MVP Patrick Mahomes can’t be denied in gutsy Super Bowl comeback for Chiefs
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Patrick Mahomes was hobbled and hurting, but wasn’t going to be denied.
With one of the most impressive and gritty performances in Super Bowl history, the two-time Most Valuable Player led the Kansas City Chiefs to a come-from-behind, 38-35 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium. Mahomes, showing little evidence of an ankle injury that had him hobbled at halftime, threw a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter to guide the Chiefs to their second Lombardi Trophy in four years.
To do so, Kansas City had to knock off the mighty Eagles, who have a smothering defense and the best offensive line in football.
The fourth quarter was a coaching clinic by Kansas City’s Andy Reid, who was head coach of the Eagles from 1999 to 2012. He is the only coach in NFL history with at least 100 wins for two different franchises.
Kansas City, which trailed by 10 at halftime and faced the sobering reality of a re-injured Mahomes, outscored the Eagles in the second half, 24-11.
The Times podcast: A Super Bowl with two Black quarterbacks
For decades, NFL teams actively discouraged Black players from playing quarterback, the sport’s marquee position.
Today, we go through this shameful history — and celebrate this year’s historic Super Bowl, which features two Black starting quarterbacks for the first time. Read the full transcript here.
Host: Gustavo Arellano
Guests: L.A. Times opinion columnist LZ Granderson
Kadarius Toney makes Super Bowl history with ‘surreal’ late-game heroics
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Kadarius Toney did not require a large window of time to etch a place for himself in Super Bowl lore.
The Kansas City Chiefs receiver made two huge plays in a short span of the fourth quarter on Sunday to help the Chiefs defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.
Toney caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes with just more than 12 minutes left to pull his team ahead 28-27. Less than three minutes later, he returned a punt 65 yards to the five-yard line to set up another touchdown that galvanized the Chiefs on their way to their second Super Bowl title in four years.
Jalen Hurts motivated by his Super Bowl heartbreak: ‘My only direction is to rise’
GLENDALE, Ariz. — He led the game in passing yards and his team in rushing yards and scored more touchdowns than anyone else.
Jalen Hurts carried the Eagles — and the rest of the city of Philadelphia — to everything Sunday but the one thing that really mattered: a victory in Super Bowl LVII.
Afterward, he continued to shine.
“The beautiful part is we experience different agony in life,” Hurts said following the Eagles’ 38-35, last-second loss to Kansas City. “We decide how we want to move forward ... My only direction is to rise.”
When and where will Super Bowl LVIII be played?
Super Bowl LVII may have just ended, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to add an I to that ever-expanding Roman numeral and start thinking ahead to next year.
Here’s everything we know about the next NFL championship game:
When is Super Bowl LVIII?
Feb. 11, 2024.
Where will Super Bowl LVIII be played?
Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. It’s the first time the venue will have hosted a Super Bowl, following what will be its fourth NFL season, and the first time the game will be played in a stadium the Raiders call home.
Eagles take the high road on controversial holding penalty
A costly holding penalty on Eagles cornerback James Bradberry on third down in the fourth quarter proved pivotal in helping the Kansas City Chiefs run down the clock and break a tie in the final seconds of a 38-35 victory in Super Bowl LVII.
While many on social media — including LeBron James — questioned the validity of the call, which led to a Chiefs first down, Bradberry said he was holding Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster when the flag was thrown.
“It was holding,” Bradberry said, when asked by reporters about the penalty. “I tugged his jersey. I was hoping they would let it slide.”
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni didn’t blame the outcome of the game on the call.
“It’s not my job to make the call,” Sirianni said. “Those guys got to do that in split-second scenarios. That’s what he saw, and he called it.
“I know it always appears to be that it’s one call... that’s not what it is. There are so many plays that contribute to the end result of the game, and today they were better than we were.”
How many Super Bowls have the Kansas City Chiefs won?
The Kansas City Chiefs are Super Bowl champions for the second time in four seasons.
That’s a much shorter span of time between Chiefs titles than the last time around.
The Chiefs won the first of their three Super Bowl championships following the 1969 season, three years after losing to the Green Bay Packers 35-10 in the first AFL-NFL World Championship (now known as Super Bowl I).
Chiefs defeat Eagles for second Super Bowl title in four seasons
🏈 Chiefs 38, Eagles 35 — FINAL
Harrison Butker kicked a 27-yard field goal to lift the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl title in four seasons Sunday in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The field goal came at the end of a 12-play, 66-yard drive that featured a 26-yard run by quarterback Patrick Mahomes to get the Chiefs within scoring range. From there, good time management by Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Butker’s kick were enough to help the Chiefs hold on for victory.
Mahomes completed 21 of 27 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made six catches for 81 yards and running back Isiah Pacheco had 15 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts tied a Super Bowl record with three rushing touchdowns. He completed 27 of 38 passes for 304 yards and another touchdown. Wide receiver DeVonta Smith made seven catches for 100 yards.
Jalen Hurts ties Super Bowl record as Eagles tie game
🏈 Chiefs 35, Eagles 35 — 5:15 left in the fourth quarter
Jalen Hurts scored a Super Bowl-record third rushing touchdown following a 46-yard pass to DeVonta Smith to cut into the Chiefs lead late in the fourth quarter.
After scoring on a one-yard run, Hurt then muscled into the end zone for a two-point conversion to tie the game. Hurts’ three rushing touchdowns ties a record set by Broncos great Terrell Davis.
Smith was wide open on his 46-yard catch — giving Hurts 304 passing yards in the game.
Longest punt return in Super Bowl history sets up Chiefs touchdown
🏈 Chiefs 35, Eagles 27 — 9:22 left in the fourth quarter
The longest punt return in Super Bowl history opened the path for the Kansas City Chiefs to extend their lead in the fourth quarter.
Patrick Mahomes connected on a four-yard touchdown pass to Skyy Moore to put the Chiefs in command. The touchdown came three plays after Kadarius Toney returned a punt 65 yards to the Eagles’ 5-yard line after Philadelphia went three-and-out.
Mahomes has completed 18 of 24 passes for 165 yards and three touchdowns. Isiah Pacheco has 59 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries for the Chiefs.
Chiefs strike back to take their first lead of game in fourth quarter
🏈 Chiefs 28, Eagles 27 — 12:04 left in the fourth quarter
The Kansas City Chiefs took their first lead of the game on a short pass from Patrick Mahomes to a wide-open Kadarius Toney early in the fourth quarter, capping a nine-play, 75-yard drive.
Juju Smith-Schuster caught passes of 14 and 13 yards to fuel the drive. Mahomes has completed 17 of 22 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Eagles tack on field goal to extend lead in third quarter
🏈 Eagles 27, Chiefs 21 — 1:45 left in the third quarter
Jake Elliott kicked a 33-yard field goal to extend the Eagles’ lead late in the third quarter.
Jalen Hurts converted on fourth-and-one on a quarterback keeper to extend a 17-play, 60-yard drive — the most plays ever for a single drive in the Super Bowl. In the process, Hurts upped his rushing yards to 66 — a Super Bowl record for a quarterback.
Rihanna plays the hits — and raises a question — in Super Bowl halftime show
Rihanna made her long-awaited return to the stage — on the biggest stage in all of pop music — with her fiery halftime performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII.
Thirteen minutes or so of quick-cut pop bangers minus the type of special guest that halftime typically features, Rihanna’s show also raised immediate speculation on social media that the 34-year-old superstar — who appeared in a billowing red jacket over a form-fitting vinyl-ish bodice — is pregnant for the second time, less than a year after she gave birth to her first child with rapper ASAP Rocky.
Rihanna opened the show, her first in years, on a suspended platform high above the field at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., with the throbbing rap track “Bitch Better Have My Money” before segueing into a series of her uptempo EDM cuts: “Where Have You Been,” “Only Girl (In the World)” and “We Found Love.” Backed by an expansive cast of dancers in white hooded coats, she also performed parts of “Rude Boy,” “Work,” “Wild Thoughts,” “Pour It Up,” “All of the Lights,” “Run This Town,” “Umbrella” and “Diamonds.”
Patrick Mahomes leads Chiefs to TD on opening drive of second half
🏈 Eagles 24, Chiefs 21 — 9:30 left in the third quarter
Kansas City running back Isiah Pacheco scored on a one-yard run on the Chiefs’ opening possession of the second half as Patrick Mahomes managed to return to the game after limping off late in the second quarter.
A 14-yard scramble by Mahomes helped fuel the 10-play, 75-yard drive.
Issues with the field turf has forced many players on both teams to change their cleats. Players are having issues staying upright on the slippery turf.
Patrick Mahomes back on the field for the Chiefs
🏈 Eagles 24, Chiefs 14 — 14:50 left in the third quarter
Patrick Mahomes, who limped off the field after the Chiefs’ final possession of the first half, is back under center at the start of the third quarter.
Mahomes handed off the ball on the first three plays of the half before connecting on an 11-yard pass to Travis Kelce. Later, he busted off a 14-yard run to move the ball to the Eagles’ five-yard line.
Mahomes sustained a right high-ankle injury in the divisional playoffs but managed to play through it during the AFC championship game to punch the Chiefs’ ticket to the Super Bowl.
What is the largest Super Bowl halftime deficit a team has overcome?
It was over.
Or so it seemed.
The Atlanta Falcons led the New England Patriots 21-3 at halftime during Super Bowl LI.
No team had ever erased a double-digit halftime deficit to win the Super Bowl.
But none of those teams had Tom Brady as their quarterback.
Eagles extend lead on Jake Elliott field goal before halftime
🏈 Eagles 24, Chiefs 14 — HALFTIME
Jake Elliott kicked a 35-yard field goal to extend the Philadelphia Eagles’ lead heading into halftime at Super Bowl LVII.
Cameras caught Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes jogging to the locker room after sustaining what appeared to be an ankle or foot injury late in the second quarter. Will he be under center after the Rhianna halftime show?
The Eagles drove the ball 40 yards on their final possession of the half before their drive ran out of time at the Kansas City 17.
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 17 of 22 passes for 183 yards, passing for one touchdown and rushing for two more. Eagles wide receiver Jalen Brown has made three catches for 74 yards and touchdown.
Mahomes has connected on eight of 13 passes for 89 yards and a touchdown. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce has three catches for 60 yards.
Patrick Mahomes limps off the field after taking hit
🏈 Eagles 21, Chiefs 14 — 1:44 left in the second quarter
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes appeared to be in significant pain on the sideline after hobbling off the field late in the second quarter.
Mahomes appeared to suffer a right foot or ankle injury after being tackled by Philadelphia’s T.J. Edwards. Mahomes was coming off a high right ankle sprain he sustained in the divisional playoffs — an injury he managed to play through in the AFC championship game.
Jalen Hurts scores his second rushing TD to give Eagles the lead
🏈 Eagles 21, Chiefs 14 — 2:20 left in the second quarter
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts scored on a four-yard run to push the Eagles back into the lead at the end of a 12-play, 75-yard drive.
Hurts kept the drive alive with a huge, 28-yard run on fourth-and-five that put Philadelphia in the red zone. Hurts has completed 13 of 16 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing). He has 61 yards on the ground.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is eight for 11 for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Chiefs tie game on Nick Bolton’s 36-yard fumble recovery
🏈 Chiefs 14, Eagles 14 — 9:39 left in the second quarter
Kansas City’s Nick Bolton scooped a fumble by Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts and returned the ball 36 yards to the end zone to tie the game.
The Eagles appeared prime to potentially extend the lead after the Chiefs were forced to punt after a three-and-out. After the Eagles managed to pick up a first down, Hurts’ fumble on a carry up the middle stifled their chance to pad on their lead before halftime.
A.J. Brown’s 45-yard touchdown catch gives Eagles the lead
🏈 Eagles 14, Chiefs 7 — 14:52 left in the second quarter
Philadelphia wide receiver A.J. Brown made a spectacular catch in the end zone off a 45-yard pass from Jalen Hurts to give the Eagles the lead on the first play of the second quarter.
The touchdown came at the end of a five-play, 68-yard drive after the Chiefs missed a 42-yard field-goal attempt.
After Brown’s touchdown the Chiefs went three-and-out on the ensuing possession. The Eagles will take over on their own 33-yard line.
Chiefs field-goal attempt hits left upright
🏈 Chiefs 7, Eagles 7 — 2:24 left in the first quarter
A 42-yard field-goal attempt by Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker hit the left upright, keeping the score tied late in the first quarter.
The field-goal attempt on fourth-and-three came at the end of a seven-play, 42-yard drive that sputtered out at the Eagles’ 24-yard line.
Chiefs strike back with Patrick Mahomes-to-Travis Kelce TD pass
🏈 Chiefs 7, Eagles 7 — 6:57 left in the first quarter
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected on an 18-yard touchdown pass with tight end Travis Kelce to tie the game in the first quarter.
Kelce’s over-the-shoulder catch came two plays after a 24-yard run by Isiah Pacheco got the Chiefs into the red zone. The six-play, 75-yard drive also featured a 20-yard reception from Kelce.
Eagles take lead on first possession of the game
🏈 Eagles 7, Chiefs 0 — 10:09 left in the first quarter
The Eagles didn’t have much of a problem finding the end zone on the game’s first possession, with quarterback Jalen Hurts scoring on a one-yard keeper to give Philadelphia the early lead.
A 23-yard catch by wide receiver DeVonta Smith 23-yard catch and an 11-yard scramble by Hurts spurred the 11-play, 75-yard drive for the Eagles.
Kansas City Chiefs win the opening coin toss
The Kansas City Chiefs won the opening coin toss and will defer to the second half. The Philadelphia Eagles will receive the opening kickoff.
Nick Sirianni has emotional moment during national anthem
During Chris Stapleton’s singing of the national anthem before the start of Super Bowl, TV cameras captured Eagles coach Nick Sirianni shedding tears as he listened on the sideline.
Chiefs and Eagles take the field ahead of Super Bowl LVII
The Chiefs and Eagles have taken the field ahead of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Sunday:
Chiefs’ JuJu Smith-Schuster is hoping L.A. will catch his act in Super Bowl LVII
PHOENIX — While playing at Long Beach Poly High and USC, JuJu Smith-Schuster dreamed of one day playing in the Super Bowl.
Six years into his NFL career, Smith-Schuster will get his opportunity.
The Kansas City Chiefs receiver could be a key player Sunday when the Chiefs play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
“I’m super excited to represent Long Beach Poly and USC — and just Los Angeles,” Smith-Schuster said. “I’ll be repping in the Super Bowl.”
Smith-Schuster, 26, played five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing a one-year, incentive-laden $10.75-million contract with the Chiefs.
Read it and weep, world’s worst Super Bowl prophet picks Chiefs over Eagles
The Chiefs will take on the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday.
PHOENIX — Listen up. I’m on a winning streak.
Ignore my 6-17 record in predicting Super Bowl winners, surely the worst of any knucklehead journalist who has consistently wasted entire workdays for more than two decades while writing 23 of these silly columns.
Forget that I once picked the wrong team for 11 consecutive years, picking against the Patriots every time, following my heart. How I wanted those cheaters to lose.
Don’t pay attention to the fact that I once picked the Buffalo Bills for three consecutive years, more predictions from the heart, even as Scott Norwood’s lost kick and Thurman Thomas’ lost helmet broke that heart.
Why Super Bowl LVII could be the most-watched TV show ever
If you’re thinking about betting on the size of the TV audience for Super Bowl LVII, take the over.
That’s the advice of Mike Mulvihill, executive vice president and head of strategy and analytics for Fox Sports, which is airing Sunday’s contest between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Ariz. (In Los Angeles, the game airs on KTTV, Channel 11 at 3:30 Pacific.)
Mulvihill believes the match-up and the ratings performance of the NFL this past season point to a game that will top the current audience record of 114.4 million set in 2015 with NBC’s telecast of the New England Patriots’ 28-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. The game — in which the Patriots quarterback won his fourth of seven Super Bowls — ranks as the most watched TV program of all time, according to Nielsen data.
How growing up in an MLB clubhouse prepared Patrick Mahomes for NFL stardom
Pat Mahomes spotted the wizardry as it unfolded before him on the Arrowhead Stadium field, long before the 74,336 fans on hand for a 2018 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, and right before television analyst Tony Romo noticed it on the CBS broadcast.
Mahomes’ son, Patrick, in his first season as starting quarterback for the Chiefs, had slipped a rusher in the pocket, taken a few quick steps to his right and, with his head and eyes facing straight downfield, flicked a pass to his left to Demarcus Robinson on a crossing pattern for a 17-yard gain.
“When he did it, I looked back and said, ‘He just threw a no-look pass,’ and everybody was like, ‘No he didn’t,’ ” Mahomes said in a phone interview from his home in Tyler, Texas, about 100 miles east of Dallas. “Then we looked at the replay, and sure enough, he had.”
How did the elder Mahomes, a former pitcher who played for six big league teams from 1992 to 2003, know in real time what had happened?
Watch L.A. Times Today at 7 p.m. on Spectrum News 1 on Channel 1 or live stream on the Spectrum News App. Palos Verdes Peninsula and Orange County viewers can watch on Cox Systems on channel 99.
How Kansas City Chiefs mascot KC Wolf nearly died on the job
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Dan Meers can tell you, it’s not all fun and frivolity being an NFL mascot.
Meers, who plays KC Wolf for the Kansas City Chiefs, nearly lost his life on the job.
It happened Nov. 23, 2013, when Meers was practicing a stunt at Arrowhead Stadium for a game against the San Diego Chargers the next day. He was going to jump out of the lights at the top of the stadium on a bungee cord that would transition to a zip line carrying him safely down to the field. He was not in costume at the time.
There was a malfunction, however, and instead of falling 25 feet, he tumbled 75 feet into the seats on the top deck of the stadium. He landed with such force, he broke two of the seats and uprooted them from the concrete.
Astoundingly, Meers survived, although his injuries were severe: seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a fractured tailbone, a crushed sacrum and a broken T-12 vertebrae. He spent nine days in the hospital, six months on disability, and still has titanium rods in his back that stabilize his spine.
Eagles linebacker Kyzir White explains how Chargers made him mad
PHOENIX — There were plenty of Chargers fans unhappy last year when the team opted to not re-sign Kyzir White.
Another person left unhappy: Kyzir White.
“I was mad because I wanted to come back,” the linebacker said this week. “I didn’t want to go anywhere else. I wanted to finish my career there, be there for 10-plus years.”
Instead, White became a free agent and signed a one-year deal with Philadelphia. Now, he’s readying for Super Bowl LVII on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in nearby Glendale.
“I’m here on the biggest stage,” White said, smiling. “So I can’t really be that mad, right?”
Super Bowl gridlock causing some delays for fans
Fans are flooding into State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., ahead of Super Bowl LVII, and that appears to be causing some delays for fans trying to get to their seats.
Ready for Rihanna? Here’s what to know about her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show
Rihanna is ready to take on the 2023 Super Bowl for her much-anticipated comeback, years after her last live performance.
On Sunday, the Grammy winner will shine in the spotlight once again for a set she has described as a “celebration of my catalog.” Like her fans, the “Umbrella” singer knows it has been a hot minute since she’s performed for a live audience, but the new mother said she and her team have put in the work (work, work, work, work) to orchestrate an “almost impossible” set.
“The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world so as scary as that was, because I haven’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all,” the singer said Thursday in a pre-show interview with Nadeska Alexis for Apple Music. “It’s important for me to do this year.”
Will Super Bowl LVII be Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s final game?
It seems weird to think Andy Reid, a staple of NFL coaching staffs since the early 1990s, might be considering retirement after today’s game.
The Kansas City Chiefs coach, who still has his fingerprints on the Eagles’ Super Bowl roster more than a decade after he left Philadelphia, told Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer he needs to figure out what comes next for him.
Glazer said Reid told him he isn’t getting any younger and that he has a decision to make about his future after the Super Bowl.
Reid, 64, is looking to win his second Super Bowl title as a head coach after guiding the Chiefs to the title in 2020. If the Chiefs win today, he’d join Bill Belichick, Tom Landry and Don Shula as the only coaches to win 200 or more regular-season games and multiple Super Bowls.
Which are the most (and least) miserable NFL fan bases? We ranked them all
When you think about it, life as an NFL fan can generally be a miserable existence. After all, only one of 32 fan bases has reason to celebrate after its team’s final game of the season.
Some fan bases have experienced such exhilaration more often than others. Some have done so, but not in a long time. Some seem always on the brink of such unbridled joy, only to have their hopes crushed on a regular basis.
And, of course, some fan bases have never had the opportunity of celebrating a Super Bowl victory.
As the season comes to a close with Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, we tried to determine which NFL fan bases are generally the most (and least) miserable. Our complicated, and completely made-up, formula considers such factors as recent success or failure, level of optimism for the near future and, to a lesser degree, past glory (the thinking being, the longer ago an event was, the less relevance it might have for today’s fans).
NFL plans to keep roof open at State Farm Stadium for Super Bowl LVII
There is a chance of rain in the Phoenix area for late Sunday night, but Super Bowl LVII should be long over by then, so the retractable roof at State Farm Stadium is set to remain open for the duration of today’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
It should be a nice day for football in the desert. With current conditions at 75 degrees and winds under 5 mph in the forecast for tonight, it seems the weather won’t be a game changer.
If changing weather conditions do merit an audible, the roof at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., can be closed in 12 minutes.
How the Philadelphia Eagles nearly became the Phoenix Eagles in 1984
PHOENIX — The Philadelphia Eagles are heading to Phoenix and their fans are thanking the heavens.
Thirty-nine years ago, the Eagles were heading to Phoenix and their fans were cursing their fate.
In a dark moment in Philadelphia sports history forgotten by many, there was a brief stretch at the end of the 1984 season when the beloved Eagles almost relocated to Arizona, site of Super Bowl LVII.
It came on the heels of the Raiders moving from Oakland to Los Angeles and the Colts leaving Baltimore for Indianapolis, so the concept of an established franchise uprooting was entirely plausible.
“The idea of the Eagles picking up and moving just turned the city upside down,” recalled legendary Philadelphia sports columnist Ray Didinger, who learned the news in the middle of the night that cash-strapped owner Leonard Tose had agreed to sell nearly half of his team to get out of debt. The caveat was he’d have to move the team to Phoenix.
Eagles’ Jalen Hurts happy and humbled in run-up to historic Super Bowl matchup
PHOENIX — Jalen Hurts stared up at an elevated stage crowded with Philadelphia Eagles teammates, at the arena scoreboard projecting their images, and then into the crowd of fans who descended on the Footprint Center on Monday night for the so-called opening night of Super Bowl week.
“These are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities,” Hurts, the Eagles’ third-year quarterback, said as he answered questions from reporters on a podium flanking the stage. “So I appreciate everything.”
On Sunday, Hurts will play in the NFL’s championship game for the first time when he faces the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Super Bowl LVII matchups, analysis and prediction: And the winner is...
Los Angeles Times NFL writer Sam Farmer breaks down the matchups between the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles for Super Bowl LVII, which will be played Sunday in Arizona (3:30 p.m. PST, Fox):
Chiefs run offense vs. Eagles run defense
Isiah Pacheco has made a difference in Kansas City’s running game. Jerick McKinnon is a solid all-around back and willing pass blocker. A healthy Patrick Mahomes is a big part of the running game, but he’s hampered by that bad ankle. He did run when he needed to against the Bengals, including the pivotal scramble when he was hit out of bounds. The Eagles struggled against the run early in the season but responded by adding defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph, which helped plug the holes. Philadelphia doesn’t have a stone-wall run defense but doesn’t really get run over. Middle linebacker T.J. Edwards does a good job. If you’re going to run on the Eagles, it’s best to run around the edges. EDGE: CHIEFS
Rams legend Jack Youngblood played through pain. That’s why he admires Patrick Mahomes
PHOENIX — The ankle sprain was so severe that the pain covered a distance that could be measured in both miles and years.
The images of Patrick Mahomes traveled all the way from Kansas City, arriving on Jack Youngblood’s television down in Florida as a reminder of a similar scene more than four decades old.
“He was wound up on the sidelines,” Youngblood said. “Did you see him? He was going, ‘No, no, hell no!’ He’s like I was and still am — as hard-headed as a 7-year-old.”
Watching sons play in NFL can be euphoric, ‘emotional teeter-totter’ for parents
Jason and Travis Kelce will make NFL history on Feb. 12 when they become the first brothers to play against each other in the Super Bowl.
That will be both terrific and tormenting for their families, who will try to walk that narrow line and not cheer for one player over the other.
Although this situation is unprecedented, some of the most famous football families understand. They too have lived in that uncomfortable limbo.
“When my sons played each other, I held my breath pretty much the whole game,” said Geraldine Barber-Hale, mother of twins Ronde and Tiki Barber. “I’m one of these mothers who every time my son is on the field I hold my breath until he comes off. I want him to do well, but I don’t want him to get hurt, and I don’t want him to hurt anybody else inadvertently.”
Andy Reid’s fingerprints still on Eagles’ roster more than a decade after he left
PHOENIX — Andy Reid was the Philadelphia Eagles coach when the team drafted linebacker Brandon Graham in 2010, center Jason Kelce in 2011 and defensive lineman Fletcher Cox in 2012.
The three players remain stalwarts for a team that will try to prevent Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs from winning a second Super Bowl title in four years.
Reid gave all three players hugs Monday during the so-called Super Bowl “opening night.”
“We go our separate ways and get ready to play,” Reid said this week, “but I’m proud of ’em.”
Graham said it was the first time he had spoken with Reid since Reid led the Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2019 season.
Why did recruiters and coaches miss on Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes in high school?
Entering the 2012 season, the Whitehouse Wildcats needed to find a new starting quarterback.
Three-year starter Hunter Taylor had graduated after helping Whitehouse become one of the most prolific passing programs in East Texas, leaving a gaping hole that two unproven juniors were hoping to fill.
Ryan Cheatham had started for the junior varsity the prior year and fit the mold of past Wildcats quarterbacks — smart, accurate and well-built to withstand pressure in the pocket. The other guy, Patrick Mahomes II, had starred at safety his sophomore year and was known as the best all-around athlete in Whitehouse, wowing the town of about 8,000 in basketball and baseball too. But, when it came to quarterbacking, the young man did not fit any mold.
Chiefs’ rookie-rich secondary reminds Ronnie Lott of 1981 champion 49ers
PHOENIX — Ronnie Lott has seen this before. Likewise, Eric Wright and Dwight Hicks.
All were members of a secondary that included four rookies during the San Francisco 49ers’ run to their first Super Bowl title to end the 1981 season.
So, none questions the ability of a rookie-rich Kansas City Chiefs secondary that will try to neutralize the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday in Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.
“You have to have people that are committed,” said Lott, a Hall of Fame safety who was a rookie cornerback for the Super Bowl champions for the 1981 season. “As a rookie you are committed because you want to make the team, so you already have got the hunger of just wanting to belong.”
Rihanna’s upcoming Super Bowl performance is already so iconic it has a wax figure
Rihanna hasn’t even performed at the Super Bowl yet, and her halftime show look has already inspired a wax figure.
On Tuesday, Madame Tussauds announced two new wax figures of the singer and business mogul — just in time for Sunday’s big game. The statues will feature Rihanna’s showstopping ensemble from the 2018 Met Gala and a yet-to-be-revealed costume from her highly anticipated halftime performance.
The first figure — now on display at Madame Tussauds New York in Times Square — is based on Rihanna’s 2018 Met Gala outfit: a pearl-and jewel-embellished, seafoam and silver Maison Margiela Artisanal bustier minidress, jacket and open skirt ensemble with a bishop’s mitre. The statue also features Rihanna’s statement jewelry and diamond-encrusted manicure from the event, which advertised a religious “Sunday Best” dress code.
Top Super Bowl LVII prop bets: Who will win MVP? How many touchdowns for Travis Kelce?
Some of the novelty has worn off Super Bowl props because they aren’t met with the same fanfare they used to be. The age of legal sports betting in the United States has created high demand, but sportsbooks also create high supply. Prop bets, the ability to parlay props and hundreds of betting options are available any given Sunday.
Bettors used to have to sit in smoky Las Vegas books waiting for the prop packets to be passed out and the lines to be posted on the board. Nowadays, prop betting is everywhere and more popular than betting the spread or total in some respects. However, this is the single biggest betting event of the year and there are a lot more props than what we typically see, so there still are plenty of reasons to get excited.
Kelce brothers are no strangers to fighting it out — just ask their dad
MEDIA, Pa. — In a region where everyone is decked out in Philadelphia Eagles gear, especially with the team headed to the Super Bowl for the second time in six seasons, Ed Kelce is easy to spot.
He is a tall, sturdy man with broad shoulders and meaty hands, and even at 71 has a thick head of hair that’s parted down the middle and more salt than pepper.
What’s different about Kelce is conflicting attire. Under his requisite green Eagles windbreaker is a red Kansas City Chiefs T-shirt. How nervy — or maybe just absentminded — to rep the Chiefs in this Philadelphia suburb. The Eagles will face Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII.
11 creamy Super Bowl dips — for any and all chips (or crudités)
Creamy and seductive, dips are among the best of snacking pleasures — and are in high demand on Super Bowl Sunday. Assorted crudités and chips are the obvious accompaniments, and hunks of crusty bread, flatbreads and sliced baguettes work well too.
Lipton Onion Dip
This easily assembled dip, a brainchild of the 1950s, was part of almost every appetizer spread in its heyday. As food columnist Jenn Harris will attest, its fans are die-hards who will shun any attempt at making onion dip from scratch, with fresh ingredients or other trendy alteration.
Homemade Sour Cream and Onion Dip
For those not wed to the mother of all onion dips, former cooking editor Genevieve Ko’s from-scratch version uses fresh onions, kosher salt and some vegetable oil in place of the soup mix. Once caramelized, they are mixed with sour cream and, voilà, it is onion dip — no additives, sulfites or flavor enhancers (though it will taste better if chilled overnight).
Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes set to make Super Bowl history
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Super Bowl history is on tap here.
Again.
But unlike David Tyree’s helmet catch or Malcolm Butler’s interception at the goal line — both of which happened here — State Farm Stadium will be home Sunday to a different kind of landmark moment. It’s the first time two Black quarterbacks will face each other on the NFL’s biggest stage.
The game pits two of the league’s most dynamic stars, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes — who this week received his second NFL most valuable player award — and Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, whose team was 16-1 in games he started this season.
“I’m really excited for both quarterbacks, what they can represent to a ton of kids,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “Not only are they two African American quarterbacks, but they’re the two best quarterbacks in the NFL this year. First-team All-Pro, second-team All-Pro.
“They both play at the highest level.”
What are the overtime rules for NFL playoff games?
The bulk of the NFL’s playoff overtime rules were implemented in 2010, with one change approved by the league’s competition committee last spring that allows for both teams to possess the ball at least once before a winner can be determined.
The change was made following renewed scrutiny of playoff overtime rules after the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC divisional playoff win over the Buffalo Bills in January 2022. Before the possession rule change, 10 of the 11 playoff games that went to overtime under the post-2010 overtime rule changes were won by the team that received the ball first.
Here’s a breakdown of the playoff overtime rules:
- A coin flip determines which team receives the opening kickoff.
- Each team will have the opportunity to possess the ball at least once before a winner is determined.
- Teams play 15-minute periods until there’s a winner.
- If the score is tied after each team’s first possession, the next score by either team (touchdown, field goal or safety) will win the game.
- There are no coach challenges, with all reviews being initiated by the replay official.
- Each team gets three timeouts per half (two overtime periods).
- If there is no winner after the fourth overtime period, there will be another coin toss before play resumes.
Latest Super Bowl odds for Chiefs vs. Eagles
The Eagles are 2-point favorites to win the Super Bowl over the Chiefs.
The initial Super Bowl line for total points set minutes after the Chiefs’ win over the Bengals was at 49.5, but it has moved up to 51. Some sports books opened with the Eagles as -2.5 favorites, but most are at -2 or -1.5 (a game with no favorite).
Here are the latest gambling odds and prop bets for Super Bowl LVII:
Who is the referee for Super Bowl LVII?
Carl Cheffers, an NFL official since 2000, will be the referee for Super Bowl LVII. The Whittier native has refereed two Super Bowls, the first in 2017 when Tom Brady and the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons in overtime of Super Bowl LI. His last Super Bowl assignment was in 2021 when Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cheffers, 62, and his crews ranked No. 1 in the league for penalties called during the 2022 regular season, averaging 14.4 flags per game, according to Profootballreference.com. During Super Bowl LV, Cheffers drew the ire of many Chiefs fans for eight first-half penalties against Kansas City. The Chiefs lost 95 yards in the game because of penalties — a Super Bowl record.
Here’s who will make up the rest of Cheffers’ Super Bowl LVII officiating crew: Roy Ellison (umpire), Jerod Phillips (down judge), Jeff Bergman (line judge), John Jenkins (field judge), Eugene Hall (side judge), Dino Paganelli (back judge), Mark Butterworth (replay official).
Head to these L.A. area sports bars on Super Bowl Sunday for food and drink specials
Fans flock to sports bars for two obvious reasons: to drink and to watch sports. The food is often an afterthought, served in large portions and generously doused in cheeses and sauces to distract from any lack of discernible flavor.
Thankfully, here in our bustling culinary metropolis of Los Angeles, that’s not the case. We’ve got sports bars with lengthy tap lists, others that appeal to new demographics with stylish, muted aesthetics, and more still with raucous patios where no one will judge you for screaming at the screens. And yes, we have options that somehow hit all these marks while turning out impressive food to boot.
Whether you’re invested in the outcome of Sunday’s Super Bowl or not, consider booking it to one of these sports bars launching limited menu items and discounts in celebration of game day, ranging from barbecue and wings to modern Indian and German cuisine.
Who will perform in the Super Bowl halftime show?
Rihanna will headline the Super Bowl halftime show in what will be her first public performance in five years.
It remains to be seen if any other notable names will be joining Rihanna on stage — the Super Bowl halftime show has a reputation for featuring multiple artists. Mary J. Blige, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar performed during last year’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
It’s been six years since the release of Rihanna’s last studio album, and her return to the public stage has sparked speculation about a potential album release later this year.
Who will perform the national anthem at the Super Bowl?
Country music recording artist Chris Stapleton will perform the national anthem before Super Bowl LVII. Stapleton is an eight-time Grammy Award winner and 15-time Country Music Assn. award winner. Troy Kotsur will perform the national anthem in American Sign Language.
R&B artist Babyface, a 12-time Grammy Award winner, will perform “America the Beautiful” (with Colin Denny performing in ASL), and “Abbott Elementary” star Sheryl Lee Ralph will perform “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (Justina Miles in ASL) before the game.
The crunchy-salty-sweet Super Bowl snack you need: Furikake Chex mix
Sweet, salty, savory, crunchy, addictive furikake Chex mix — “you can’t stop eating it,” says food stylist Caroline Hwang. This version of the Hawaiian snack — buttery and tossed with umami-loaded seaweed and sesame seeds — is adapted from her recipe, which was passed to her from a longtime friend in New York, Corey Chow, former chef de cuisine at Thomas Keller’s Per Se.
Chow, now executive chef at Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn., says it’s his mom’s recipe — he grew up eating the classic snack after basketball practice in San Gabriel. And Tina Chow, his mom, got it from a Japanese American neighbor. Each time it’s handed off, it gets tweaked. Because furikake Chex mix is highly adaptable to suit a matrix of tastes. (See also Genevieve Ko’s version.)
What channel is the Super Bowl on?
The game will be broadcast by Fox (Channel 11 in the Los Angeles market) and Fox Desportes (Español).
Where can I stream the Super Bowl?
Super Bowl LVII can be livestreamed through the following connected TV, iOS and Android applications:
How can I listen to the Super Bowl?
Listen to the Super Bowl LVII on the following providers:
- Fox Sports Radio (AM 570 in Los Angeles)
What time does the Super Bowl start?
Super Bowl LVII (57) will be played at 3:30 p.m. PST on Sunday, Feb. 12. It will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the home of the Arizona Cardinals.
Here’s a timer counting down the hours and minutes until the game:
- Countdown to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona
- 00 Days
- 00 Hours
- 00 Minutes
- 00 Seconds
Chiefs vs. Eagles Super Bowl matchup analysis
Breaking down what the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will need to address in their Super Bowl matchup on Sunday:
CHIEFS CONCERNS: Patrick Mahomes is running in ski boots, and two weeks is not a lot of time to nurse that ankle back to some semblance of health. His receivers are banged up too. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s facing a juggernaut in the Eagles. This isn’t the underdog Philadelphia team that stunned the NFL by winning it all five years ago. This is a machine, with the best offensive line in football, and a devastating defensive front that set a franchise record with 70 sacks. The back end of that Philadelphia defense is smothering. The Eagles push open huge holes for that ground game, and Jalen Hurts can sit back and pick apart defenses.
EAGLES CONCERNS: Chiefs defensive lineman Chris Jones is a wrecking ball who can line up inside or outside. Even for that Philadelphia offensive line, he’ll create problems. Mahomes is Mahomes, even when he’s hurt. He’s a magician. Give Andy Reid time and he’s the best in the business at drawing up a plan, yet he’s 1-2 in Super Bowls with a couple of losses to Tom Brady, so ... The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the third time in four years and experience counts for something. Travis Kelce has had another tremendous season and he’ll put stress on a defense. But if the Eagles play the way they can play, they will be extremely tough to beat.