While the top teams compete in the Super Bowl, everyone else eats

So many chicken wings for the Super Bowl.
So many chicken wings for the Super Bowl.
Image: AP

Super Bowl Sunday isn't quite a holiday like Thanksgiving (yet), but everyone eats like it's one.

But instead of turkey and cranberry sauce, everyone is stuffing their faces with only the healthiest of foods. Think chips, beer, cheese dip, chicken wings and pizza. And nachos.

While the 22 men run around in what is one of the world's most watched sporting events, with really expensive ads, millions of fans at home and tailgating parties and take in a lot of carbs and calories. 

Before New England and Atlanta go head-to-head in Houston for the Lombardi Trophy, let's break down just how much everyone chows down.

Wing it

The carnivores put down an intense amount of chicken. According to the National Chicken Council, this year's game is expected to be watched alongside 1.33 billion wings. That's enough wings to wrap around the Earth almost three times. If you need more help visualizing the insane amount of food, that's more than 166 million pounds — a bit more than every NFL team combined. 

The chicken wing chaing Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants alone sold 12.5 million wings on Super Bowl Sunday last year. It expects similar demand this year.

All the snacks, delivered

The National Restaurant Association said the latest data it has is from the Super Bowl in 2012, when it projected 48 million Americans ordering delivery during the game. On top of keeping restaurants busy dropping off food around town, another 12 million went to a restaurant or bar to watch the game. With endless apps for food delivery now available, this stat can only be going up.

The restaurant group said that for Super Bowl Sunday these are game day must-haves from the snack aisle: salsa, dip, chicken wings and pizza.


Pizza Sunday

Pizza and wings are apparent go-to snacks when watching football, so it makes sense that one pizza chain anticipates selling more than 200,000 pizzas just on the big day. For Hungry Howie's that's 30,000 more pizzas than a usual Sunday. The pizza rush for pick-up and deliveries? Right before kick-off and in the first hour of the game.

Don't forget the Puppy Bowl

Anyone watching at home with your pup (or kitty — there's a Kitten Bowl too!) nearby waiting for scraps to fall on the floor, don't get too distracted by the game. All those hot wings that were so delicious and spicy can be dangerous. When the wings just become bones they can splinter in your pet's digestive system. Also any spilled hot sauce from that tense moment in the third quarter can really upset your pet's stomach.

Super Bowl Sunday fans can end up spending more  $1,000 to deal with a pet that ingested a chicken bone. Trupanion (a pet medical insurance provider so it makes sense that they want you to be a bit too worried) said it dealt with a case where a two-year-old Labradoodle swallowed a bone and ended up needing surgery. At that price (and stress level), the owners might as well have bought tickets to the game in Houston. 

So that's not so fun, but still. Super Bowl Sunday basically means so much food.


BONUS: The Super Bowl is going Gaga

Uploads%252fvideo uploaders%252fdistribution thumb%252fimage%252f3366%252fe8777aad 4841 4b00 b148 0531a2beab83.jpg%252foriginal.jpg?signature=xre9tfwgisg59by5jpn7 w57x1g=&source=https%3a%2f%2fblueprint api production.s3.amazonaws