Super Bowl LIX kicks off Sunday evening (6:30 p.m. ET, FOX), and for the 11th straight year, a former Michigan player will be among those hoisting the Lombardi Trophy well into the night.
In this year’s championship clash, pitting the Philadelphia Eagles against the Kansas City Chiefs in New Orleans, as many as four Michigan football products could appear in the game.
For Kansas City, fifth-year NFL edge rusher Michael Danna will appear in his fourth Super Bowl, and go for a third consecutive Super Bowl ring. Danna has become a staple with the Chiefs, as he is now in his fifth NFL season, and second as a primary starter for the Chiefs. This fall, Danna appeared in 13 games with 12 starts, recording 41 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumble and a pass breakup. In two playoff games, Danna has six tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and two quarterback pressures.
He will be joined by his fellow edge-rushing standout with Michigan in 2019, in Josh Uche. Uche, who was traded from New England in October, has 23 tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks on the season. In his career, Uche has 20.5 sacks. Though he was not listed as inactive Friday, Uche is not expected to play Sunday, as the only game he has appeared in since Nov. 17 was Kansas City’s Week 17 game, where several Chiefs starters were resting with the 1-seed clinched.
On the other side of the ball, arguably the most decorated of Michigan’s edge rushers in the NFL could make a surprise return to game action, as he pursues a second Super Bowl title. Brandon Graham, an All-American at Michigan who is in his 15th season with the Eagles, was officially listed as “questionable” for Sunday’s game. The Detroit native has not appeared in a game since suffering a torn tricep in week 12, but appeared in 11 games this season, passing 200 regular-season games in his career, and contributed 20 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 7 quarterback hits and 11 quarterback pressures. All of those numbers tied with or more than he recorded in 17 games last year.
Graham had entered the season stating that this would be his last before retiring, but began to hedge on that comment following his injury. However, a potential return to the Super Bowl could re-open that possibility.
“I’m excited to play this last game,” Graham told reporters in New Orleans. “I don’t know what the future holds, but if this is my last game, I’m going to give it everything I have.
“… Let us get through this one and then we’ll talk about it.”
Graham was officially listed as questionable, but was a full participant in practice Friday.
If Graham retires with the Eagles, he’ll join the Flyers’ Bobby Clarke and the Phillies’ Mike Schmidt as the only Philadelphia athletes to have a career of at least 15 years, and spend it exclusively in Philadelphia.
On the other side of the ball, a recent Michigan captain and national champion is in his first season with the Eagles. After months of working behind the scenes, Trevor Keegan made his NFL debut in week 18, with 40 snaps played at guard as the Eagles rested starters. He is not expected to play Sunday unless an injury is sustained, unless there is an injury.
Still, if Philadelphia wins on Sunday, Keegan would join Charles Woodson, Tom Brady and Jerame Tuman as the only Michigan players to win a national championship with the Wolverines, and a Super Bowl in the NFL. Keegan would also be the only one of that list to pull off the feats in consecutive seasons.
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