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NFL football is back, and that means the parties are back, too.
There really is nothing else in sports like an NFL football Sunday with friends and family, just absolutely stuffing your face with delicious snacks with no regard for your calorie intake or your digestive system. And it’s likely that Week 1 will leave millions of NFL fans wanting to hit the gym after packing on a few pounds. But the SNACKS!
Food is often a big topic for Ty Anderson and me on the Sports Hub Underground podcast. You can listen to the latest episode above, but you can go right to the 1:05:10 mark to hear us draft our “Big 3” must-have food items to have at your Sunday football party.
Charcuterie board with cheese, grape, ham and crackers. American football meal.
Ty and I do a new “Big 3” almost every episode of the Sports Hub Underground, but food is often a big topic, because it’s always a fun debate that never gets too outrageous or serious. Everyone’s got their food takes, and they’re all good and also stink at the same time.
I’ll say this up front: all our picks in this “Big 3” draft would make for excellent football party food. We also had some egregious misses, which I’ll get to below. But at the same time, we only have three choices and thus have to make some sacrifices.
Personally, I got flustered after Ty’s first selection and made a panic pick. But I feel I recovered pretty well and ended up with a solid draft. Big question, here: whose food spread would you choose to have at your football party? I think it’s a tough choice. Anyway, here are the picks we made for our Big 3 football party food items…
Ty’s First Pick: Buffalo Chicken Dip
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Ty really threw me for a loop here. Because he basically tried to pick buffalo wings AND buffalo chicken dip. No fair! I basically made him settle on the dip. But when done right, it is a world-class football party food item and draft pick.
My First Pick: Chips & Salsa
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Ty had my head spinning after that first pick, so this was a panic move. But to me, chips & salsa is absolutely essential to any gathering, let alone just a football party.
Ty’s Second Pick: Jalapeño Poppers
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Ty felt he went a little off the grid with this pick, but you definitely can’t sleep on jalapeño poppers. I’m personally not a huge “biting directly into a jalapeño pepper” guy, but if it’s on the table, I’m giving it a shot.
My Second Pick: Nachos
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This was where Ty looked at me with a raised eyebrow. Chips/salsa and nachos back-to-back? Yes, they both feature tortilla chips, but nachos is a totally different dish in my opinion. Between the cheese, meat, various other proteins, the baked-in-the-oven element? It’s hard to have a more satisfying party snack than some loaded nachos.
Ty’s Third Pick: Bowl Of Chips
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Simple but classic. Ty said Doritos or Munchies, but potato chips work here, too. You’re guaranteed to have an empty bowl by the end of the party. Absolute no-brainer that takes no effort and provides plenty of reward.
My Third Pick: Wings
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This was the best value pick, in my opinion. I told Ty, “Screw you I’m picking wings.” His buffalo chicken pick be damned. Gimme a nice BBQ, honey mustard … always a hit. Provided you hit up the best local wing joint in your town.
Honorable Mention: Pizza
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Incredibly, pizza was barely even mentioned in this Big 3, let alone drafted. It arguably could have been the first overall pick. But I always viewed pizza as an “every party ever” thing and didn’t really relate it directly to football.
But thankfully, Ty saved our food take integrity by giving pizza an honorable mention.
Other honorable mentions: Cookies, chili, potato skins, pretzels, trail mix, pulled pork, guacamole
Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.
