Today marks the 15th anniversary of Super Bowl XL, when the NFL’s biggest spectacle visited the city that was home to a franchise which had never qualified for it. (And, yes, still hasn’t.)
On Feb. 5, 2006, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in front of 68,206 people at Ford Field in Detroit. Receiver Hines Ward caught the final touchdown for the Steelers and MVP honors, but Detroit native Jerome Bettis was the face of the celebration.
Two days from now, and about 1,200 miles due south of the Motor City, the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will kick off in front of far fewer people, capping a decade and a half of change for the league, and for Detroit.