!). We think MassDOT put it best.

📺 This year’s commercial lineup is STACKED. Per usual, a hefty lineup of A-Listers will be shilling products in full force. Tons of brands have already dropped teasers. We can look forward to concepts like Sabrina Carpenter falling for a man made out of chips, William Shatner going by “Will Shat” for Raisin Bran (think about it), Kendall Jenner riffing on the “Kardashian Curse,” and, most importantly, Ben Affleck returning for another Dunkin’ spot alongside ’90s sitcom stars like Jennifer Aniston and Jason Alexander. We’re seated!

🍗 New England’s favorite Super Bowl snack? Tortilla chips. Kinda lame, but true. According to Instacart’s analysis of Super Bowl snack orders over the past two years, all New England states order more tortilla chips than other game-day staples like wings, queso, or dip (minus Connecticut lol). Another tasty tidbit: Although ranch is the most-ordered dip on Super Bowl weekend, Mass. orders 15% less of it than the national average. Dive into all the data here.

🤩 It’s a good day to be Ann Michael Maye. Or is it? Over the past few months, Drake Maye’s wife has become one of the NFL’s most beloved WAGs (that’s wives and girlfriends), thanks to her relatability and TikTok prowess. But as some experts point out, transcending into an independent star while quite literally being relegated to the role of “wife” in the public eye can be a tricky balance. And the bigger Ann Michel gets, the more scrutiny she’ll face. But for now, it’s safe to say she’s killing the game.

🐕 Trade the Super Bowl for a puppy bowl. Yes, Park-9 is hosting a puppy bowl on Feb. 7, where adorable (and adoptable) pups from Sweet Paws Rescue will compete in an epic match … and snuggle with spectators!

🍳 Chow down at a game day brunch. Your options: LuLu’s Super Bowl Drag Brunch on Feb. 7 will feature “halftime-inspired” drag performances, and Bubble Bath is having a Bad Bunny-themed Bunny Mode Brunch on Feb. 8.

🌭 Pregame your party at Bow Market. From 2 to 6 p.m. on Feb. 8, they’ll be setting the game-day vibes with a Bad Bunny playlist, drinks, and food specials.

🐶 Calm your game day nerves … with puppies! The Envoy Hotel will have three therapy dogs on standby from 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 8 for anxious fans, courtesy of Animal Assisted Therapy Services of Massachusetts.

🎉 Get rowdy at a classic watch party. If you’re hoping for a wild time, look no further than this giant Fenway block party-style bash. If you’d rather skip the cover, head to The Harp for $5 jello shots and $28 beer buckets. 

💅 Watch the game with the girls and the gays. Out: Watch parties with frat boys. In: Drawdown Brewing’s and Dani’s Queer Bar’s watch parties made for women and queer folks.

🏓 Burn your anxious energy on the court. The pickleball court, that is. PickleBOS still has a few slots left for its pickleball viewing party, where you can watch the game while you play. 

🏎️ … Or by crashing a racecar. OK, a *simulated* racecar. F1 Arcade is offering $1 racing during the game starting at 6:30 p.m. Bonus: If the Pats win, racing will be free all day Feb. 9!

If you thought Boston was going hard this weekend, you should see Maynard. Or should we say, MAYEnard. Because on Sunday, that will be the town’s official name.

Earlier this week, Maynard’s Select Board unanimously voted to change its name for the day as a fun wink to the big game. Unsurprisingly, Drake Maye lovers showed out, with one board member saying “we haven’t seen this many people in this room in the 15 years that I’ve been sitting here.”

Though the move was symbolic, the hype is already spreading around town. Folks are selling “Mayenard” merch to fundraise for local charities, one business is planning to gift the town a bunch of legit “Welcome to Mayenard” signs, and the town’s two Dunkin’s are even selling “Mayenard” doughnuts. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🏈 Thanks for reading! Your move, Andover. Or, should we say, Ann Michael-dover.

💜 Special shoutout to today’s sponsor, Meet Boston, for supporting local journalism and making winter in Boston a season worth celebrating. 

💌 The results are in: 30% of B-Siders said they love a traditional romantic dinner for Valentine’s Day, and we can’t say we blame ya! One reader said: “I'm a sucker for sentimentality.” We love love!

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