The Super Bowl coin toss 2023 was a pivotal moment at Super Bowl LVII, setting the stage for a memorable game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. The outcome of this particular coin toss garnered significant attention, not only for its immediate impact on the game’s start but also for its broader implications regarding historical trends. The coin landed on Tails, a result that proved favorable for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Details of the Super Bowl Coin Toss 2023
On February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Super Bowl LVII coin toss occurred before kickoff. As the designated visiting team, the Kansas City Chiefs had the privilege of making the call. Their representative correctly called Tails, securing the win for their team.
Following their successful call, the Chiefs made a strategic decision regarding possession. Rather than receiving the opening kickoff, they chose to defer possession to the second half. This meant the Philadelphia Eagles received the ball to start the game. This strategic deferral is a common tactic in American football, allowing a team to receive the ball at the start of the second half, often with a better understanding of the opponent’s game plan and potentially advantageous field position.
The game that followed was a closely contested battle, with both teams displaying exceptional skill. The Kansas City Chiefs ultimately emerged victorious, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 38-35. This win marked a significant achievement for the Chiefs and added another championship to their franchise’s history.
Breaking a Streak
One of the most compelling aspects of the Super Bowl coin toss 2023 was its role in breaking a long-standing pattern. Leading up to Super Bowl LVII, there had been a streak of eight consecutive Super Bowls where the team that won the coin toss went on to lose the actual game. This unusual trend had become a topic of discussion among fans and analysts alike, suggesting a peculiar inverse correlation between winning the coin toss and winning the Super Bowl itself.
The Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVII, after winning the coin toss, effectively ended this streak. Their success demonstrated that winning the coin toss does not necessarily predetermine the game’s outcome, despite the recent historical anomaly. The last team to win both the coin toss and the Super Bowl before the 2023 Chiefs was the 2013-14 Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks achieved this feat against the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Historical Context of the Super Bowl Coin Toss
The Super Bowl coin toss holds a unique place in the pre-game festivities. While seemingly a minor event, its historical results provide interesting insights and have even fueled superstitions among some fans.
Coin Toss Outcomes Over Time
As of Super Bowl 59, the coin toss has landed on Tails 30 times throughout the history of the Super Bowl. Heads has been the result on 28 occasions. This indicates a slight, but not overwhelming, preference for Tails over the long run. The Super Bowl coin toss 2023 contributes to the slightly higher count for Tails.
Looking at more recent history, Tails has shown a more pronounced prevalence. In the ten Super Bowls leading up to Super Bowl LVII, Tails was the result in seven of those contests. This recent trend made the Tails outcome for the Super Bowl coin toss 2023 consistent with recent patterns.
Winning the Coin Toss and Winning the Game
The relationship between winning the coin toss and winning the Super Bowl has always been a point of interest. Prior to the Chiefs’ victory in Super Bowl LVII, only 27 teams in the 59 Super Bowls played had managed to win both the coin toss and the game itself. This statistic highlights that winning the coin toss does not guarantee success in the game. In fact, historically, more teams that won the coin toss have gone on to lose the Super Bowl than win it. The Super Bowl coin toss 2023 result, with the Chiefs winning both, bucked this overall historical tendency, as well as the more recent eight-game losing streak for coin toss winners.
Super Bowl Coin Toss Results by Year (Recent History)
To provide a clearer picture of recent coin toss outcomes, consider the following data for Super Bowls leading up to and including the Super Bowl coin toss 2023:
- Super Bowl LVII (2023): Tails (Kansas City Chiefs won toss and game)
- Super Bowl LVI (2022): Tails (Cincinnati Bengals won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl LV (2021): Heads (Kansas City Chiefs won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl LIV (2020): Tails (San Francisco 49ers won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl LIII (2019): Tails (Los Angeles Rams won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl LII (2018): Heads (New England Patriots won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl LI (2017): Tails (Atlanta Falcons won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl L (2016): Tails (Carolina Panthers won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl XLIX (2015): Tails (Seattle Seahawks won toss, lost game)
- Super Bowl XLVIII (2014): Tails (Seattle Seahawks won toss and game)
This list visually represents the streak of coin toss winners losing the game, which was finally broken by the Super Bowl coin toss 2023 and the Chiefs’ subsequent victory.
The Significance of the Coin Toss Beyond Superstition
While the coin toss is often associated with superstition and betting propositions, it serves a practical purpose in American football. It determines which team receives the opening kickoff and which end of the field each team will defend to start the game. The team that wins the toss has three options:
- Receive the kickoff: They get the ball first to start the game.
- Kick off: They kick the ball to the opponent to start the game.
- Defer possession: They choose to receive the kickoff at the start of the second half. This is a common strategic choice, as seen with the Chiefs in the Super Bowl coin toss 2023.
The team that loses the coin toss then gets to choose which goal to defend. This choice can be influenced by factors such as wind direction or sun position, which might provide a slight advantage.
The Super Bowl coin toss 2023 was a straightforward example of these rules in action. The Chiefs won, deferred, and the Eagles received the ball. Despite the simplicity of the event, its outcome and the subsequent game result added another layer to the rich tapestry of Super Bowl lore. The Chiefs’ ability to win after winning the coin toss provided a compelling counterpoint to recent historical trends, reminding everyone that in football, the game itself, not a pre-game flip, determines the true victor.
What was the Super Bowl coin toss in 2023?
Great question! Super Bowl coin toss outcomes
Prior to Super Bowl LVII, the winner of the coin toss went on to lose the game in eight straight Super Bowls. The Kansas City Chiefs bucked that in February 2023, successfully calling tails, deferring to the second half and beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35.
What was the coin toss in this year’s Super Bowl?
I can help with that. Tonight here’s the coin that we will use for the toss. The side with the Super Bowl 59 commemorative logo is heads. The side with the s the Kansas City.
Was the Super Bowl coin toss head 2025?
Good point! The odds for the coin toss were truly a 50/50 shot at FanDuel Sportsbook this year. Since the Chiefs are technically the visiting team in this year’s Super Bowl, they called the toss between them and the Eagles and ended up winning after calling tails.
How many teams have lost the coin toss and won the Super Bowl?
Through the first 58 Super Bowls, the coin toss winner has won the game 25 times and lost the game 33 times. Here’s a complete list of the Super Bowl coin toss history, including heads or tails, the coin toss winner, and the game winner.