The first Super Bowl that I can actually remember was Super Bowl XXXVII when the Buccaneers crushed the Raiders. And honestly, most of my memories about the actual game involve being confused why we were watching a football game when the Redskins weren’t playing. But my clearest memory from that day was watching the Caps put up a 7-spot on the New York Rangers, and hearing Joe Benninati make a joke about Peter Bondra kicking the extra point on Super Bowl Sunday after he scored the Caps 7th goal.

Since then, I’ve always associated Super Bowl Sunday with the Caps playing in the afternoon, and apparently so has the NHL, since, starting in 2008, the league decided to make the unofficial tradition official. Sunday’s game will be the 31st time the Caps have played on Super Sunday.

The Caps history of playing on Super Bowl Sunday actually goes all the way back to the first year of the team’s existence. On the same day as Super Bowl IX, the Caps got absolutely lit up by the Canadiens, 7-2. Funny enough, the Habs actually put up more points that day than the Minnesota Vikings did.

While the Caps don’t generally play well in afternoon games, they do play well on Super Bowl Sunday matinee games. Overall they are 17-11-2 the day of the Big Game, including 8 straight wins, spanning Super Bowls XXXII-XLV (there were 6 Super Bowls during that time frame where they didn’t play).

My favorite weird fact about the Caps Super Bowl Sunday history, is that when the Caps win, the NFC has won 11 to the AFC’s 6, but when the Caps lose, the NFC and AFC have split the games about evenly. This is clearly a causal relationship.

In the “Rock the Red” era of the Caps, they have had several amazing games. For instance, in 2010, when the Caps took on the Penguins the day of Super Bowl XLIV, an overtime thriller which saw an Ovechkin hat trick, as well as two goals from Sidney Crosby.

In 2018, the Caps lost 4-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights in what we could never have predicted at the time would be a preview of that year’s Stanley Cup Finals.

Looking ahead to this year’s Super Sunday, the Caps will be taking on the Flyers at noon. The Flyers have been good this year, with a record of 7-2-2. Like the Caps, they have relied on a high powered offense to score their goals, as their actual goals are rapidly outpacing their expected goals, at a rate very near the Caps.

The two teams are both in the top half of the league in goals scored, and both are in the worse half of the league in terms of allowing goals, per NHL.com. Further more, the two teams are both top ten in terms of PP%. Expect a fast pace, high scoring game.

Which is, funny enough, about what you should expect from the upcoming Super Bowl as well. Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs offense is incredibly overpowered, and should be able to put up a crap ton of points against any defense. But to underestimate the greatest Quarterback of all time would be a mistake. And don’t come at me about it, I don’t like him either, but love him or hate him, the dude is absolutely the greatest QB ever to play the game.

With that in mind, here’s how some of the Chirpin’ team thinks Sunday is going to go, for both the Caps game, and the Super Bowl:

Stat Guy Blake:

I think the Caps are going to win an OT nailbiter vs. Philly, and the Chiefs are going to get their second straight Lombardi Trophy.

Bobcat:

Buccos, stairway to 7 for Tom.

He wears uggs, I wear uggs. It’s simple really.

Ben Little:

I’ll say Caps/Chiefs, but I want the Bucs to win way more

Coach:

Caps and Chiefs – Caps couldn’t beat the Flyers for shit last year. Give me a 4-3 win Ovi x2

Chiefs 34-27

Patty Mahomes too much money and taking him over the goat

Brando:

Caps/chiefs, Caps win 3-1, Chiefs win 31-24

Who do you think is gonna win? Tweet us @ChirpinDMV with your picks, and if you’re right, you won’t win a damn thing, but I’ll retweet you and say “good pick.”