This Sunday’s matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs is the first Super Bowl contest between two Black quarterbacks in N.F.L. history. It’s a game pitting the two teams with the most total touchdowns this season against each other (the Eagles have the most rushing touchdowns, the Chiefs the most passing touchdowns).

And to me it’s a tidal wave crashing over the sport, a generational changeover, much like a new geologic period beginning. This Super Bowl isn’t just a matchup between young, talented and exciting quarterbacks. It’s a statement: The N.F.L. is different now. Like a genre of music burbling in the culture then suddenly going mainstream, it’s finally happening.