In the days leading up to Super Bowl LIX on February 9th, you can learn everything there is to know about Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts just by casually browsing the internet and having sports TV on in the background. With slightly more effort, you’ll be able to get all the details about A.J. Brown’s favorite book and Andy Reid’s favorite food and Taylor Swift’s favorite New Orleans nightspot. In this star-studded edition of the NFL championship, even one of the kickers is famous (or perhaps infamous, depending on your political views).

But throughout history, many Super Bowls — if not every Super Bowl — will be decided by the efforts of players who are not superstars or household names. Some of the game’s most valuable players (even if they’re not its Most Valuable Players) have been relative unknowns, from Malcolm Butler and David Tyree, to Mike Jones (who?) and Timmy Smith. They emerged from under the radar to make one clutch play or put together a surprising stretch of dominance on one day to etch their names in football lore.

This year’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles (a rematch from 2023) features a lot of unsung players who could step into that hero’s role and become an NFL Films legend overnight. Here are eight of them:

Chris Jones, DT, Chiefs

It feels weird to say that a future Hall of Famer and three-time All-Pro, who is arguably the best in the league at his position, is “unsung.” But that’s more often than not the reality for a defensive tackle in the NFL. Despite some standout sack totals in the regular season — his 80.5 career sacks rank first among active DTs — Jones hasn’t always put up big postseason stat while helping Kansas City win three Super Bowls. He’s never recorded double-digit tackles in a single postseason, but he remains the most important player on the Chiefs defense and the primary one that opposing offenses game plan around.

In this particular contest against the Eagles, Jones should be prominently involved in some make-or-break moments when Philadelphia runs its vaunted “Tush Push” short-yardage play up the middle, and spearheads a defense that needs to keep Saquon Barkley from running wild.

Cam Jurgens, C, Eagles

The last time the Eagles were in the Super Bowl, their center was at the center of one of the main story lines. Back then, it was future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce (since retired) playing against his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in the big game.

This time around, the fulcrum of Philly’s offensive line could again experience a star turn. Jurgens made his first Pro Bowl this season, helping pave the way for Saquon Barkley’s 2,000-yard monster campaign. Jurgens goes into Super Bowl LIX with a story line reminiscent of another past Eagles icon: He’ll be playing with a significant back injury, similar to when Hall of Fame wide receiver Terrell Owens gutted his way through a broken leg in the Eagles’ Super Bowl XXXIX loss in 2005.

Jurgens was supposed to sit out the NFC championship game, but was forced into action when replacement starter Landon Dickerson suffered a knee injury in the first half. Jurgens played through the pain and helped the Eagles offense score 28 points in the second half (all on rushing touchdowns) and finish the game with an average of 7 yards per play and 459 total offensive yards.

Jurgens is expected to start the game on February 9th and part of his job will be to contain Chris Jones and guide Philly’s offensive line against Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s notoriously tricky and aggressive blitz packages.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs

Hunt was with the Chiefs before they took over the NFL, and he’ll play a key role in their quest for a historic championship three-peat — and yet he has zero Super Bowl rings to show for it.

In case you missed it: Hunt led the NFL in rushing yards as a rookie for Kansas City in 2017, gaining 1,327 yards on the ground and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. That was also Patrick Mahomes’s rookie year, when he was a backup to veteran QB Alex Smith. That Chiefs team lost in the first round of the playoffs. Hunt was again playing well for the Chiefs in 2018, Mahomes’s first year as a starter, for a squad that lost in the AFC title game. But Hunt wasn’t there for the playoffs; in November of that year, he was kicked off the team after a videotape went public of Hunt assaulting a woman.

Hunt spent the next five years in Cleveland while the Chiefs became a Super Bowl-winning dynasty. He returned to Kansas City this season after starting running back Isiah Pacheco got injured. Hunt quickly became the team’s top ball carrier, running for 102 yards in his second game back and scoring two touchdowns the following week. He kept the RB1 job even after Pacheco returned to the lineup, and Hunt has found the end zone in each of the Chiefs’ playoff games this year.

Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Eagles

There’s no way a rookie cornerback is going to do anything in the Super Bowl against the potential GOAT quarterback, right?

Well, you might not want to sleep on Mitchell, the first-round pick out of Toledo who has been stepping up and making big plays throughout the season against some of the league’s top passers. He’s faced Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow in the regular season, followed by a playoff gauntlet of Jordan Love, Matthew Stafford, and Jayden Daniels — and came out on the winning side every time, and came away with two interceptions in the postseason. Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes has thrown five interceptions in his four previous Super Bowl appearances, so don’t think he can’t get got by the rookie in this one.

Noah Gray, TE, Chiefs

He is Kansas City’s other tight end, the one who (far as we know) hasn’t inspired any Hallmark or Lifetime movies, who (far as we know) hasn’t starred in any Bachelor-esque reality dating shows, who (far as we know) doesn’t co-host a highly rated podcast with his NFL-playing brother, and who (far as we know) isn’t dating one of the most famous women in the world.

One thing that does stand out about Gray is that he’s playing in the NFL as a Type 1 diabetic. He has been on the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl title teams, and anyone who’s watch Patrick Mahomes knows the QB will gladly spread the ball around to unexpected pass catchers in the most clutch moments — which means Gray is in line for his time to shine.

Dallas Goedert, TE, Eagles

On the other side from Kelce and Gray is Goedert, Philly’s starting tight end and one of the offense’s underrated big-play threats. The Eagles haven’t been passing the ball as much since Saquon Barkley became the focal point of the offense this season, but when they do throw it, Goedert is one of Jalen Hurts’s go-to options; he was third on the team in targets in the regular season with 52. He turned those targets into 42 receptions for 496 yards and two touchdowns, including a 61-yard gain against the Saints in Week 3 that was the second-longest pass play of the season for the Eagles.

Nikko Remigio, KR, Chiefs

A handful of kick return specialists have left their mark on the Super Bowl. Most notable, of course, was Desmond Howard, whose 244 total return yards (highlighted by a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown) earned him MVP of Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. Jermaine Lewis, Percy Harvin, and the late Jacoby Jones have also returned kickoffs for TDs that helped their respective teams win Super Bowls. And in the aforementioned Chiefs-Eagles matchup two years ago, Kadarius Toney had the longest punt return in Super Bowl history, a 65-yarder.

Remigio could add his name to that list this year. Undrafted as a wide receiver out of Fresno State in 2023, he was with the Chiefs in training camp but missed the season due to injury. He spent most of this season on Kansas City’s practice squad before getting called up in December. While he’s made only two catches on offense, he’s made an impact on special teams. In the second quarter of the AFC championship game, Remigio’s 41-yard punt return into Bills territory set up a Kansas City touchdown.

Super Bowl LIX will be the first one played under the league’s new kickoff rules, which were designed to increase the chances of a big return. Which increases the chances that the explosive Remigio could do something to turn this game in the Chiefs’ favor.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr., LB, Eagles

The sports world can’t resist a good father-son story, and this one has potential to be special. Eagles rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the son of Jeremiah Trotter Sr., a former Pro Bowl linebacker for the Eagles who spent eight years with the team (over three stints) and was on Philly’s 2004-05 Super Bowl squad. That team lost to Tom Brady and the Patriots. Now, the opportunity is right there for Jeremiah Jr. to avenge his dad’s loss and bring an Eagles Super Bowl ring home to the family — and to do it by beating his generation’s answer to Brady and the New England dynasty.

The younger Trotter backs up inside linebacker Zack Baun, who joined the Eagles this season from the Saints and had a breakout campaign, being named first-team All-Pro. In limited playing time, Trotter has recorded just four tackles along with a fumble recovery this postseason — but it takes just one play to become a Super Bowl hero.