Conspiracy theories have been rampant in the NFL in recent years.
The biggest among them is that the league is ‘rigged’ or ‘scripted’ in favor of certain teams, particularly the reigning, back-to-back Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Refereeing performances and shocking calls have also led to a rise in these madcap conspiracies, but ultimately they’re nothing more than the eccentric theories of fans with too much time on their hands.
Throughout the 2023 NFL season, many fans were convinced a ‘script’ for Super Bowl 58 had prematurely leaked.
The NFL even poked fun at the script rumors in a commercial to kickoff the 2023 season.
Now, there’s been yet another ‘leak’ of the so-called NFL ‘script’ ahead of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in February.
The recent conspiracy appeared on TikTok, with the account in question uploading the ‘leaked playoff script’ for the upcoming postseason.
The ‘script’ later went uber viral on X, amassing more than 2.2 million views.
The graphic had the correct symbols and Super Bowl logo mapped out with the winner’s of each round of the playoffs.
It had the Buffalo Bills coming out of the AFC after beating the Chiefs in the AFC title game, and the Philadelphia Eagles emerging from the NFC after winning the NFC Championship game against the Detroit Lions.
According to the ‘script’, the Eagles will face the Bills in Super Bowl 59 and come out victorious.
NFL fans on social media caught wind of the ‘leaked script’ and shared their thoughts.
“As an Eagles fan there is no way we are beating the Packers,” wrote one fan.
“Eagles ain’t beating Bucs,” another said.
“Bills are not going to the Super Bowl,” a third suggested.
Others, however, pointed out that these ‘scripts’ leak almost every year and are never correct.
“Y’all do this every year and have been wrong lol,” one fan wrote.
“Obviously fake,” added another.
Other internet sleuths highlighted the name of the original poster of the ‘script’ — @flockeagles — an obvious sign it originated from a biased Eagles fan who’s more hopeful than anything.
Conspiracy theories around the Super Bowl are nothing new, and have become something of a tradition as fans seem to lap up their ridiculousness.
A prevalent conspiracy in recent years is that the two colors on the Super Bowl logo every season represent the teams that end up in the Super Bowl.
First it was Rams-Bengals in Super Bowl LVI (orange and yellow), then it was Eagles-Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII (green and red).
Super Bowl LVIII last year had a red and purple color scheme, leading many to believe the Baltimore Ravens were destined to meet the San Francisco 49ers in 2024’s big game.
However, that theory was eventually debunked when the Chiefs beat the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game, resulting in an all-red affair between the Chiefs and 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII, which Kansas City won.
This year’s SB logo has avoided using colors that could be tied to specific teams, effectively ending the conspiracy.
The colors of the Super Bowl LIX logo are red, green, and gold, with a nod to Mardi Gras and the ironwork balconies of New Orleans, where the game will be hosted.