Let's clear the air before you read another word: I do not believe in the existence of an actual Super Bowl script.
For the initiated, there's a theory that the NFL pre-determines not only which teams reach the Super Bowl, but how the game plays out. The Giants wiping out the Patriots' unbeaten season at Super Bowl XLII? All part of the plan. New England rallying from 28-3 down to stun the Falcons at Super Bowl LI? It might as well have been in theaters.
Sure, it's a hilarious talking point each year (and one the NFL has actually embraced), but come on, folks. It's not that deep. The AFC and NFC champions aren't engaging in a WWE-style predetermined tussle. They're playing a random game they both very much want to win (and one of them does).
That said, there are still elements of Super Bowl 60 that are likely going to look quite familiar to both NFL fans and cinephiles. After all, football is drama – and games on the biggest stages always produce plays that almost immediately flash us back to great moments in sports and/or cinema.
Here's a breakdown of the moments you're guaranteed to see as part of the Super Bowl 60 "script":
The "Writer's Slump" (aka "The 1st Quarter Lull")
📍 The Setup: From the moment the Super Bowl matchup is announced, fans and bettors talk themselves into this game being a points buffet. "Both teams will be well-rested!" you'll tell yourself. "Offenses will be jacked from the build-up!" you'll convince your friends. "Points!" you'll shout to no one in particular.
📝 The Script: Cue the Price is Right fail horn. Four three-and-outs later, you're wondering if we're in for the first 0-0 tie in Super Bowl history.
🧠 The Logic: The Tension Builder. If the game is a shootout from the first whistle, there’s no room for the drama to "climax" later.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: Rocky – Sylvester Stallone's title character and foil Apollo Creed spend the first round just feeling each other out; the real blood doesn't start flowing until the audience is settled in.
The "Invisible Man" Touchdown
📍 The Setup: Star players dominate the Super Bowl marquee – and some of the greatest players in NFL history have used the league title game as a showcase for their very best efforts. Fans and bettors are right to expect similar outcomes every year.
📝 The Script: The first TD is scored by a backup tight end, or a fourth wide receiver who wasn't mentioned even once on the Super Bowl pre-game show.
🧠 The Logic: The Supporting Cast Rule. It forces the audience to learn a new hero's backstory on the fly.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: Varsity Blues – When the star QB goes down, "Mox", the backup who spent his time reading books on the bench, becomes the hero nobody saw coming.
The "Unnecessary Roughness" Drive-Extender
📍 The Setup: One team is rolling to an easy victory. The other roster has no answers. Might this one be over before we get our first Dame Judi Dench "Cool Ranch Doritos" commercial cameo? Not so fast, viewer.
📝 The Script: An official (almost certainly the one you like the least) throws a late flag for roughing the passer or defensive holding away from the ball.
🧠 The Logic: The Plot Convenience. If the defense gets off the field too easily, the game ends too fast. The script needs to reset the drive to keep the score close.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: Remember the Titans – The biased officiating in the mid-game scenes is designed specifically to stack the odds against the heroes so their eventual comeback feels "miraculous."
The "Physics Glitch" Reception
📍 The Setup: The game is progressing as normal. The running backs are gaining four yards per carry. The quarterbacks are completing two-thirds of their passes. There are flags. There are commercials. And there's a little kicking. And then ...
📝 The Script: ... a receiver somehow pins a ball tipped twice against his helmet, or executes a perfect sideline toe-tap confirmed after a five-minute 4K zoom review (during which you'll see the replay between 30 and 100 times).
🧠 The Logic: The Trailer Shot. The NFL needs at least one "impossible" image to use for the next 10 years of marketing.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: The Natural – Roy Hobbs hitting the lights is physically impossible, but it’s the only image people remember from the movie.
The "Mic’d Up Prophet"
📍 The Setup: Things are getting a bit tense for the trailing team. This is the Super Bowl, after all. A star player is shown on the sidelines during a particularly high-stress moment.
📝 The Script: The player looks into a teammate's eyes and says exactly what is about to happen: "We’re going down there and scoring right now."
🧠 The Logic: The Classic Foreshadowing. These clips provide the emotional spine for the post-game "NFL Films" documentary.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: Hoosiers – Jimmy Chitwood telling his coach, "I'll make it," before hitting the final shot. The script calls out for a hero, and delivers.
The "Halftime Momentum" Reset
📍 The Setup: We're nearing the midway point of Super Bowl 60, and the score is a little too one-sided for the NFL's satisfaction. One team has it all together, while the other is still looking for the form that carried it this far in the first place.
📝 The Script: An extra-long halftime show, followed by a third quarter where the team with the lead looks completely lost while the trailing club has Figured Something Out.
🧠 The Logic: The Intermission. The 30-minute break is a scripted cooling period designed to allow the trailing team to "adjust" and make the game competitive again.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: Any Given Sunday – The halftime locker room speech is the literal "pivot" of the movie where the entire momentum of the game flips for the final act.
The "Special Teams" Deus Ex Machina
📍 The Setup: Things tighten up considerably later in the game, with both teams struggling to pull away. If feels like we might not see any more points scored. But wait ...
📝 The Script: A muffed punt or a blocked field goal out of nowhere. The crowd goes nuts!
🧠 The Logic: The Jump Scare. Moments like this bypass the logic of the game and move the plot forward instantly.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: The Waterboy – Bobby Boucher coming out of nowhere to deliver a "Pancake Block" on a fake field goal to flip the game's momentum in an instant.
The "Last Stand" Defensive Stop
📍 The Setup: One team is trailing but has marched down the field in the final moments, sitting tantalizingly close to producing the game-winning score. The stadium is shaking, and the offense looks unstoppable, having converted three straight third downs on this drive alone.
📝 The Script: Instead of the high-flying touchdown everyone expects, the defense channels an impossible surge of energy. A linebacker who has been quiet all game meets the running back mid-air, or a cornerback gets a fingertip on a "sure thing" slant pass to knock it away as the clock hits triple zeros.
🧠 The Logic: The Heart-Stopper. A high-scoring finish is fun, but a defensive stand at the goal line creates a more "visceral" emotional reaction. It emphasizes that championships are "earned" through grit, providing the perfect closing shot of exhausted players collapsing in celebration or heartbreak.
🎬 Hollywood Equivalent: Little Giants – The "Annexation of Puerto Rico" is the flashy play, but the game is truly won on that final, desperate defensive stop where the underdog spirit holds firm against the powerhouse favorite.
