Super Bowl LVI is upon us - and Sunday night is set to be a late one for UK viewers tempted to tune in.
The showpiece game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium in California will attract millions of viewers around the globe.
Here in the UK, many of those may have never watched a game of American Football or only have a passing interest.
Just over a decade ago, Hannah Wilkes was in that same category as she started working as a runner at Sky.
But, after working on a few NFL studio shows, she was handed a job as a runner for a London game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears in 2011.
“It just captivated me,” she says. “I had no idea what was going on, but it was all these guys going at it, guys running crazy routes then the ball will pop out and someone will score.
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“I was like - ‘this is my kind of sport!’.”
Fast forward to the present day, and Wilkes hosts a weekly show, NFL Overtime, on Sky Sports and is presenting from Los Angeles for the big game.
“It’s been a 10-year love affair,” she says. “And fortunately a lot of opportunities have come my way within it recently with Sky Sports as well, so it’s been great.
“It’s one of those sports where I find the more you know, the more there is to know so I’m just such a geek for it.”
But Wilkes, like all viewers, had to start somewhere - and she has given us a beginners’ guide to watching the Super Bowl from staying through the night to understanding what on earth is going on.
Understanding the rules
American Football can certainly seem complex with numerous moving parts at any one time.
All 22 players on the field will be carrying out different tasks on each given play - but the core values of the game are simple.
“I think the main thing to remember if you’re watching the NFL, you don’t normally watch it and you’re just tuning in for the Super Bowl is that at it’s core it’s very simple,” Wilkes says.
“Each team has four chances to move down the field 10 yards, and if they move down the field 10 yards, they get another four chances until they carry the ball into the end zone.
“Obviously the other team’s defence is trying to stop that happening, and they’ll do it in many different ways, but at its core it really is that simple.
“They’re just trying to move that ball 10 yards down the field, until they get to the end. Don’t get too wrapped up in the complexities - enjoy the show, the festivities and just remember that simplicity at it’s finest.
“These two teams are great at doing moving the ball, because we’ve got two quarterbacks who are very happy to throw the ball and go long. It will make for some entertaining, big plays I’m sure.”
Super Bowl storylines
The Super Bowl this year contains some fascinating storylines, from the Rams’ big-name stars to the Bengals’ young up-and-comers.
In order to get up to speed, Sky Sports will have a special pre-game show for an hour and a half before kick-off featuring a star-studded cast.
“It’s so unexpected to have these two teams,” Wilkes explains. “And it’s very fitting for a season which has had so many close games and so many upsets.
“It feels very emblematic of the season, and there are some great stories on both teams.
“Our coverage on Sky Sports starts at 10pm, and we’ve got a really good hour and a half pre-game show lined up with some amazing guests.
“We’ve Hall of Famer Warren Moon, the man-mountain that is Calais Campbell as well as Kay Adams, Brian Baldinger all out here in LA.
“Then Shaun Gayle, Jeff Reinbold and Neil Reynolds are all back in the studio, so it’s going to be a great show.
“Watch that first of all and it will bring you up to date with all the storylines you need to know, everything that’s been happening this week.”
Staying awake
With the game not kicking off until 11:30pm GMT, fans in the UK will need to stay up long into the need to see the end result.
Wilkes’ top tips for getting through are simple - coffee, snacks and getting up and about at half-time!
“First of all, drink coffee!” she jokes. “Because it’s on the West Coast, it’s a late one.
“If you’re watching in the UK, make sure you’ve got your snacks lined up.
“The halftime show will definitely boost you, because it’s going to be a big one this year with an incredible line-up.
“I always think have snack throughout, and at half-time, get up, move around, half a dance. Don’t stay still - because that’s when the sleep might get you!”
Super Bowl match-up
The Bengals enter the Super Bowl as a surprise package, whilst the Rams boast a star-studded team and are playing in their home stadium.
“The thing with this Super Bowl is these two teams could not be more closely matched,” Wilkes explains.
“They’ve both got quarterbacks who are former No.1 draft picks, that rarely happens. They both have very similar season records and they both scored the exact same number of points in the regular season.
“They’ve both got incredible offences and wide receiver groups, they’ve both got defences who can make big stops.
“On paper, just using pure common sense, I’m leaning with the Rams. But the Bengals come into this with absolutely nothing to lose.
“They won four games last season, two the year before - they never expected to be here. To be in the Super Bowl with this young team that’s got no fear and nothing to lose, that gives them an edge.
“They’re playing with house money, just go for it.
“So my main prediction is I think it’ll be a close game and go down the final possession - which should have people on the edge of their seats and help them stay awake until the very end!”
Watch Super Bowl LVI from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles live from 11.30pm on Sky Sports NFL & NOW on Sunday, February 13; with all the pre-game build up from 10pm.
