I Dig Sports
Manchester City have included injured midfielder Rodri in their updated Champions League squad for the knockout phase while there are also places for new signings Omar Marmoush, Nico González and Abdukodir Khusanov.
Vitor Reis, who also arrived in January in a 35 million ($36.2m) deal from Palmeiras, has been omitted.
Marmoush, González and Khusanov will all be eligible for the playoff tie against Real Madrid, which begins next week.
City, who finished 22nd in the league phase table, face the LaLiga giants in the first leg at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. The second leg will take place at the Bernabéu on Feb. 19.
Rodri will miss both games as he continues his recovery from a knee injury suffered in September. However, his inclusion in the Champions League squad raises the possibility that he could play again before the season is over.
The Ballon d'Or winner has said he hopes to be back in time to take part in the FIFA Club World Cup, which begins in the U.S. in June.
City boss Pep Guardiola, meanwhile, has urged caution with Rodri's comeback and warned the 28-year-old not to rush back.
Under UEFA rules, City were able to make three changes to their squad ahead of the Champions League knockout rounds.
Having made four new signings in January, the club decided to omit Reis from their list. The 19-year-old defender is yet to make his debut following his move from Brazil but was named on the bench for both the 3-1 win over Chelsea and the 5-1 defeat to Arsenal.
Fortune Barishal chase 195 to defend their BPL crown
Fortune Barishal 195 for 7 (Tamim 54, Mayers 46, Shoriful 4-34) beat Chittagong Kings 194 for 3 (Emon 78*, Nafay 66, Clark 44) by three wickets
Rishad slammed Binura Fernando and Hussain Talat for a six each in the last two overs before a wide finished things. The Chittagong players were left heart-broken but Barishal had been the most consistent team through the competition, winning 11 of their 14 games overall. This was a franchise that had spent big over the past two seasons, and it showed in their depth here, holding their nerve as the game swung both ways.
Chittagong's record start
Barishal keep Chittagong below 200
Tamim goes big
In the first over of Barishal's chase, Tamim caressed Binura for three fours through the off side. He repeated the exact dose for Shoriful Islam in the next over, though this time he had one boundary down the ground. Tamim reached his second fifty in a BPL final in the seventh over, having faced just 24 balls. He slammed Arafat Sunny for a four and a six, as Chittagong raced to 70 runs in the first seven overs.
Shoriful triggers mini slide
Shoriful turned things around with two wickets in the ninth over. He first removed Tamim whose slam down the ground only found Khaled Ahmed at the long-off boundary. Then Shoriful rapped Dawid Malan's pads; it looked at first that it might be sliding down the leg and the umpire agreed, but Shoriful was confident Chittagong should review. His captain Mohammad Mithun seemingly reluctantly agreed, but the bowler was proven right. Malan fell for one, giving Chittagong a lifeline. Shortly afterwards, Towhid Hridoy struck Naeem Islam down midwicket's throat to make it 96 for 3 in the 11th over.
Mayers boosts Barishal
Chittagong take it to the final over
Then, there was a slowdown. Mahmudullah and Mayers couldn't find boundaries in the 17th and 18th overs, as Khaled and Shoriful bowled excellent overs. Shorfiul took the wickets of Mayers and Mahmudullah in his last over. Mayers swung one down deep square leg's throat for 46 off 28, before Shoriful had Mahmudullah caught behind for 7 off 11 balls. Nabi fell an over later, and at that point it seemed that Chittagong might have done enough. Rishad didn't think so.
Lockie Ferguson in doubt for Champions Trophy and Pakistan tri-series
With Capitals needing one off the final ball, Sikandar Raza whipped Amir away for four to seal DC's spot in the final. At the post-match presentation, Ferguson said, "just a little hamstring issue, unfortunate. Tough night; wish I could've bowled the last ball."
Ferguson underwent a scan the next day, according to New Zealand head coach Gary Stead, to determine the severity of the injury. New Zealand are still awaiting more details.
"Lockie had a scan yesterday [Thursday] in the UAE," Stead said on the eve of the tri-series opener." We've got the images here and [we are] waiting for our radiologist to give us a report on the extent of it. Small hamstring injury, by the look of it, so we're just waiting on a timeline of advice around that before we make a decision on whether Lockie travels here [Pakistan] or whether we do have to replace him for the Champions Trophy."
Ferguson is the most experienced quick in New Zealand's squad for the Champions Trophy and his potential absence might disrupt their prep for the competition. Ben Sears, the Wellington tearaway, is working his way back from knee surgery, which had sidelined him for the Test tour of India and then the home series against Sri Lanka and England. Sears has played 17 T20Is and one Test so far but is uncapped in ODI cricket.
In his first stint at the ILT20, Ferguson featured in only eight of Vipers' 12 matches so far, with his workload being monitored.
"We have tried to manage the players with rotation of quicks as much as we possibly can," Tom Moody, Vipers' director of cricket, said in the Vipers Voices podcast in January. "Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Amir and Luke Wood, today, have all had a chance to rest and freshen up. But yes, it is a pretty tough schedule and there is an element of physical fatigue but probably, more importantly, mental fatigue.
"And there has not been that chance to really disengage and freshen up mentally. But that is the reality of tournament cricket. Everyone is trying to fit in a tournament within a certain window. And what comes of that is a pretty heavy schedule. And we came in expecting that, knowing that."
"I think it [selection] will depend on how people shape up, especially the bowlers after this first game and what their loads are like and then what the conditions are like as well," Stead said. "It's not quite as hot as you think it would be in Asia. It still gets pretty cold here in the evenings, so but if you bowl in the heat of the day, it might take more out of the bowlers. So, we will just manage that and be smart around it, understanding that the big tournament is the Champions Trophy. We want to make sure everyone is fit and firing for that."
While all eight teams have already named their Champions Trophy squads, they still have until February 12 to make changes if needed.
Context is king as Pakistan and New Zealand open pre-Champions Trophy tri-series
Big picture: Opportunity for precious game time in Pakistan
Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa will play a truncated version of the classic tri-series, with just one round of matches followed by a final. The schedule was likely squeezed by the SA20 at one end and the Champions Trophy at the other, and it is that upcoming ICC event - the first hosted by Pakistan in nearly three decades - which gives the series context.
For each side, it offers the opportunity for precious match practice in conditions where the Champions Trophy will be held in the main (with India's matches in Dubai). Pakistan and New Zealand will also open the marquee tournament, though that game will take place in Karachi and not Lahore. Both have played exactly nine ODIs each since the end of the 2023 World Cup, and all in very different conditions to this. While Pakistan won each of their three recent ODI series, New Zealand fell short in the one they played in the subcontinent, a 2-0 reversal against Sri Lanka.
However, it's not as if they are short of match practice in this country. Since December 2022, they have played two Tests, eight ODIs and ten T20Is in Pakistan across four series. On most of those occasions, though, multiple factors meant New Zealand sent in weakened squads, with larger context to build up to. This time, however, there is a multi-team trophy on the line, all while preparing for the second-biggest title in ODI cricket.
Form guide
Pakistan WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
New Zealand LWWLL
In the spotlight: Babar Azam and Lockie Ferguson
Team news: Saim Ayub is out of action
Ayub, recovering from an ankle injury, is out of the series and the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are expected to open with Fakhar and Babar, with three premier seam bowlers and Abrar Ahmed as lone frontline spinner. The middle order will see some rotation over the series.
Pakistan (likely) 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Babar Azam, 3 Kamran Ghulam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (capt, wk), 5 Tayyab Tahir/Saud Shakeel, 6 Salman Agha, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Shaheen Afridi, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand have two opportunities to work out their best side here before the deadline for the Champions Trophy squads shuts. The conditions would suggest three fast bowlers at a minimum. With all of New Zealand's spinners also handy batters, balance of the side is not much of an issue.
New Zealand (possible) 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Kane Williamson, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Tom Latham (wk), 7 Glenn Phillips/Michael Bracewell, 8 Mitchell Santner (capt), 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Will O'Rourke
Pitch and conditions
This is a bit of a mystery, with the entire ground rebuilt recently. Historically, though, the Gaddafi has produced flat batting surfaces and reward for extra pace in ODI cricket. Overhead conditions are likely to be more overcast than sunny, with temperatures dipping in the evening, but no rain is expected.
Stats and trivia
- Babar has only opened twice in ODI cricket, in a bilateral series against England in 2015. He scored 26 runs across his two innings
- Ferguson is one wicket away from becoming the 19th New Zealander to 100 ODI wickets
- Pakistan last hosted an ODI tri-series in 2004, featuring Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. It was called the Paktel Cup, after a telecommunications company that no longer exists. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final then
Quotes
"You have to look at what the pitch, opposition and conditions are like before you finalise a team. This time around, even the Gaddafi Stadium is new to us."
Mohammad Rizwan feels Pakistan will also need to acclimatise to the new Gaddafi Stadium
"We've seen [Tim] Southee and [Trent] Boult do it for a long time for us and do an extremely good job. We've got some new guys coming through alongside the experience of Matt Henry, and some good fast bowling stocks."
Mitchell Santner believes New Zealand's pace bowling is in a good place
Danyal Rasool is ESPNcricinfo's Pakistan correspondent. @Danny61000
Carey: I'm playing the sweep and reverse-sweep 'with a bit more intent'
"I think I stuck to a plan and a process and kept it pretty simple," Carey said of his innings. "I went to reverse sweeps at times. I played it on the straight plane as well, when I thought there was an opportunity to do so.
The sweeps and reverse-sweeps were especially notable aspects of this Carey innings, as Sri Lanka set aggressive fields to tempt Carey to play the reverse sweep in particular. Carey played them almost flawlessly all day however, 76 of his runs coming square of the wicket.
"The sweeps and reverses have always been my game, but I think it's about staying patient for longer," Carey said. "I think I'm probably playing those shots at a time when the field allows for it. I'm just being a little bit smarter, and understanding risk versus reward, and the potential field changes sweeping might bring. I think I'm playing it with a bit more intent to do other things, and just get down the other end."
Carey has been on the field almost the entire Test so far. With Josh Inglis off the field for a substantial stretch of day one, and early on day two, Carey was promoted up to No. 5, which meant he was batting less than 25 overs into Australia's innings, after keeping wicket for more than a day. But he let only four byes slip through, and has now made an outstanding hundred to help set up a victory push. His keeping will likely be tested again in the second innings, when this surface is even drier.
"Backing up the bowlers who are creating opportunities - my job in the side is first and foremost to do it behind the stumps," he said. "I thought that first innings was pretty solid. And that last game, where the boys were creating chances, that was quite satisfying."
Ireland surge ahead despite Muzarabani's heroics
Ireland 260 and 83 for 1 (Balbirnie 32*, Moor 30, Ngarava 1-25) lead Zimbabwe 267 (Welch 90, Muzarabani 47, McCarthy 4-75, McBrine 3-59) by 76 runs
Peter Moor, who used to play for Zimbabwe, dispatched Muzarabani, who didn't bowl consistent lines, as Ireland raced to 42 for 0 in seven overs. Richard Ngarava got one to angle away to ensure Moor's good work ended on 33, but his partner, Andy Balbirnie, joined Curtis Campher to ensure Ireland went to stumps without further damage.
The signs were ominous for the bowlers on Friday as there was more brown than green on the Bulawayo pitch. And it took Welch just one over to reinforce that feeling as he smashed a full ball from Mark Adair over mid-off.
McCarthy adapted to the challenge in front of him and toyed with his lengths, lines and release points to reap useful reward. He found seam movement to trap Takudzwanashe Kaitano lbw in the third over of the day. Zimbabwe's batters used the crease to meddle with the bowlers' lines. That didn't matter to McCarthy who nipped one past Brian Bennett's inside edge and hit the stumps.
Welch, too, had a close call early on as he was cut in half by McCarthy. He marched through, otherwise, to a 78-ball fifty, much to the delight of his dad in the stands.
Wessly Madhevere, who got off to a quick start, hit one of the three sixes in the innings. It came off McBrine's bowling but the offspinner had the last laugh, with some help from Lorcan Tucker who took a rebound catch - off square leg - to restrict him to 26. Zimbabwe were 143 for 4. Each of the partnerships for the first four wickets crossed 20. None of them, batting the opening stand, got past fifty.
McBrine struck again to have Johnathan Campbell three balls later. It was a soft dismissal as the Zimbabwe captain, also on Test debut, punched a wide-ish ball to cover point.
Nyasha Mayavo, the other debutant, hit a confident pull shot for six and a slashy drive for four on either side of tea. But an attempt at another big hit - a sweep off McBrine - trapped him lbw. McCarthy sent back Newman Nyamhuri for a golden duck as Zimbabwe slipped to 172 for 7.
All the while, Welch was happy to play unhurriedly and that continued in the eighth-wicket stand with Ngarava. Welch faced 41 of the 59 balls as the duo put on 20. Chances were created when Ngarava looked for some quick runs. He got away with a chipped drive off an Adair slower ball in the 59th over, but holed out to mid-off, trying to do the same, in the 61st.
Welch pumped Humphreys down the ground to get to 90 and retained strike for the next over. He got decent connection on the pull against Adair but was dismissed by a spectacular running catch by Harry Tector across the outfield at deep midwicket. Zimbabwe were 200 for 9, 60 runs behind, with Nos. 10 and 11 at the crease.
Muzarabani hit two boundaries off McCarthy as the duo batted calmly against the old ball for nearly 20 overs. The spin of McBrine and Humphreys gave away 23 runs between overs 67 and 80, but the batters were now more comfortable.
Ireland took the new ball and Muzarabani hit Adair for two fours, one on either side of the wicket, in the 83rd over as Zimbabwe finished the second session just three runs in the deficit.
Muzarabani took his team into the lead by pulling Craig Young in the 86th over, but with a maiden Test fifty in sight, he was knocked over trying to slog Humphreys across the line, and Zimbabwe were bowled out for 267.
Zimbabwe's strike bowler batting for long may have been a blessing in disguise, pardon the pun, for Ireland as he batted for 97 minutes late in the afternoon before taking the new ball.
Moor's intent was clear from the very first ball, which he spanked through cover for four. He had a close call with a length ball, which kept low and was at the stumps but managed to stab it into the ground.
The absence of swing led Zimbabwe to shorter lengths but that suited Moor and Balbirnie, who unfurled some excellent back-foot shots. The placid nature of the pitch was on show even after Moor's dismissal as an outside edge induced by Ngarava, off Balbirnie in the 12th over, landed well in front of second slip.
Gwandu, who was taken down earlier in the Test match, was more threatening here. In the 15th over, he had Balbirnie edge one in the cordon but the wicketkeeper Mayavo couldn't collect. Other than that, Ireland cruised through to stumps with a healthy 76-run lead.
Ekanth is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo
Sanders if passed at 1: 'Why would I be mad?'
While former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to be one of the early picks in this year's NFL draft, he says he isn't worried whether he will be selected first overall.
"Why would I be mad?" Sanders told ESPN's Kevin Clark on Thursday. "These are good problems to have. You could be in a way worse situation. Being No. 1 doesn't really matter to me. It's all about fit."
Sanders went on to explain how whatever situation he goes into won't be the best, since it's a team with a high draft pick, but that he wants to land in a good scheme fit.
The Tennessee Titans have the No. 1 pick and met with Sanders at the East-West Shrine Bowl. They were impressed with his maturity and poise during the interview.
The Cleveland Browns and New York Giants have the second and third picks, respectively, and also met with Sanders at the Shrine game.
Sanders and Miami's Cam Ward are the top two quarterbacks in the draft, and they train together with quarterbacks coach Darrell Colbert in the Dallas area. The two have been seen on various videos talking trash to each other during workouts, but they say it's meant good-naturedly.
"It's cool that we're close because, if we wasn't, they would try to pin us against each other," Sanders said. "A lot of stuff we say, we just be playing. But people try to take things and put it out of context."
Sanders said he spent a lot of time with former NFL quarterback Michael Vick during Shrine week. The Atlanta Falcons made Vick the top pick in the 2001 draft, the first time a Black quarterback was selected first overall.
"Every conversation we have is very impactful to me," Sanders said. "I love being around him, talking to him and getting his insight."
Chris Berman picks the winner of Super Bowl LIX
Chris Berman is back to make his pick for Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
Berman has picked the winner in five of the past six years, and in each of the past three Super Bowls, he has correctly picked the winner AND the exact margin of victory.
Odds courtesy of ESPN BET.
Kansas City Chiefs (-1, 48.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, Feb. 9, 6:30 p.m. ET, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
Fifty-nine Super Bowls! Plenty of history. This game, however, might have a richer history going into it than most.
As most of you know, the Kansas City Chiefs are trying to be the first team to win three straight Lombardi Trophies in the Super Bowl era. What you might not know is that since they started playing NFL championship games in 1933, only one team -- Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers -- has won three straight championships (1965 to 1967).
When it came time for the Pack to win three straight Super Bowls, however, they fell short. As did the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh Steelers (twice), San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. Give the Chiefs plenty of credit already. They are the only ones trying to three-peat that made it back to the Super Bowl.
Here's the Philadelphia Eagles' side of history. Saquon Barkley is the ninth player to rush for 2,000 yards in a single season. Of the other eight players to do so, only Terrell Davis of the Broncos in 1998 reached the Super Bowl in that season.
This truly is a "Super" Super Bowl. The Chiefs have lost only one real game since Christmas Day in 2023. After all, they sat most of their starters in the Week 18 loss to the Broncos.
Some question how they won this season. They pulled out victories by a toenail against Baltimore, a blocked field goal at the end of the game against Denver, a Raiders fumble in the final seconds and a doink on a game-winning field goal attempt facing the Chargers, just to name some. However, when you've won 17 straight one-score games, most recently the AFC Championship Game against the Buffalo Bills, those questions should have stopped long ago. It's not an accident.
Not to be outdone, the Eagles have only one loss since the start of October. Head coach Nick Sirianni has said several times, "We don't care how we win." Again, wins aren't always associated with style points. The bottom line is the two teams with the fewest question marks on their roster made it to the Super Bowl and, looking back, that's no surprise. One other interesting note: These teams won the first two games of the season -- the Chiefs in the Thursday night opener and the Eagles on Friday night in Brazil -- and now they're playing in the last one.
Two years ago, they played in a fabulous Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, a game I called "The Roaster in the Toaster" (I call the Cardinals' home stadium "The Big Toaster"). Kansas City won 38-35 in the final seconds, naturally by one score. I don't think this game will be quite as high-scoring. However, I expect both teams to score in the neighborhood of the upper 20s.
What can we take from that game two years later? For the Eagles, obviously Barkley is now the running back. The offensive line has undergone a couple of changes -- Jason Kelce now works for ESPN -- but they are still outstanding. The tush push is alive and well. Interestingly, the Eagles have changed both coordinators twice since then, with Kellen Moore calling the offense and Vic Fangio calling the defense. A quick look back at that Super Bowl shows that QB Jalen Hurts, who played brilliantly that day, hit DeVonta Smith seven times and connected with A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert six times each. They're all still there. General manager Howie Roseman deserves huge kudos for making a strong defense even stronger, and younger. His first-round picks from 2023, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith Jr., have excelled up front, and the top two picks last year, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, have stood out in the defensive backfield. He also traded for Zack Baun, adding him to an already top-notch unit. The result: The Eagles are plus-10 in turnover differential in their three playoff wins alone.
On the other sideline, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have already written their names into NFL lore as one of the great coach/QB duos of all time. So, too, has TE Travis Kelce, who had six receptions and a touchdown in Super Bowl LVII. Kelce caught 97 passes during the 2024 regular season, an "off" year for him. In the receiving department, aside from Kelce, the Chiefs have taken an "everybody eats" approach, mainly because of injuries as far back as the summer, forcing Reid and Mahomes to ad-lib quite a bit. The Chiefs now are as healthy as they have been all season, which means Hollywood Brown is back at wide receiver and Isiah Pacheco is back at running back (even though Kareem Hunt might get more carries in this game). The biggest change has been on the O-line, where Pro Bowl guard Joe Thuney has been playing left tackle down the stretch out of necessity. Clearly, that has gone just fine.
Last season, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl on the strength of Steve Spagnuolo's defense. This season has followed a similar formula, as Chris Jones, Nick Bolton and Trent McDuffie give K.C. a stalwart at every level. True shutdown corner L'Jarius Sneed went to Tennessee in the offseason, but Spagnuolo's timely blitzes have once again worked wonders. That was apparent in the final minutes of the AFC Championship Game against the Bills when McDuffie's blitz altered Josh Allen's fourth-down throw, just as a similar McDuffie blitz in the final minutes of regulation in last year's Super Bowl affected Brock Purdy's third-down pass.
So ... who wins on Sunday? The biggest matchup I'll be watching is what the Chiefs' defense will do to keep Barkley from another standout performance. Remember, he ran for 205 yards against the Rams and over 100 in the Eagles' other two playoff wins. This is so intriguing because we haven't seen a season for running backs like we saw with Barkley and Derrick Henry in about a decade, when Adrian Peterson was running this strong for the Minnesota Vikings. I'm sure Spags didn't forget how to defend great running backs, it's just that we haven't seen this for a while, especially in the Super Bowl. For the Eagles, if Barkley runs for, let's just say 115 yards, will that be enough to spring everything else?
Then there's the ball carrier whom very few people talk about, but one who continues to confound opposing defensive coordinators. His name is Patrick Mahomes. I call him the "electric eel," because he will slither for a key third-down run in the biggest moments of the game. His arm and his ability to find Kelce, or the right receiver at the right time, remains something to behold. I've wondered all season whether the Chiefs could carry their quest for three straight Super Bowl titles from start to finish. If so, understand that we might never see this again. I'm a sucker for history -- I majored in it at Brown -- and I certainly don't mind seeing it every now and then.
Kansas City 27, Philadelphia 24
P.S. Maybe I'm also a softie for a three-peat, which somehow I've done in this column. If the Swami can do it, I figured the Chiefs can, too.
Ready for Chiefs-Eagles? Lets prep for Super Bowl LIX with picks, matchups, keys and team breakdowns
Super Bowl LIX kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, with the Philadelphia Eagles facing the two-time reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs. This is a rematch of Super Bowl LVII, after the 2022 season, in which the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35.
Kansas City is looking to make history by becoming the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowls. The last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl was after the 2017 season in Super Bowl LII. The Chiefs entered the playoffs as the AFC's No. 1 seed, while the Eagles were the NFC's No. 2 seed.
We have you covered with everything you will want to know for Chiefs-Eagles, including team previews, box score predictions, a breakdown of Super Bowl MVP candidates and game picks. We also provide advice from our sports betting experts and in-depth statistics from ESPN Research. We look at the two quarterbacks, coaches, officiating, positional advantages and X factors. And scroll all the way down to check out our preview of Kendrick Lamar's halftime show.
Let's dive into this one-stop shop cheat sheet, starting with a preview of the matchup.
Jump to a section:
What to know | Meet the teams | QBs
Projecting the box score | Biggest questions
Keys to Chiefs win | Keys to Eagles win
Picks | MVP watch | Stats to know
Bold predictions | Injuries | Officiating
Betting the game | Halftime | FAQs
Previewing Chiefs vs. Eagles
When: Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
Television: Fox
Depth charts: Chiefs | Eagles
If the Chiefs want their three-peat, they're going to have to beat the best team they've played in a Super Bowl in the Patrick Mahomes era. The Eagles have lost three games all season, two of them after their receivers dropped passes that would have clinched victories. Since their Week 5 bye, they have gone 15-1, posted a plus-27 turnover margin and won their games by an average of 13.8 points.
This Eagles team is better than the one the Chiefs beat two years ago in Super Bowl LVII and better than either of the 49ers teams Kansas City topped in Super Bowls LIV and LVIII. Philadelphia is even scarier than the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers, who managed to give Mahomes his only championship game defeat in Super Bowl LV.
I wouldn't say this is the best Chiefs team we've seen, but it might be the wiliest. Rarely dominant but never out of it, the Chiefs put together a series of spectacularly close victories in 2024. Holding on to a victory against the Ravens in Week 1 by the length of Isaiah Likely's toenail portended what was to come all season. The Chiefs won games with fourth-down stops, field goals bouncing off uprights, kicks getting blocked and snaps being dropped. They found a way to sprinkle just enough magic dust into each victory. Their win over the Bills in the AFC Championship Game, a measure of revenge for Buffalo costing the Chiefs a chance at an undefeated regular season in November, was their 15th consecutive victory in games decided by seven points or fewer.
Can the Eagles deny the Chiefs from making history? A 2024 offseason for the ages has replenished Philadelphia's roster, and it is the better team -- on paper. That starts with the player who might be the story of the season, a running back Kansas City has to stop if it has any hope of winning another title: Saquon Barkley -- Bill Barnwell, senior NFL writer
Read more: Barnwell previews the Super Bowl (ESPN+)
Meet the teams
Kansas City Chiefs
Coach: Andy Reid
Reid brings loads of playoff and Super Bowl experience. In 26 seasons -- 12 with the Chiefs -- Reid is 28-16 in the postseason and 3-2 in the Super Bowl. He was a finalist for the 2024 AP Coach of the Year award, an honor not usually given to the leader of a two-time defending Super Bowl championship team. The 2024 Chiefs were hit hard by injuries, had trouble at times protecting Mahomes and were inconsistent for much of the season on defense. But thanks in part to Reid, they are still one win away from winning a third consecutive championship.
How did they get here?
Getting to 17-2 (including two playoff victories) took a lot of work. Kansas City won 11 regular-season games plus the AFC Championship Game against the Bills by one score and at times was aided by an element of luck. But the Chiefs also showed a knack for making the right play at the right time. A blocked field goal on the final play to preserve a two-point win against the Broncos in Week 10 was anything but luck. -- Adam Teicher, Chiefs reporter
Philadelphia Eagles
Coach: Nick Sirianni
Sirianni is the first coach in the Super Bowl era to make the playoffs in each of his first four seasons while reaching the Super Bowl multiple times. He guided the Eagles to the title game against the Chiefs in the 2023 season, a 38-35 Eagles loss. With a regular-season record of 48-20, Sirianni has the third-highest winning percentage (.706) by a head coach in the modern era (minimum 50 games), trailing only John Madden and George Allen.
How did they get here?
The Eagles got off to a shaky 2-2 start, testing the nerves of the fan base following a 1-6 collapse down the stretch last season. They became more of a Saquon Barkley-focused offense during the Week 5 bye, and that propelled them to a 10-game winning streak and a 14-3 regular-season record. Led by the NFL's top rushing game and defense, Philadelphia earned the No. 2 seed in the NFC and won three straight postseason home games to punch its ticket to the Super Bowl, including a 55-23 thumping of the Commanders in the NFC title game. -- Tim McManus, Eagles reporter
Read more: Reid says he'll return as Chiefs coach in 2025 ... Sirianni is a players' coach, no matter what you think of him
QB breakdown
Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Mahomes is coming off a down year -- for him -- as he ranked eighth with a 68 QBR in the regular season. It wasn't all on him, though, as the Chiefs struggled to settle their tackle situation and his playmakers were lacking, especially early in the season. But you would still expect more from the best quarterback on the planet playing for coach Reid (and with an elite interior offensive line). Of course, postseason Mahomes is simply different. His 79 QBR ranks third in the playoffs, and his career postseason QBR is roughly 10 points higher than in the regular season.
Strength: Decision-making. Despite Mahomes ranking fifth with a 69 QBR this season (postseason included), he ranks first on third down (90). Despite throwing to the sticks only 28% of the time on early downs (second lowest), his number jumps to 60% (11th most) on third down, demonstrating how Mahomes changes his risk profile when the situation warrants it. And when Mahomes decides to scramble, he is hyperefficient, averaging 0.79 EPA per play, third highest and highest among any quarterback with at least a 2% scramble rate.
Lastly, the Chiefs ranked second in average separation at the time of ball arrival (3.9), per NFL Next Gen Stats. That might sound like a wide receiver statistic, but it might have more to do with the scheme and quarterback; separation in this context is only measured on targets, and this is in part a reflection of Mahomes' ability to find and throw to an open player.
Weakness: Accuracy. It's funny that the consensus best quarterback of this generation is mediocre when it comes to accuracy, but it has been true for years. Mahomes recorded a minus-2 completion percentage over expectation this season, per NFL Next Gen Stats. His 14% off-target rate was 12th best, but that came while averaging just 6.2 air yards per target (third lowest) -- shorter passes are much less likely to be off-target. Mahomes has had a negative completion percentage over expectation in every season since 2019. -- Seth Walder, analytics writer
Jalen Hurts, Eagles
Philadelphia has one of the most run-heavy offenses in the league, with a minus-11% pass rate over expectation (fourth lowest), per NFL Next Gen Stats. That is, to some degree, a reflection and knock against Hurts, who has also had the benefit of playing in very friendly circumstances. He plays behind a good offensive line and with exceptional skill players (though the threat of his legs helps, too). Hurts' 65 QBR ranks 10th -- scrambles and designed runs are the most efficient parts of his game. But on non-scramble dropbacks, Hurts still ranked 11th in QBR (61), and he also led the league in completion percentage over expectation (plus-7, via Next Gen Stats).
Strength: Runs -- both designed (including the tush push) and scrambles. The Eagles running the tush push with such success is a credit to Hurts and the offensive line, and its effect shouldn't be minimized. Hurts ranks second among all quarterbacks in total EPA (58) generated on runs and scrambles -- something that was true even before the postseason. And it isn't all fourth-and-1 conversions. Looking at plays with 2 yards or more to go, the Eagles' EPA on Hurts' runs (37) ranks third best behind the Commanders' Jayden Daniels and the Bills' Josh Allen.
Hurts is also more effective on runs up the middle than going east and west; he averaged 0.29 EPA per play on runs and scrambles with at least 2 yards to go outside the tackles, but 0.42 EPA per play inside.
Weakness: Sack avoidance. The Eagles' offensive line deservedly receives plenty of praise. It ranked sixth in pass block win rate (67.4%) and has arguably the NFL's best tackle in Lane Johnson. And yet, Hurts has taken sacks on 9.4% of his dropbacks, which is ahead of only the Titans' Will Levis and the Bears' Caleb Williams among QBR-qualifying quarterbacks. The effects of that issue have been profound; the Eagles' offense has recorded 1.1 expected points added per drive that does not include a sack, but that number drops to minus-1.0 when there is at least one sack. -- Walder
Read more: Can Hurts provide a Super Bowl win to quiet the doubters? ... Every way to bet Mahomes ... Every way to bet on Hurts
Projecting the passing box score
In preparation for the Super Bowl, I came up with predicted stat lines for every player involved, including passing projections for the two QBs. When Mahomes knows what he's getting on any given play, he rarely misses the tell or the throw. On quick throws this season, Mahomes had a success rate of 60.9%. But against quick throws, the Eagles allowed only 5.5 yards per attempt -- best in the NFL. Something has got to give. Things might get tricky in the red zone, where all of a sudden there's no underneath space. But remember, Reid cooked the Eagles in the red zone two Super Bowls ago with back-and-forth motions.
Hurts, meanwhile, has been better against the blitz, his largest criticism exiting 2023, and has generally become more accurate as a thrower. But the biggest improvement he made this season was not turning the ball over. He might actually have to throw the Eagles back into this game, though. I expect Chiefs D-coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to present a ton of wild looks to take away quick-game options and encourage Hurts, one of the league leaders in time to throw (3.13 seconds), to hold onto the football. The longer the down, the more likely it is Hurts takes a bad sack. -- Ben Solak, NFL analyst
Read more: Solak projects the full Super Bowl box score (ESPN+)
Biggest questions
Can the Chiefs defend the Eagles' tush push?
Judging solely by how they defended the Bills' version of the play in the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs have reason to believe they can hold up well. Josh Allen and Buffalo tried it six times against Kansas City but converted just twice. One stop came on fourth down at the Kansas City 41-yard line in the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs trailed by a point. They used the favorable field position to score the go-ahead touchdown.
"The [defensive] line has to be dominant," defensive tackle Chris Jones said on how the Chiefs defended the play. "Your two [nose guards] and your two ends have to be physical on the inside."
Kansas City hasn't fared as well in defending Hurts on the tush push. He used it to score two touchdowns against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. Hurts also used it to score the winning touchdown against Kansas City in the fourth quarter of a Week 11 regular-season contest in 2023. -- Teicher
Read more: Chiefs' biggest matchup questions
What do the Eagles need from receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to complement the run game?
They'll need the kind of passing efficiency they received in the NFC Championship Game when Hurts went 20-of-28 for 246 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. It marked just the second time since mid-November that Hurts threw for 200-plus yards.
Questions persisted about the aerial attack for much of the season. The production did not match the kind of expectations that come with players like Brown, Smith, Hurts and tight end Dallas Goedert on the offense. But much of it was by design, as the coaching staff -- armed with a dominant defense and ground game -- leaned conservative with the pass to keep turnovers at a minimum. That approach has worked quite well: The Eagles have 10 takeaways to zero giveaways in the playoffs.
Hurts quipped after the NFC title game that Sirianni "let me out of my straitjacket a little bit," allowing him to air it out to Brown and Smith more than usual. Sirianni should go into this matchup confident about Hurts, who had one of the best performances of his career in Super Bowl LVII (374 total yards, 4 touchdowns). Smith (7 catches, 100 yards) and Brown (6 catches, 96 yards, TD) were a big part of that. They'll likely be called on again given that the Chiefs are sure to be focused on slowing down Barkley. -- McManus
Read more: Eagles' biggest matchup questions
Stephen A. Smith says Jalen Hurts will only be able to shake his "game manager" tag if he wins the Super Bowl.
Keys to a Chiefs win
Positional advantage: Quarterback
Mahomes' success in critical moments of a game, plus his ability to create on scrambles, gives the Chiefs a definitive advantage at quarterback. His league-best QBR on third down in the regular season (90) jumped to 98 in the playoffs. Mahomes also converted 22 first downs as a runner on scramble attempts in the regular season, with five more in the playoffs. With his elite instincts to win on money downs, he can extend drives with his legs. The Eagles' pass rush will certainly heat up the pocket and force him to move. -- Matt Bowen, NFL analyst
Chiefs' X factor: Jaylen Watson, CB
After playing more of a depth role in 2023, Watson was penciled in as a starter to replace the departed L'Jarius Sneed in 2024. And for the first few games, Watson was fantastic. Through Week 7, his coverage DVOA of minus-51.5% was fifth in the league among starting cornerbacks. But he fractured an ankle in Week 7 and was lost for the regular season.
There's no question the Chiefs' defense nosedived after Watson got hurt. In Weeks 1 through 7, the Chiefs ranked second in defensive DVOA. In the following six weeks, Kansas City ranked 28th in defensive DVOA. The Chiefs reversed things in the final few weeks of the season, with strong defensive performances in Weeks 14 through 17 before they sat starters in Week 18.
Watson has returned to the lineup for the postseason, and he's back to shutting down opposing receivers. In the first two playoff games, FTN Data charting listed Watson as the main defender in coverage on five passes. The Texans and Bills weren't throwing at him. The only completed passes he allowed were an 8-yard completion to Texans' Xavier Hutchinson late in the fourth quarter and a completion for no gain to Bills' Ty Johnson in zone coverage. Watson is usually lined up as the left cornerback, which means he'll be covering whoever is the outermost Eagles receiver on the right side. -- Aaron Schatz, NFL analyst
Rookie to watch: Xavier Worthy, WR
Worthy has become a go-to target for the Chiefs' offense. The first-round pick finished the regular season with 59 catches for 638 receiving yards and six touchdown receptions. He will be up against the Eagles' secondary, one of the best in the NFL, so coach Reid and Mahomes will have to figure out how to get Worthy involved in the passing game. But with his speed and dynamic abilities, expect to see many targets going his way in the Super Bowl. -- Jordan Reid, NFL draft analyst
Keys to an Eagles win
Positional advantage: Secondary
Since Week 6, when rookie slot corner Cooper DeJean was inserted into the starting lineup, the Eagles have allowed a league-low 5.2 yards per attempt and 171.9 passing yards per game. On the perimeter, corners Quinyon Mitchell and Darius Slay Jr. are sticky in coverage, with high-end closing speed. And safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship can play top-down on the ball, which is a seamless fit for coordinator Vic Fangio's split-field schemes. This defensive unit has the personnel and the playcaller to create matchup advantages against the Chiefs' wide receivers and tight ends. -- Bowen
Eagles' X factor: Nolan Smith Jr., LB
After a quiet rookie season in 2023 (one sack, 18 tackles and no starts), Smith has been a much more important part of the Eagles' pass rush this season. He entered the starting lineup for good in Week 9 and had 6.5 sacks in the regular season. Smith has been on fire in the playoffs, with four sacks while playing over 80% of the Eagles' defensive snaps over the past three games. His pass rush win rate of 16.6% would have ranked 17th if he had enough snaps to qualify for ESPN's rankings.
Smith developed so much this season that he essentially made big-money free agent Bryce Huff disappear. Huff, who signed a three-year, $51.1 million deal in the offseason, lost his starting job to Smith at midseason and has played only 13 total defensive snaps in the playoffs.
Smith has 28 total pass pressures (including the playoffs), which ranks third on the Eagles behind the better-known Jalen Carter (34) and Josh Sweat (36). As the left outside linebacker, Smith will spend most of the Super Bowl lined up against right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who has given up the most first pressures on the Chiefs (72, including the playoffs). -- Schatz
Rookie to watch: Quinyon Mitchell, CB
The Eagles' defense is full of impact rookies such as Mitchell, DeJean and Jalyx Hunt, who have helped guide the team back to the Super Bowl. But none has been more important than Mitchell. The first-rounder has been awesome at cornerback, especially in the postseason, where he has two interceptions. Facing a Chiefs passing attack that will be looking for ways to get the ball into the hands of Worthy, Mitchell's man coverage ability and playmaking skills should come up big for Philadelphia. The Eagles' defensive line is a matchup advantage, and if they can get Mahomes moving off his spot and making late throws, Mitchell will be in line to benefit from it. -- Matt Miller, NFL draft analyst
What ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) says
ESPN's FPI has the Eagles winning 56.1% of the simulations -- and they are favored to win by an average of 2.2 points.
This matchup is a showdown between two top-10 teams in FPI: the No. 5 Eagles (6.0) and the No. 6 Chiefs (3.9). The Eagles are fifth on offense and the Chiefs rank seventh. On defense, Philadelphia ranks first and Kansas City is 13th. The Chiefs were No. 2 in FPI in the preseason, while the Eagles were No. 5.
In the preseason, the Chiefs had the second-best chance to make the Super Bowl (18.9%) and the Eagles had the third-best odds (16.4%). Kansas City was given a 9.4% chance to win it, while Philadelphia was at 9.6%.
Who wins the game?
We asked 67 experts to weigh in on who will win. The Chiefs were picked by 41 of them (61.2%), while the Eagles claimed 26 votes (38.8%). The most common score predictions were 27-24 (picked by 10 of our experts), 27-23 (five) and 31-28 (five).
Read more: ESPN staff predictions
Who will win Super Bowl MVP?
Of the 67 experts who weighed in, 37 (55.2%) picked Mahomes to win Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes (+105), Barkley (+275) and Hurts (+360) are the ESPN BET betting favorites. We asked a few experts to explain their MVP prediction.
Elizabeth Merrill, senior writer: Barkley. On Sunday, he turns 28, the year NFL running backs typically begin their declines, but Barkley has never looked better. He has been unstoppable in the postseason.
Jason Reid, Andscape senior writer: Mahomes. The NFL's best player wants to become the greatest of all time by winning his fourth award.
Jeremy Fowler, national NFL reporter: Barkley. He is a near-unstoppable-force, averaging more than 150 rushing yards per game over his past five games. If the Eagles win, he'll be the catalyst.
Louis Riddick and Dan Orlovsky detail how the Chiefs' defense stopping Saquon Barkley is the key to a Super Bowl victory.
Lindsey Thiry, national NFL reporter: Mahomes has led the Chiefs to three Super Bowl titles and was named the MVP in each. He's a proven champion who time and again has lifted his team to many improbable victories. It is unfathomable to predict anyone else but the star quarterback as the Most Valuable Player.
Seth Walder, analytics writer: Hurts. Quarterbacks -- yes, I believe even those on the same team as Barkley -- have such an edge in this market. If the Eagles do indeed win, it's virtually certain Hurts will have made some big plays. And as long as the receiving production is spread out across a couple of players, the award will default back to him.
Read More: Experts predict Chiefs-Eagles score, MVP ... Betting buzz: An O-lineman for MVP?
Stats to know
Chiefs
Mahomes has four straight playoff victories when trailing at the start of the fourth quarter, which is the longest streak by a quarterback all time. It started against the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.
Including the playoffs, Chris Jones ranks third in pass rush win rate (15.3%) among interior defenders despite ranking fifth in double-team rate (70%).
This will be Reid's 45th playoff game as a head coach (with the Chiefs and Eagles), passing Bill Belichick for the most all time. He is the first head coach to face his former team twice in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs have won nine straight postseason games dating to the 2022 postseason, which is tied for the second-longest streak in NFL postseason history. The Patriots won 10 straight from 2001 to 2005.
Kansas City is wearing white jerseys for the second time in its three straight Super Bowl appearances. Dating to Super Bowl XXXIX in the 2004 season, the team wearing white jerseys has won 16 of the past 20 Super Bowls. The Chiefs wore red jerseys in their Super Bowl LIV and LVIII wins.
Eagles
Hurts already has the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in the postseason (nine). Another score will make him the ninth player all time to reach 10. Only two others have done that in the 21st century -- Marshawn Lynch (12) and LeGarrette Blount (11).
The Eagles need 27 points for the most in a single postseason in NFL history. The record was set by the 1994 49ers (131), who achieved the mark in one less game.
There have been 36 players to see at least 75 targets in coverage this season, including the playoffs. DeJean and Mitchell rank second and third, respectively, in yards per target allowed as the nearest defender in coverage, trailing the Texans' Derek Stingley Jr., per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Barkley needs 30 yards to surpass Terrell Davis' 1998 record for the most rushing yards in a single season (2,476), including the playoffs. Since Steve Spagnuolo became the Chiefs' defensive coordinator in 2019, Kansas City has not allowed any player to rush for 100 yards against them in the playoffs.
The Eagles finished the regular season with more rush attempts (621) than pass attempts (448). Out of the first 40 Super Bowl champions, 33 had more rushes than pass attempts in their Super Bowl winning seasons (83%). Since 2006, the 2013 Seahawks are the only team to do that.
Read more: Super Bowl LIX by the numbers: Key stats for Chiefs-Eagles ... Super Bowl history: Facts, stats, and records to know
Bold predictions
Worthy will finish as the top wide receiver in receiving yards. The rookie's speed and versatility are exactly what Reid will want to leverage against the Eagles, especially when he's up against Mitchell. The Eagles could struggle to focus on shutting down one receiving playmaker for the Chiefs. Bracketing Travis Kelce or JuJu Smith-Schuster opens the door for Worthy to capitalize on one-on-one matchups. -- Eric Moody, NFL analyst
Hollywood Brown will score the game-winning TD. Brown will have a big day, gathering at least 125 receiving yards. He will clinch Kansas City's three-peat by finding the end zone with seconds to go. -- Mike Tannenbaum, NFL analyst
The Eagles will win convincingly. Even when we exclude Week 18 (both teams rested players), the Eagles hold a solid-to-sizable edge in offensive, defensive and overall EPA. The 2024 Chiefs are infamous for their knack of finding ways to sneak by with wins, but the Eagles have had about the same success in the win column after a slow start (both are 15-1 in their past 16 games, excluding Week 18) and have done so in a more convincing fashion. -- Mike Clay, NFL analyst
Barkley will rush for 125-plus yards and earn MVP honors in the process. Of the 19 games Barkley has played this season, he has rushed for over 100 yards in 14 of them, topping 200 yards twice. Expect the Eagles to wear down a solid Chiefs defense and -- as was the case most often this season -- the bulk of Barkley's production will come in the second half. -- Stephania Bell, NFL analyst
The deciding play will come from the foot of one team's kicker. Eagles kicker Jake Elliott has had a difficult regular season, missing eight total field goals -- that is as many as he missed over the prior three seasons combined. But he, like Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker, has made no shortage of big-time kicks for Philadelphia in his career. Somehow, some way, this game feels like it will be a tight one and a field goal could be the difference. -- Field Yates, NFL analyst
Who is in, and who is out?
Injury reports: Chiefs | Eagles
Kansas City should have its pick of all 53 of its players for the Super Bowl. The Chiefs took advantage of the three weeks between clinching the AFC's top playoff seed in Week 17 and playing their initial postseason game in the divisional round to give injured players like Mahomes (ankle), Jones (calf) and Isiah Pacheco (fibula) an extended break. Then the team was fortunate not to suffer a significant injury in either of its playoff games. -- Teicher
Center Cam Jurgens (back) and left guard Landon Dickerson (knee) missed parts of the NFC title game because of injuries. But Jurgens and Dickerson have been full participants at practice this week and both have spoken optimistically about playing. DeVonta Smith has been limited this week with a hamstring injury but intends to play. Veteran defensive end Brandon Graham, who came up with the game-defining strip sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII, has been working back from a torn left triceps and is hopeful to suit up. There is a chance the Eagles will have all of their original starters available except linebacker Nakobe Dean, who tore the patellar tendon in his left knee during the wild-card game against the Packers. -- McManus
What to know about the officiating
Ron Torbert is one of three referees the NFL has trusted to work the Super Bowl in this decade. He joins Bill Vinovich and Carl Cheffers to each receive two Super Bowl assignments since 2020. In his first appearance (Super Bowl LVI), Torbert's crew took a back seat for much of the game, declining to throw a flag for a possible offensive pass interference or face mask call on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins, and totaling only four flags through the first 58 minutes of the game. The Rams' winning possession, however, featured four more flags, including two against Bengals pass defenders in the red zone.
In 2024, Torbert's regular-season crew threw the third-most flags in the NFL (17.1). His divisional round crew threw 12 flags, six apiece against the Commanders and Lions, but none for either roughing the passer or offensive holding. -- Kevin Seifert, Vikings reporter
Read more: NFL names Torbert referee for Super Bowl LIX ... NFLRA says theories that officials favor Chiefs 'insulting' ... Goodell shuts down notion NFL officials partial to Chiefs ... Inexperience of Super Bowl officials is 'huge departure'
How to bet Super Bowl LIX
Current line from ESPN BET Sportsbook: Chiefs -1, O/U 48.5
Since 2021, underdogs are 4-0 against the spread and 3-1 outright in the Super Bowl. Underdogs are 22-36 outright and 29-27-2 ATS in the Super Bowl all time. The Chiefs are 4-2 outright and ATS in the Super Bowl, winning and covering in each of the past two seasons.
Mahomes is 3-1 outright and ATS in the Super Bowl. All of Mahomes' Super Bowls have featured lines of three points or less. The points total hit the over in both of the Chiefs' past two Super Bowl appearances. The total for the pending Chiefs-Eagles matchup opened at 49.5 at ESPN BET.
Read more: Updated odds and trends for Chiefs-Eagles ... Americans expected to bet $1.39B legally on Super Bowl ... Betting for beginners ... Your guide to making the best picks on Sunday (ESPN+) ... A Swiftie's guide to Taylor-themed Super Bowl prop bets ... Mike Clay's playbook (ESPN+)
Check out what you need to know before Sunday's big game with this ESPN BET primer on Super Bowl LIX.
Who is playing the halftime show?
Kendrick Lamar will perform at the halftime show. He is a 22-time Grammy winner, and in 2018, he became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his album "DAMN."
Lamar's last album, "GNX," was released in November. He garnered much attention in 2024 with his diss track "Not Like Us," which was aimed at fellow hip-hop star Drake. At the 67th Grammy Awards, "Not Like Us" won five awards: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video and Best Rap Performance. Five-time Grammy winner SZA will be a special guest in Lamar's performance.
Read more: Lamar previews his upcoming halftime show ... Most searched Super Bowl halftime shows ... Who has performed at Super Bowl halftime show? ... SZA to join during Super Bowl halftime performance
Super Bowl FAQs
More preview must-reads
Still looking for more Super Bowl content? Check out more of our stuff.
Chiefs
Teicher: Travis Kelce in no hurry to retire, even if Chiefs win again
Teicher: If the Super Bowl is a one-score game, the Chiefs aren't worried
Teicher: Three-peat or not, this Chiefs team is built to last
Reid: 'It is inescapable': Chiefs have become the team fans love to hate
Eagles
McManus: Barkley and the making of '2K Sa'
Berry: South Carolina State laid path to coaching for Eagles' Eric Dickerson
Other
Brown, 91, prepares to broadcast final NBA game
Hubie Brown had just taken his first college coaching job in 1968 and didn't expect that he'd also be asked to teach.
So, for his one year as an assistant at William & Mary, he taught two elective basketball courses.
Brown, now 91 and set to work his final game as a broadcaster, never stopped teaching the sport in more than 55 years since. But his audience grew from college students to players, coaches and TV viewers all over the world.
"It's the most remarkable thing and it's not hyperbole: He has probably taught more people about the game of basketball than anybody that's ever lived," broadcasting partner Mike Breen said.
Brown and Breen will work ABC's telecast of Sunday's game between Philadelphia and Milwaukee, where Brown got his first NBA opportunity as an assistant coach with the Bucks teams featuring Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson in 1972.
For the next five decades, he'd move from the coach's box to the TV table and back, earning induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005 for his contributions to basketball.
Brown has called 18 NBA Finals between TV and radio during his 35 years as a national TV and radio analyst. Yet he says he'll be nervous Sunday as he was before doing every game, despite his extraordinary preparation that included watching both teams play at least twice in the week beforehand.
"You're always nervous," Brown said. "That's me. I don't worry about anybody else. Because you want to be able to paint the picture, you want to be able to educate the fan to another level of expertise, and you realize it's a team doing it, not yourself."
The team, for Brown, is his partner along with the director and producer. The time they spend together preparing, becoming like family, reminds him of coaching.
Not surprisingly, his players recognize aspects of his coaching in his broadcasting.
"I used to love listening to him, because he was quite different than any other broadcaster that was on the air," said Hall of Famer Bernard King, who led the NBA in scoring while playing for Brown with the New York Knicks in 1984-85.
"And I think that the fans that love basketball, the intricacies of the game, he would help the viewer understand exactly what happened and why it happened. And so the viewers are being educated as they watch the game, not just being entertained, and that was a high mark of what he did as a broadcaster."
Those who listened through the years recognized some of Brown's trademarks, such as calling the lane "the painted area," and offering strategy tips for a team by saying "you must."
"My favorite is when he was really happy about a play, like he'd always say: 'That's it! That's it! That's it!'" Breen said. "And then when he got mad, you could tell when he got mad, when you weren't playing the game right, just in the tone in his voice."
Brown was so detailed in his own coaching that King said the Knicks even had a specific play for when an opponent missed a free throw, called power right, in which the forward would sprint down the left side, cut across the lane and post up on the right block.
So when Brown was impressed with what other coaches ran, he wanted to highlight it.
"That's always a tribute to the coaching staff for preparing their teams, and you never want to not be able to emphasize that to the fans when you see it," he said.
Brown had no experience and no plans for TV when he was first approached to do work for USA Network in 1981. He would return to coaching the next year with the Knicks, and then it was back to broadcasting from the time he left in the 1986-87 season until returning to coaching in 2002 with Memphis, where he would win his second NBA Coach of the Year award.
Even when Brown finished there, he wasn't done being a coach. Breen was calling the NBA Finals on ABC for the first time in 2006 and was nervous, trying too hard to follow instructions to tailor his vocabulary toward first-time viewers the event would draw.
At the first timeout, while Miami and Dallas were getting their instructions, Brown gave some of his own.
"He grabbed me by the arm -- and grabbed it tight -- and he looked me in the eye and he says, 'Just call the game the way you always call it and we'll be fine,'" Breen said. "And it just relaxed me."
On Sunday, it will be Breen's turn to help Brown through after a difficult past year in which both his wife and son died.
"He's not interested in people showering him with love and tributes," Breen said. "But the goal is to let him analyze the game like he always does, teach the game to the viewers, but at the same time pay him the tribute that he deserves, because he's given his life to the game."
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: 
Email: 
