Even as the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed 25-22 over the San Francisco 49ers in the 2024 Super Bowl on Sunday, much of the world had eyes on how Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would celebrate.
Swift, 34, made her much-anticipated arrival to Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium Sunday afternoon with her famous friends, actor Blake Lively and rapper Ice Spice, in tow.
The Anti-Hero singer watched the football match from a private suite — reportedly purchased by Kelce himself to the tune of over US$1 million — alongside Kelce’s mother Donna, father Ed and brother Jason.
Taylor Swift, Ice Spice and Blake Lively at Super Bowl LVIII between the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Swift and her crew were later joined by singer Lana Del Rey, who Swift had also brought onstage during her historic Grammy win last week.
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While in attendance to support her tight-end boyfriend, Swift wore a stylish black corset and ripped denim, paired with a red-and-white Chiefs jacket. Though her usual favourite number is 13, Swift wore an ’87’ pendant necklace, an homage to Kelce’s jersey number. Even Swift’s black, heeled boots were emblazoned with a red-and-gold bedazzled ’87.’
Taylor Swift wearing an ’87’ pendant to Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 11, 2024.
Harry How/Getty Images
Swift would have raced to Las Vegas following her four Eras Tour concerts in Toyko, Japan, last week. The singer’s private jet — which has controversially made headlines in recent weeks — touched down in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, CBS News reported.
Whether NFL fans love or hate Swift’s appearances at games, much of the Super Bowl coverage focused on the singer. In the spirit of football, Swift even playfully chugged her beer when she appeared on the Jumbotron.
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Taylor Swift just chugged a beer when she was shown on the video board at the Super Bowl . pic.twitter.com/LPn55wWDBc
For Swifties watching the game, one standout moment came during a tense interaction between Kelce and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
After Kelce, 34, became upset about being pulled from the game during the first half, Kelce shouted angrily in Reid’s face from the sidelines. Kelce shoved Reid, 65, causing the coach to lose his balance.
Teammate Jerick McKinnon wrapped his arms around Kelce in what appeared to be an attempt to end the altercation.
Travis Kelce shouts at head coach Andy Reid in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Jamie Squire / Getty Images
Online, many dedicated Swift fans said Kelce’s behaviour was a red flag. A number of fans and NFL viewers went so far as to argue that Swift should dump Kelceover the incident.
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Reid, however, seemed to shrug off the altercation in good spirits.
“He keeps me young,” Reid said during an appearance on CBS’s post-game show. “He tested that hip out. He caught me off balance – normally, I’d give him a little bit, but I didn’t have any feet under me.”
During a press conference after the game, Kelce said he has “the greatest coach this game has ever seen.”
“He’s one of the best leaders of men that I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kelce said. “He’s helped me a lot with channelling that emotion, with channelling that passion and I owe my entire career to that guy and being able to control how emotional I get.
“I just love him, man.”
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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl kiss
As the clock ran out and the Chiefs secured their victory, Swift and her friends had a rowdy celebration in their suite.
Watch the moment Taylor Swift started celebrating the Kansas City Chiefs’ win against the San Francisco 49ers at the 2024 Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/jWHxKlfWYO
Shortly after, Swift followed the Kelce family members out onto the football field to greet the winning team. Swift held onto Donna’s arm and blew Kelce a kiss as they approached.
Taylor Swift, standing next to Donna Kelce, blows a kiss to Travis Kelce.
Rob Carr/Getty Images
Kelce hugged his mother first while Swift stood back.
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Then, while surrounded by a swarm of reporters and photographers, Kelce embraced Swift, and the pair shared a kiss.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift share a kiss after the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers during Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11, 2024, in Las Vegas.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
The couple buzzed quietly to one another as they embraced, with Swift seemingly gushing over Kelce with exclamations of, “I can’t believe it. How did you do that?”
Swift appeared to tell Kelce, “I’m so proud of you.”
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce kiss at the centre of a large crowd after the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl win on Feb. 11, 2024.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
After the Super Bowl, Swift and Kelce celebrated the team’s win at a private party. Swift’s music, unsurprisingly, was in the DJ’s lineup. The pair celebrated the Super Bowl win, and their Love Story, to Swift’s song by the same name.
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🚨| Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce vibing to “Love Story” at the Chiefs Super Bowl afterparty! #Superbowl
Of course, the Chiefs are still one of the favorites to win the AFC. It’s assumed that general manager Brett Veach will do everything in his power to find help for Patrick Mahomes after the offense’s struggles for most of the regular season.
Along with the Chiefs, the Ravens, Bills and Bengals are the favorites from the AFC. The Jets have worse odds now (+3000) than they did at this time last season (+2500), and that was even before they had acquired Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay, though rumors were already swirling that Rodgers wanted out of Wisconsin and into the Big Apple.
Of the teams with new head coaches, the Los Angeles Chargers (+2500) have the best odds with new coach Jim Harbaugh. Los Angeles is $45 million over the salary cap for next season, according to OverTheCap.com.
If you’re looking for teams that can make a splash in free agency, the Commanders, Titans, Patriots, Bengals and Colts have the most salary cap room right now.
Detroit (+1200) has completed its 180 turn from lovable losers to now a favorite in the NFC. Dallas and Philadelphia are still near the top of their respective conferences, but there will be changes for both teams this offseason. Dallas lost defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to Washington and Philadelphia hired Kellen Moore to be its new offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio to lead its defense.
The Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots all have the worst odds of winning the Super Bowl. All three teams will have new coaches next year.
Putting bets on favorites this far out probably isn’t a good betting strategy, though. Consider that the Chiefs had worse odds entering this year’s playoffs (+1000) than they did after last year’s Super Bowl win (+600).
Super Bowl 59 odds (@BetMGM)
To help understand where these teams might be going this offseason, especially around expectations, we checked in with our beat writers to gauge how they view the teams going into the offseason.
GO DEEPER
Super Bowl 2025 odds: Texans, Eagles and Falcons have biggest swings from last preseason
Detroit Lions +1200
The Lions have the fifth-best Super Bowl odds in 2024, and that feels just about right. In their first postseason run together, with the fifth-youngest roster in the NFL, the Lions reached the NFC Championship game and held a 24-7 lead. Had they made the necessary plays to win the game, it would’ve been them in Las Vegas hoping to hoist the Lombardi. Instead, they’ll use a disappointing loss as motivation and work to get there next season. Detroit’s best talent — Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, Sam LaPorta, Jahmyr Gibbs, etc. — should only get better with age. QB Jared Goff has now taken two teams to NFC Championship games and is coming off another strong season. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is back for another year, turning down head coaching opportunities yet again. And the Lions will look to improve a secondary that needs an influx of talent. Detroit’s schedule and division look tougher on paper, but considering all the Lions have going for them, they’re well-positioned for another deep postseason run. —Colton Pouncy, Lions writer
New York Jets +3000
The Jets, as much as any team on this list, have the ability to swing wildly in either direction. That’s the Aaron Rodgers factor. The Jets have a lot of holes to fill on offense (offensive line, wide receiver) and problems to overcome (offensive coordinator) but ultimately how far the Jets go (or not) depends largely on what version of Rodgers they get. He will turn 41 this season and is coming off Achilles surgery, so it’s fair to be skeptical that the Jets will make noise — but they still have one of the best NFL defenses, which will mostly remain intact, and bring back two stars on offense in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. —Zack Rosenblatt, Jets writer
Green Bay Packers +2500
I’m surprised the Packers’ odds are that long, considering how they finished the 2023 season. After starting 3-6, they made the playoffs, dismantled the Cowboys in the wild-card round, and gave the 49ers a fight in the Divisional Round. In his first season as the full-time starting quarterback, Jordan Love showed why he can be the guy for Green Bay for the next decade-plus, and most of his supporting cast, on an offense that flourished in the second half of the season, will return in 2024. The big questions are in the other two phases. Can the Packers straighten out their kicking game (pun intended), and can new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley maximize the talent on his side of the ball in a way Joe Barry couldn’t? If Green Bay can do both, there’s no reason the Packers can’t be in contention to bring the Lombardi Trophy back home. —Matt Schneidman, Packers writer
To take the Dolphins as serious Super Bowl contenders, they have to beat teams on the same level as them or better on a semi-consistent basis. That didn’t happen in 2023, with only one win against a team that finished with a winning record — Dallas Cowboys in Week 16. The 2024 schedule will be tougher, too, playing the AFC South, NFC West and the Packers outside of Miami’s AFC East opponents.
Tua Tagovailoa, as of now, will enter the final year of his rookie contract in 2024. Will Miami take care of its quarterback before Week 1? Plus, you have to wonder if the defense can come together after numerous injuries, specifically at edge rusher, which took a toll late in the 2023 campaign. Then you have to wonder if the Dolphins are the best or even second-best team in the AFC East with the Bills as the reigning champs and Aaron Rodgers set to take more than a handful of snaps at QB like last year’s injury-plagued season. —Larry Holder, NFL senior writer
You know the Texans will be one of the sexiest bets heading into the 2024 season — two of the top young players at premium positions with quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson. Throw in budding star coach DeMeco Ryans and an improving roster, and Houston has all the makings of the team ready to take the next step.
Now, the Texans won’t be facing a bottom-barrel schedule this season after winning the AFC South. So they’ll get the Chiefs, Ravens and Bills, along with the AFC East and NFC North joining their AFC South slate — throw a healthy NFL Draft compadre, Anthony Richardson, back for the Colts. But the Texans seemed to stand tall against all comers during the 2023 regular season before falling flat against the Ravens in the AFC divisional round. I expect the Texans to improve in 2024 and for Stroud only to get better after one of the strongest rookie QB campaigns in recent memory. If that happens, you never know … —Holder
When Tony Romo became the biggest sensation in NFL broadcasting, it was because he was a gunslinger as an analyst, predicting plays with an unconventional style that eventually led to a 10-year, $180 million contract, then the richest known deal in sports media history.
These days, four years into that deal, after all the criticism of Romo, CBS clearly went into his third Super Bowl as a TV analyst looking for a game manager instead of a game changer. But old habits die hard.
At first, Romo did a fine job with the Chiefs down three points and inside the 5-yard line late in overtime, explaining that it did not matter as viewers watched the clock wind down toward zero — the game would not end and would just roll into a second quarter of OT. But Romo kept talking too long.
This blocked Nantz from properly setting up the final play. As the winning touchdown was scored, Nantz said, “First and goal, Mahomes flings it! It’s there! Hardman! Jackpot! Kansas City!”
Romo first muttered in the background of Nantz’s call as if he were a yahoo on local radio. After Nantz finished, Romo started in, “This was the Andy Reid special. …” And then on and on.
For 30 seconds, as CBS showed reaction, Romo talked about the play when the best analysis would’ve been silence, which would have allowed the crowd and pictures to tell the story. It should have been Nantz’s broadcast moment, if anyone’s.
Nantz and Romo were once supposed to be the next Pat Summerall and John Madden but have fallen so far that their disjointed performance Sunday was one CBS will likely take. Before the final play, the broadcast was far from perfect, but it was mostly manageable. Maybe not one to overnight to the Sports Emmys, but, on the production side, it had its moments.
Nantz and Romo make the big money — a near $30 million a year between them — so, like quarterbacks, they receive the most credit and blame. Their quarterback rating was not high enough, missing obvious big themes.
The duo failed to ever explain why the defenses — especially the 49ers on Travis Kelce in the first half — were having their way for so long with the offenses. They also were very underwhelming when CBS’s production team expertly spotted Kelce bumping and screaming at his 65-year-old head coach. They rarely spoke about line play. And the overarching themes of the game were often missed. There were no threads.
The grading for the Super Bowl broadcast is the highest level because it is the most prestigious assignment in American sportscasting. Nantz has called the game six times, but his partners, first Phil Simms and now Romo, have regressed under his watch. A bad trend.
Meanwhile, Romo lacks consistency in his thoughts. With 10 seconds left in regulation and the Chiefs at the 49ers’ 11, Romo said, “If you have six seconds, you feel comfortable taking another crack at it.”
After an incomplete pass, there were six seconds left, and Romo opined, “If he had seven, I’d do it,” adding Kansas City should kick.
Umm, but, Tony, you just said …
Never mind.
The inconsistency happens too much with Romo, causing CBS Sports executives to put on a brave face publicly and privately, defending him, but actions are almost always where the truth lands, and their truest thoughts seemed evident in their approach.
Early, it was clear, CBS’s game plan was to simplify the offense. In the first half, it cut down on the overuse of too many voices, sticking mostly to Nantz and Romo. Romo seemed chilled. It wasn’t bad.
The production team came up big in the second quarter. After Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco fumbled, it found a sideline shot in which Kelce accosted Reid.
“He goes, ‘Keep me in,’” Romo said, apparently lip-reading. “What happened is, on the fumble, he was not in the game. Noah Gray went in, and he had to block. Noah Gray, the tight end, had to block (Deommodore) Lenoir. Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble. And I think Kelce is like, ‘Just keep me in there, even if we are running the ball.’”
Let’s put to the side we needed to consult Google Translate to go from Romo to English to understand what, “(Deommodore) Lenoir made him swim and actually created the fumble” might mean, the story is Kelce nearly knocking down his coach.
It wasn’t Latrell Sprewell on P.J. Carlesimo, but it was Taylor Swift’s boyfriend in front of about, give or take, 115 million viewers. We kind of needed the former All-Pro Cowboys quarterback to weigh in if that was kosher or not.
The best part of Romo is his unscripted fun personality. Non-hardcore fans can like him because Romo comes across as — and from all first-hand reports is — a genuinely nice guy. He would be cool to have a beer with, a good quality in an announcer.
Sunday, the most personality Romo showed was when he sang Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” to break, channeling another Cowboys great turned broadcaster, Don Meredith. Romo would do it again in the third quarter, trying to entice Nantz — who is a broadcaster from a Peter Jennings/Tom Brokaw anchor era — for a singalong to Elvis’ “Viva Las Vegas.” Romo even did a little Beastie Boys late with “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party)!”
As for Nantz, he sounded extra amped to open the game, maybe overcompensating for some less-than-enthusiastic early calls in the playoffs. On the two Romo-isms of the first half, Nantz did correctly challenge him. Romo said a fumble might be a lateral in the second quarter, and then late in the period, with the scoreless Chiefs down 10, he said they might be in four-down territory. Nantz rightly threw the challenge flag on both.
In the end, the problem with the tandem is that despite all their “pal” and “buddy” talk, not to mention their over-the-top, on-air, “I love yous,” they don’t sound on the same page.
That disconnection shows up in the biggest spots, when the world is watching, when what you have done all season is on display.
Nantz and Romo should have the broadcast strategy of that last play down. Romo’s appeal may be that he is like a fan, but he’s doing the Super Bowl broadcast and being paid handsomely to do so.
He just needed to get out of the way to allow Nantz to make his complete call, then wait until after the pictures and sounds had their moment to note that Mahomes is Michael Jordan.
It wasn’t time for the gunslinger. CBS had the right plan, and Nantz and Romo executed at times. But, on the biggest play of the season, Romo freelanced and lost.
(Photo of Tony Romo and Jim Nantz: Rob Carr / Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA — The Kansas City Chiefs have reached dynasty-status. They are now the NFL’s first back-to-back world champions in 19 years, winning their third title in five years.
While the celebration is going strong in Kansas City, there is also a reason to celebrate closer to home.
Fans were also celebrating over in Vineland, New Jersey — the home town of star Kansas City running back Isiah “Pop” Pacheco.
The Vineland High School grad is also a Rutgers grad, so you bet the cheers were loud and proud for “Pops” role in that final winning drive.
Super Bowl LVIII got off to a rough start with turnovers — some, more costly than others — but the 49ers and Chiefs made up for it in that overtime thriller.
The start of the game was tense for Chiefs fans but their team finally got on the board with a field goal by the end of the first half.
Although Pacheco lost a fumble in the red zone early on, he didn’t let that stop him, ending the night a Super Bowl champ once again.
Head coach Andy Reid celebrated with a Gatorade bath. He and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes are now halfway to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick, who won six championships in 20 years together with the New England Patriots.
After a dominant lead by the San Francisco 49ers turned into a great comeback by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bay Area team fell to their opponents in overtime.The Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman made a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left, ending the overtime quarter 25-22.With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, it looked like it could have still been anybody’s game. But then kicker Jake Moody gave the Niners a short-lived 19-16 lead. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker managed a 27-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, forcing the game to go into overtime. The only other overtime in Super Bowl history was the New England Patriots’ 34-28 comeback over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. This year was also a rematch for both teams. In 2020, Kansas City beat San Francisco 31-20. The last time the Niners won a Super Bowl was the 1994 season.A strong Niners first half in the Super BowlThe first half was a rocky start for the Chiefs. They spent much of the first two quarters without having scored any points. That is until they landed a three-point field goal with less than a minute to go in the second quarter.Other disappointing moments for the Chiefs’ first half of the game came with quarterback Patrick Mahomes getting sacked twice within minutes of each other in the first quarter.A promising 52-yard catch that got the Chiefs to 1st and goal also became a letdown when the very next play turned into a fumble that the Niners recovered.After Niners running back Christian McCaffrey secured the first touchdown of the game, the Chiefs players gathered and tried to rally each other, saying that they were beating themselves at the game.For the Niners, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk made his first catch ever in the Super Bowl, and Jake Moody scored the first points of the game with a 55-yard field goal, the longest successful attempt ever in Super Bowl history — at least for a little while.Chiefs do not give up in the second half of the Super BowlThe third quarter is where the Chiefs began to shine. Butker, with a 57-yard field goal, broke the record previously set two quarters prior by Moody. Shortly after that, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling helped the Chiefs take the lead with a touchdown.In the fourth quarter, San Francisco responded with a touchdown by Jauan Jennings, but the Chiefs managed to block Moody’s extra point kick attempt. It’s also worth noting that if this extra point kick was not blocked, the fourth quarter likely could have ended with a 20-19 win for the Niners.Instead, Butker’s 27-yard field goal helped keep the Chiefs alive.Jennings joined Nick Foles as the only player to throw a touchdown pass and catch one in a Super Bowl. Foles did it six years ago for the Eagles against the Patriots. A Chiefs dynastyWith this year’s ring, the Chiefs have become the seventh team in league history to win four Super Bowls. They join New England, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Green Bay, San Francisco and New York in reaching that milestone.This is also the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl win in five seasons. The other years the Chiefs won were 1969, 2019, 2022 and 2023.Catch up on game highlights here.
LAS VEGAS —
After a dominant lead by the San Francisco 49ers turned into a great comeback by the Kansas City Chiefs, the Bay Area team fell to their opponents in overtime.
The Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman made a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left, ending the overtime quarter 25-22.
With two minutes left in the fourth quarter, it looked like it could have still been anybody’s game. But then kicker Jake Moody gave the Niners a short-lived 19-16 lead. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker managed a 27-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, forcing the game to go into overtime.
The only other overtime in Super Bowl history was the New England Patriots’ 34-28 comeback over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
This year was also a rematch for both teams. In 2020, Kansas City beat San Francisco 31-20. The last time the Niners won a Super Bowl was the 1994 season.
A strong Niners first half in the Super Bowl
The first half was a rocky start for the Chiefs. They spent much of the first two quarters without having scored any points. That is until they landed a three-point field goal with less than a minute to go in the second quarter.
Other disappointing moments for the Chiefs’ first half of the game came with quarterback Patrick Mahomes getting sacked twice within minutes of each other in the first quarter.
A promising 52-yard catch that got the Chiefs to 1st and goal also became a letdown when the very next play turned into a fumble that the Niners recovered.
After Niners running back Christian McCaffrey secured the first touchdown of the game, the Chiefs players gathered and tried to rally each other, saying that they were beating themselves at the game.
For the Niners, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk made his first catch ever in the Super Bowl, and Jake Moody scored the first points of the game with a 55-yard field goal, the longest successful attempt ever in Super Bowl history — at least for a little while.
Chiefs do not give up in the second half of the Super Bowl
The third quarter is where the Chiefs began to shine. Butker, with a 57-yard field goal, broke the record previously set two quarters prior by Moody. Shortly after that, wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling helped the Chiefs take the lead with a touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, San Francisco responded with a touchdown by Jauan Jennings, but the Chiefs managed to block Moody’s extra point kick attempt. It’s also worth noting that if this extra point kick was not blocked, the fourth quarter likely could have ended with a 20-19 win for the Niners.
Instead, Butker’s 27-yard field goal helped keep the Chiefs alive.
Jennings joined Nick Foles as the only player to throw a touchdown pass and catch one in a Super Bowl. Foles did it six years ago for the Eagles against the Patriots.
A Chiefs dynasty
With this year’s ring, the Chiefs have become the seventh team in league history to win four Super Bowls. They join New England, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Green Bay, San Francisco and New York in reaching that milestone.
This is also the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl win in five seasons. The other years the Chiefs won were 1969, 2019, 2022 and 2023.
So many great moments in sports history, moments that seem like destiny in retrospect, were impossible to foresee or even necessarily understand while they were happening. The Falcons’ blowing a 28-3 lead to the Patriots was an all-time Super Bowl moment, but before it went down, the only thing on everyone’s minds was “all right, this game is over, I can go to bed early tonight.” (This included the President at the time.) You never know when something incredible is going to happen.
The flip side of that is that you never know when something incredible isn’t going to happen. And for most of Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday, nothing incredible happened. For about two and a half hours, it was arguably the dullest Super Bowl in recent memory. But the game was still close, and you can never go to bed when the game is still close, or you might regret it the next morning — like anyone who missed the end of this one will, because, wouldn’t you know it, something incredible ended up happening.
The Kansas City Chiefs ended up beating the San Francisco 49ers in overtime, 25-22, on a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardeman, a player whose fumble against the Bills earlier in the playoffs nearly ended his team’s season. It was only the second overtime game in Super Bowl history — the first being the aforementioned Patriots-Falcons game seven years ago. This one didn’t have the epic swings of that classic (still the most insane Super Bowl I’ve ever seen), but the thing about football is that a great ending can make up for two and a half hours of muck.
And there was a lot of muck. This Super Bowl had seemed to be set up for greatness: It featured two of the league’s signature franchises, the five-time champion 49ers and the defending champion Chiefs. It starred the 49ers’ Brock Purdy, a more unlikely Super Bowl quarterback underdog story than Tom Brady ever was, and the Chiefs’ Mahomes and Travis Kelce, by far the two most famous players in the NFL. The pregame hype about whether Kelce’s girlfriend — who is perhaps better known for other endeavors — would arrive from a concert in Japan in time for kickoff rivaled the hype for the game itself. The Super Bowl was even in Las Vegas. Epic!
But for most of the night, the two best teams in football were very much not at their best, and the sport, on its biggest night, looked a lot uglier and sloppier than usual. There were penalties and turnovers and blocked kicks and muffed punts and mental mistakes, and no points at all until midway through the second quarter.
For a while, the most exciting moment of the night was a 49ers trick play that was well-conceived and well-executed, but not all that aesthetically pleasing (let alone dramatic). Purdy, the grand underdog story, had a perfectly dull, uninspired, vanilla wafer of a game, as is his wont. (He’s great, but no kid is ever going to pretend to be Brock Purdy in their backyard.) Mahomes, the anointed Next Brady, had perhaps his worst game of the season, thanks in large part to the relentless 49ers defense. Jake Moody and Harrison Butker kicked the two longest field goals in Super Bowl history. (Yawn.)
Oh, and about that couple: The star tight end (and aforementioned boyfriend) only had one showcase moment, and it was when he was so furious at his 65-year-old coach he nearly knocked him over. And — I am sorry to be the one to say this, but I don’t cover the Super Bowl in person every year not to report the news — but when Swift was shown on the jumbotron at Allegiant Stadium, she was undeniably, unabashedly booed by the vast majority of the fans in the stands. True, 49ers fans outnumbered Chiefs fans by a significant amount, and the booing happened before Swift impressively chugged a beer in one swig (the sort of skill that does tend to sway your average football fan), but still: Taylor Swift being jeered by 40,000 people is probably not what the NFL had in mind for the evening.
And then,in the last half of the fourth quarter, suddenly everything came together, turning a stuttering, scattershot game taut. Purdy hit Jauan Jennings — who had thrown for the aforementioned trick play touchdown early and was this close to becoming the least-likely Super Bowl MVP in history — for a touchdown with 6:06 remaining. The Chiefs then ominously blocked the Niners’ extra point, leaving their deficit at only three. The two teams traded field goals the rest of the quarter, sending it into overtime, where the 49ers won the coin toss and, curiously, chose to take the ball first. Under the new NFL overtime rules, both teams are guaranteed to get the ball at least in overtime, and, theoretically, you’d want to get it second so that you’d know how much the other team scored first. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s logic made some sense: If both teams were to score the same number on their first two possessions in overtime, that would give the 49ers the ball on the third and final possession, needing only a field goal to win. But it felt Shanahan outsmarted himself. After San Francisco was (barely) held to a field goal, the Chiefs drove down for the winning touchdown — ending the 49ers’ season and surely leaving Shanahan wondering what if.
As far as the NFL was concerned, this was exactly the right ending, no matter what had preceded it. The Chiefs’ second title in a row makes them the first team to repeat since the Patriots in 2004-05. It keeps Mahomes (increasingly the face of the league) on a Tom Brady-type pace, with his third ring and his second Super Bowl MVP. On the Jumbotron, as the Lombardi Trophy was awarded, Kelce led Chiefs fans in the stands in a rousing, if not particularly melodic, rendition of “Fight For Your Right to Party” as his megastar girlfriend looked on and smiled. No one booed when they saw her this time: Those 49ers fans had long left. The rest of us were pretty pleased we’d stuck around.
In a small side room at the Chiefs’ team hotel on Tuesday, Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt considered the question of how this period in the team’s history might be perceived a generation or two from now.
Even with the franchise about to play in its fourth Super Bowl in five years while seeking to become the first team to repeat in nearly two decades, Hunt prefaced his response by saying “I certainly hope it doesn’t end any time soon.”
“I think how you end up labeling this era of Chiefs football is really for an outside observer,” he continued, smiling and adding, “It’s not for me to say what it was, to label it with the ‘D’ word.”
While how long it goes remains to be seen, any lingering debate or quibbling about whether this remarkable time constitutes the “D” word — dynasty — were quelled on Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium when the Chiefs outlasted the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in just the second Super Bowl to go to overtime.
The Chiefs prevailed on Patrick Mahomes’ 3-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman, establishing another landmark in the Chiefs’ very own Eras Tour.
Emblematic of a regular season that often was a grind and at times made the Chiefs appear vulnerable and splintering, they fell into a 10-0 first-half deficit that featured more airing of grievances in Travis Kelce’s appalling and berserk dash into Chiefs coach Andy Reid.
Also mirroring the season, though, they reset and rallied courtesy of the defense that never rested and four field goals by Harrison Butker — including a Super Bowl record 57-yarder and a 29-yarder with 3 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
And with the considerable help of a stupefying special teams blunder by the 49ers that set up the Chiefs’ vital first touchdown on a pass from Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling — the picture of redemption this postseason after a dud regular season.
While perhaps none of this recent run could eclipse the sheer thrill of winning Super Bowl LIV after a 50-year drought, the real triumph has been all they’ve achieved since … and it would be hard to top how it went Sunday.
As the air has gotten thinner and thinner on the way to the top in a league predicated on creating parity, the Chiefs fended off so many factors — including their own issues — to achieve something seldom seen in the annals of pro football history.
Whatever else is to come, the victory cemented an enduring legacy for the Chiefs and particularly Reid and Mahomes — the man who altered the very meaning of what it is to be a Chiefs fan and even the self-image of Kansas Citians.
With a third Super Bowl victory to his name, Reid now trails only Bill Belichick (six) and Chuck Noll (four) and is on trajectory toward becoming the winningest overall coach in league history should he continue to coach for another five or six seasons.
With Mahomes’ third Super Bowl title, he now is 15-3 in postseason play and in Super Bowl wins trails only Tom Brady (seven) and Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw with four apiece.
At age 28.
If that speaks to the abundant future possibilities with Mahomes, the victory also embodied the rich intersection of the Chiefs’ past and present. Because it reiterated the momentous place in the pro football world of the Hunt family, starting with Chiefs and AFL founder Lamar Hunt, who died in 2006, and Norma Hunt, who died last summer.
In the first Super Bowl ever played without the regal “First Lady of Football,” the Chiefs punctuated a season of wearing a patch honoring her with an exclamation point paying further tribute.
The game and season also will be remembered for the glitz and glamor of the Taylor Swift Effect: The worldwide pop icon’s rabidly followed relationship with Kelce has had a multiplier effect on the popularity of the NFL itself but also on the Chiefs’ ambitions to become “the world’s team.”
(As if the Swift-Kelce dynamic hadn’t been phenomenon enough, having one of the most popular performers on Earth fly here between concert dates in Japan and Australia to attend one of the most-watched events in the history of the planet makes for a mind-blowing impact that could take years to fully comprehend.)
And that world’s team campaign surely was enhanced by winning their third Super Bowl in five years to give them four overall — two fewer than New England and Pittsburgh’s record six and one behind Dallas and San Francisco’s five.
But something else distinguished the meaning of this win.
This has been not so much about the spectacular scenes that have so defined the Mahomes Era but the resolute and methodical moments from a simplified offense and the anchoring of a stellar defense that paved the way and enabled all this.
In this four-year cycle, as general manager Brett Veach put it last week, “everything has just kind of flipped itself.”
With a laugh, he thought of the contrast between previously just hoping the defense could get the opponent “to punt once” to give the Chiefs a chance to feeling that if the offense can just score once “we’re good.”
While the offense reset from an epidemic of dropped passes and pivotal offensive penalties and other issues, that came only after it pushed off bottom after the Christmas Day debacle against the Raiders.
The hideous 20-14 loss was marked by disorganization and sideline dissension, including the bizarre spectacle of Reid turning his back to the start of an offensive drive to block the return of Kelce’s helmet to him after Kelce had spiked it.
To that point the Chiefs were an aimless 9-6, and nothing was assured — even a playoff berth.
“It’s almost like because of the (past) success, there’s that mindset (that) this team might be just fast-forwarding to the playoffs,” Veach said. “But it’s so hard to do, you can’t do that. And (if) you do that, you might not end up making the playoffs.”
So that Raiders game, Veach said, made for a “come-to-truth moment” that may not have been as effective if the Chiefs had snuck in a win and been lulled into thinking everything was fine.
The coaches met alone first, without any players, and decided to “make things easier for the players schematically,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said. So coaches shortened play calls to reduce the lengthy and complicated verbiage, reduced substitution patterns and made a concerted effort to get plays into Mahomes’ headset more promptly.
The decluttering helped diminish crucial pre-snap mistakes and clarify assignments, making for far crisper offense.
But the Chiefs have continued to play a more complementary style to take advantage of the breakthrough defense — traits that proved essential on the way to the monumental win on Sunday that stands for something more.
“Each one is more satisfying than the last,” Veach said the other day.
He was speaking of just getting to the Super Bowl, but the same doubtless applies to winning it.
So the Chiefs will revel in this for days, including at the parade on Wednesday. But soon they will be looking toward the future and another tier of possibility. No team ever has won three straight Super Bowls.
That in itself will be a fresh challenge, and the Chiefs will have to contend with some offseason question marks before they embark:
Will they be able to sign Chris Jones to a long-term deal after being unable to last offseason?
What if Travis Kelce were to retire — a prospect he has hinted at considering only to later walk back?
And might Reid, now 65, be pondering that despite the Chiefs’ brain trust saying they expect him to stay for years longer?
But that’s all for another day while we try to process and appreciate this momentous feat — all the more incredible considering the half-century of futility before.
Asked the other day if he ever steps back and thinks to himself how this all happened, Hunt immediately pointed to the hiring of Reid after the 2012 season as the day it all started to change.
Optimistic as he was then, he smiled and added, “I would be lying if I told you that (I thought) we would have this level of sustained success with him.”
Sustained enough already to call it the “D word” — a term that may need amplifying in the years to come.
This story was originally published February 11, 2024, 11:07 PM.
Related stories from Raleigh News & Observer
Vahe Gregorian has been a sports columnist for The Kansas City Star since 2013 after 25 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He has covered a wide spectrum of sports, including 10 Olympics. Vahe was an English major at the University of Pennsylvania and earned his master’s degree at Mizzou.
LAS VEGAS — Taylor Swift has made it to the Super Bowl. Over an hour before kickoff, Swift was spotted speaking with Philadelphia Eagles’ center Jason Kelce and later, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a private box at Allegiant Stadium.
Swift completed her epic trip from the Tokyo Dome to Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl on Sunday, walking through security along with friends Blake Lively, Ice Spice and her mom, Andrea Swift, to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers.
The 14-time Grammy-winner, who has been dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce since the first few weeks of the NFL season, flew across nine time zones and the international date line from her Eras Tour to arrive about two hours before kickoff.
In the middle of Post Malone’s performance of “America the Beautiful,” cameras cut to Swift and Lively holding each other and enjoying the performance. She danced when the Chiefs won the coin toss.
Swift walked in wearing a black outfit with a red jacket slung over her shoulder, apparently getting the memo from Kelce and many of the Chiefs. He wore a shimmering black suit, quarterback Patrick Mahomes wore a sharp black suit of his own, and even Chiefs coach Andy Reid wore a black blazer as the Chiefs leaned into the villain role in which they have been cast.
There has been plenty of Taylor Swift on the big screens of Allegiant Stadium, and during the last timeout, cameras caught her in a race to chug what appeared to be a beer in her suite.
Swift was the first to finish, and she triumphantly slammed the cup down as the video cut away to other fans. But not before an appreciative roar rippled through the stadium.
If only the Chiefs were able to move the ball as successfully as she downed her drink. Their offense has gone nowhere in the first half of their Super Bowl showdown with the 49ers.
“Anti-Hero” also happens to be the lead single from Swift’s Grammy-winning album, “Midnights.”
“She’s unbelievable. She’s rewriting the history books herself,” Kelce said after the Grammys last Sunday. “I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with hardware, too.”
Swift wrapped up the last of four shows in Japan on Saturday night, then hopped a private plane at Haneda Airport for a flight across the Pacific Ocean. She landed in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon – the time change worked in her favor – before Swift headed on to Las Vegas, where so many high-rollers had arrived that parking for private planes was entirely booked up.
Swift began dating Kelce after he said on his “New Heights” podcast that he had tried and failed to give her a friendship bracelet during her performance at Arrowhead Stadium. Kelce then invited her to watch him perform at the home of the Chiefs, and she surprisingly showed up for their Week 2 game against Chicago.
Swift soon became a regular at games, both home and away, frequently sitting with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Swift occasionally brought along friends, including Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
“Having Taylor as a new Chiefs fan is very unique,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told a small group of reporters. “I don’t ever do an interview without someone asking me about it. I think a lot of players and coaches on the team are in the same boat. The most important thing is we’re happy for the two of them that they have found each other and have such a special relationship.”
There was plenty of star power besides Swift for the NFL’s marquee night. Usher is performing the halftime show, and was rumored to have several guests planned, while Post Malone and Reba McEntire performed before the game.
Few were to be under a brighter spotlight than Swift, though. Her dash from the Tokyo Dome, where she promised fans that “we’re all gonna go on a great adventure,” had Swifties around the world watching online flight trackers, while her boyfriend seemed to get as many questions about his relationship as the game during the run-up to kickoff.
Asked to explain the intense interest, Kelce replied: “I think the values we stand for and just who we are as people – we love to shine light on others, shine light on the people that help and support us, and on top of that, I think we both just love life.”
Kelce and Swift won’t have a whole lot of time together, regardless of how the game plays out.
After winning a record-breaking fourth album of the year award at the Grammys for “Midnights,” announcing her next album will drop in April and attending the Super Bowl, Swift is due back across the Pacific later this week. The international leg of her Eras Tour resumes Friday night with the first of three shows at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“This week is truly the best kind of chaos,” she posted Wednesday on Instagram.
___
AP Music Writer Maria Sherman contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
LAS VEGAS — Taylor Swift has made it to the Super Bowl. Over an hour before kickoff, Swift was spotted speaking with Philadelphia Eagles’ center Jason Kelce and later, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in a private box at Allegiant Stadium.
Swift completed her epic trip from the Tokyo Dome to Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl on Sunday, walking through security along with friends Blake Lively, Ice Spice and her mom, Andrea Swift, to watch the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers.
The 14-time Grammy-winner, who has been dating Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce since the first few weeks of the NFL season, flew across nine time zones and the international date line from her Eras Tour to arrive about two hours before kickoff.
In the middle of Post Malone’s performance of “America the Beautiful,” cameras cut to Swift and Lively holding each other and enjoying the performance. She danced when the Chiefs won the coin toss.
Swift walked in wearing a black outfit with a red jacket slung over her shoulder, apparently getting the memo from Kelce and many of the Chiefs. He wore a shimmering black suit, quarterback Patrick Mahomes wore a sharp black suit of his own, and even Chiefs coach Andy Reid wore a black blazer as the Chiefs leaned into the villain role in which they have been cast.
There has been plenty of Taylor Swift on the big screens of Allegiant Stadium, and during the last timeout, cameras caught her in a race to chug what appeared to be a beer in her suite.
Swift was the first to finish, and she triumphantly slammed the cup down as the video cut away to other fans. But not before an appreciative roar rippled through the stadium.
If only the Chiefs were able to move the ball as successfully as she downed her drink. Their offense has gone nowhere in the first half of their Super Bowl showdown with the 49ers.
“Anti-Hero” also happens to be the lead single from Swift’s Grammy-winning album, “Midnights.”
“She’s unbelievable. She’s rewriting the history books herself,” Kelce said after the Grammys last Sunday. “I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with hardware, too.”
Swift wrapped up the last of four shows in Japan on Saturday night, then hopped a private plane at Haneda Airport for a flight across the Pacific Ocean. She landed in Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon – the time change worked in her favor – before Swift headed on to Las Vegas, where so many high-rollers had arrived that parking for private planes was entirely booked up.
Swift began dating Kelce after he said on his “New Heights” podcast that he had tried and failed to give her a friendship bracelet during her performance at Arrowhead Stadium. Kelce then invited her to watch him perform at the home of the Chiefs, and she surprisingly showed up for their Week 2 game against Chicago.
Swift soon became a regular at games, both home and away, frequently sitting with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Swift occasionally brought along friends, including Lively and Ryan Reynolds.
“Having Taylor as a new Chiefs fan is very unique,” Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told a small group of reporters. “I don’t ever do an interview without someone asking me about it. I think a lot of players and coaches on the team are in the same boat. The most important thing is we’re happy for the two of them that they have found each other and have such a special relationship.”
There was plenty of star power besides Swift for the NFL’s marquee night. Usher is performing the halftime show, and was rumored to have several guests planned, while Post Malone and Reba McEntire performed before the game.
Few were to be under a brighter spotlight than Swift, though. Her dash from the Tokyo Dome, where she promised fans that “we’re all gonna go on a great adventure,” had Swifties around the world watching online flight trackers, while her boyfriend seemed to get as many questions about his relationship as the game during the run-up to kickoff.
Asked to explain the intense interest, Kelce replied: “I think the values we stand for and just who we are as people – we love to shine light on others, shine light on the people that help and support us, and on top of that, I think we both just love life.”
Kelce and Swift won’t have a whole lot of time together, regardless of how the game plays out.
After winning a record-breaking fourth album of the year award at the Grammys for “Midnights,” announcing her next album will drop in April and attending the Super Bowl, Swift is due back across the Pacific later this week. The international leg of her Eras Tour resumes Friday night with the first of three shows at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
“This week is truly the best kind of chaos,” she posted Wednesday on Instagram.
___
AP Music Writer Maria Sherman contributed to this report from Los Angeles.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) is congratulated by quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) and tight end Noah Gray (83) after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter during the Kansas City Chiefs game versus the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game in January 2024.
Figuring how to watch the game can be about as tricky as deciphering Andy Reid’s playbook — not all streaming services that carry NFL football will carry today’s game. So instead of spending your time searching for answers to your Super Bowl-related questions (like how to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable), we’ve assembled all the information you need to watch the big game live.
Note: CBS Essentials and Paramount+ are both subsidiaries of Paramount.
What time does the Super Bowl start airing?
Super Bowl LVIII kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT) on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Expect some NFL-worthy fanfare, including country star Reba McEntire singing the national anthem and Post Malone’s version of “America the Beautiful” before kickoff. Also performing, singer Andra Day will sing hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
CBS and Paramount+ will offer seven hours of pregame coverage live from Las Vegas before kickoff.
What channel is the Super Bowl on this year?
The Super Bowl will broadcast live on CBS and stream on Paramount+. A more family-friendly version game will be simulcast on Nickelodeon, which you can also watch via Paramount+.
Paramount+ offers a free seven-day trial, which allows you to watch the Super Bowl for free while testing out the platform (new members only). You’ll be able to watch immediately on your mobile device or smart TV. Once the seven-day free trial has expired, you’ll be charged regular Paramount+ pricing ($5.99 per month for Paramount+ Essential or $11.99 per month for Paramount+ with Showtime). You can cancel at any time.
Fubo is a sports-centric streaming platform that gives subscribers access to a live feed of their local TV networks plus a wealth of popular cable TV channels. With a Fubo subscription, you can watch the CBS Super Bowl LVIII live feed without a cable subscription by signing up for the platform’s seven-day free trial. You can cancel anytime, or allow your free trial to rollover into a Fubo subscription starting at $80 per month.
The Super Bowl is is available to stream on Amazon Prime via a Paramount+ on Prime Video add-on subscription. Prime Video also carries some of the best sports docs, including “Kelce,” which documents Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce’s (assumed) last season in the league. Amazon is also offering a seven-day free trial of Paramount+. Tap the button below to start your trial and watch today’s game for free.
You can watch the Super Bowl with a digital HDTV antenna, which allows you to pull in your local CBS affiliate with no monthly charge.
All the ways to watch the Super Bowl 2024
In addition to the streamers listed above, the 2024 Super Bowl can be watched on the following paid streaming services.
Hulu + Live TV: If you want to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable and you still want access to your local network channels, Hulu + Live TV will carry the live CBS Super Bowl LVIII feed. You’ll also have access to Hulu’s extensive catalog of original and on-demand content, including “The Bear” and “Only Murderers In The Building.” A Disney+ and ESPN+ subscription are also included. Hulu + Live TV does not offer a free trial, but is much cheaper than a cable subscription at $77 per month.
NFL+: If you want to watch the Super Bowl on your phone, tablet or other mobile device, NFL+ gives you access to today’s game, plus you’ll be able to watch out-of-market NFL games next season. NFL+ is $6.99 per month. (Note that you cannot access NFL+ games on your TV.)
The Super Bowl is is available to stream on Amazon Prime via a Paramount+ on Prime Video channels add-on subscription. Prime Video also carries some of the best sports docs, including “Kelce,” which documents Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce’s (assumed) last season in the league.
Who’s performing at the NFL Super Bowl halftime show?
Eight-time Grammy Award winner Usher will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show for the first time in his career. The 45-year-old singing sensation previously appeared as a guest for the Super Bowl XLV halftime show, which was headlined by the Black Eyed Peas.
Usher told CBS News performing at the Super Bowl is a moment he’s waited for his entire life. The superstar was handpicked by Jay-Z, whose Roc Nation has executive produced the show since partnering with the NFL in 2019.
What is the Nickelodeon 2024 Super Bowl broadcast?
For the first time in history, the Super Bowl will be broadcast in two different formats. In addition to the CBS 2024 Super Bowl broadcast, the game will be simulcast on Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon’s family-friendly version of Super Bowl LVIII will feature virtual-reality graphics and Nick characters in the game broadcast. The kid-themed Super Bowl LVIII broadcast comes on the heels of “Nickmas”, the NFL’s Christmas Day broadcast on Nickelodeon during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders game.
You may not see Taylor Swift on the Nickelodeon Super Bowl 2024 broadcast, but fans can expect to see SpongeBob SquarePants at the game.
Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes during the NFC Championship game against the Detroit Lions at Levi’s Stadium on Jan. 28, 2024 in Santa Clara, CA. The 49ers defeated the Lions 34-31.
If you want to catch today’s game, there are a few ways to do it, with or without a cable TV subscription. To help you make sense of all your Super Bowl LVIII live streaming options, we’ve put together this guide with all the ways you can watch today’s game. Best of all, with some of these streamers, you can watch today’s Super Bowl for free.
Note: CBS Essentials and Paramount+ are both subsidiaries of Paramount.
When is the 2024 Super Bowl? Who’s playing?
Super Bowl LVIII will be played between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024 at 6:30 p.m ET (3:30 p.m. PT).
How to watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable for free
If you’ve cut the cord with your cable company, or your cable subscription doesn’t include CBS or Nickelodeon, you can still watch the 2024 Super Bowl via a streaming platform’s free trial.
You can stream Super Bowl LVIII and the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show today through a subscription to Paramount+. The streamer offers access to all NFL games locally and nationally televised on CBS on all its subscription tiers. You can watch top-tier soccer like the Champions League live and SEC college football games (with a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription) as well. All tiers of Paramount+ offer shows such as “1923,” “Survivor” and “NCIS” on demand.
The streamer offers a one-week free trial and allows you to cancel anytime. Sign up today, watch the 2024 Super Bowl and you’ll still have a few days left to watch Paramount+ content and decide if you want to keep your subscription or cancel. You won’t be charged until your seven-day free trial ends.
After the free trial period ends, a subscription to Paramount+ Essential is $5.99 per month. Bundle Paramount+ with Showtime for just $11.99 per month.
The Walmart+ shopping subscription service includes access to the Paramount+ Essential tier (catch all live NFL games airing on CBS and Super Bowl LVIII). Walmart+ subscribers also get discounts on gasoline at Mobil and Exxon stations, access to special members-only deals, same-day home delivery from your local store and more.
Walmart+ costs $98 per year. Tap the button below to learn all the benefits of Walmart+, and to start your 30-day free trial.
Why we like Walmart+:
Walmart+ members get access to this game through the Paramount+ streaming service, a $72 value.
You can get groceries delivered to your home quickly — sometimes same day — without paying Instacart-like markups.
Walmart+ members get early access to Walmart’s Black Friday deals.
You can make returns from home — Walmart will pick them up for you. (Restrictions apply; must be present for pickup.)
The Super Bowl is is available to stream on Amazon Prime via a Paramount+ on Prime Video add-on subscription. Prime Video also carries some of the best sports docs, including “Kelce,” which documents Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce’s (assumed) last season in the league.
Amazon is offering a seven-day free trial of Paramount+. Tap the button below to start your trial and watch today’s game for free. After the free trial period ends, a subscription to Paramount+ Essential is $5.99 per month, while the Paramount+ with Showtime tier is $11.99 per month.
You can watch the 2024 Super Bowl for free today on Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season. Packages include CBS, Fox (“NFL on Fox”), NBC (“Sunday Night Football”), ABC and ESPN (“Monday Night Football”), NFL Network and more, so you’ll be able to watch more than just the Super Bowl, all without a cable subscription.
To watch the 2024 Super Bowl without cable, start a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. In addition to NFL football, Fubo offers college football, NCAA March Madness, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games. Fubo Pro Tier is priced at $80 per month after your free seven-day trial.
Top features of Fubo Pro Tier:
There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
The Pro tier includes 188 channels, including NFL Network. (You’ll need to upgrade to Ultimate for NFL RedZone.)
Fubo includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS.
All tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
Stream on your TV, phone, tablet and other devices.
You can also watch the 2024 Super Bowl with an HDTV antenna. An HDTV antenna pulls in your local CBS affiliate (plus other networks, such as ABC, NBC, Fox and PBS, where available) without requiring a monthly fee.
One of the bestselling HDTV antennas on Amazon is the Gesobyte amplified digital TV antenna. It boasts a range of up 250 miles, with a short-range mode for when you’re within 35 miles of the broadcast tower. The antenna can be hung on a window or a wall, though it may take some experimentation to find the best location for your home.
The 4.3-star-rated antenna comes with a 18-foot coaxial cable so you can connect it to your TV. Get it at Amazon for $30.
What is the Nickelodeon 2024 Super Bowl broadcast?
For the first time in history, the Super Bowl will be broadcast in two different formats. In addition to the CBS 2024 Super Bowl broadcast, the game will be simulcast on Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon’s family-friendly version of Super Bowl LVIII will feature virtual-reality graphics and Nick characters in the game broadcast. The kid-themed Super Bowl LVIII broadcast comes on the heels of “Nickmas”, the NFL’s Christmas Day broadcast on Nickelodeon during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders game.
You may not see Taylor Swift on the Nickelodeon Super Bowl 2024 broadcast, but fans can expect to see SpongeBob SquarePants at the game. You’ll be able to watch the Nickelodeon Super Bowl LVIII live feed with either Paramount+ or Fubo.
Super Bowl Sunday timeline
Whether you watch the game on Paramount+ or Fubo or your local cable TV provider, you’ll be able to catch all the Super Bowl 2024 coverage, not just the big game. Keep reading to learn how and when to see Usher, Reba McEntire and Post Malone perform.
Super Bowl 2024 pregame coverage: CBS Sports will host seven hours of pre-game coverage on CBS and Paramount+ beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET.
11:30 a.m. ET, “NFL Slimetime”: hosts Nate Burelson and Young Dylan preview the game with NFL highlights, picks and interviews.
12:00 p.m. ET, “Road to the Super Bowl”: NFL Films’ annual sports doc takes a look back at the 2023-2024 NFL season. The one-hour film features more than 125 NFL players’ and coaches’ mic’d up moments leading up to Super Bowl LVIII.
1:00 p.m. ET, “You are Looking Live!”: The story of “The NFL Today” takes a look back on 50 years of NFL studio coverage, including interviews with surviving original cast members Brent Musburger and Jayne Kennedy, as well as current TV personalities.
2:00 p.m. ET, “The NFL Today”: Live from the Bellagio Hotel and Allegiant Stadium, fans will be treated to four hours of pregame coverage leading up to kickoff. Host James Brown will be joined by analysts Phil Simms, Bill Cowher, Nate Burleson, Boomer Esiason and JJ Watt, and lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones. Ian Eagle, Charles Davis, Matt Ryan and Jason McCourty will provide additional commentary, along with Kyle Brandt and more.
Super Bowl 2024 kickoff and game schedule: Starting at 6:30 p.m., the San Francisco 49ers face the Kansas City Chiefs, with musical performances by Reba McEntire, Post Malone and Andra Day just before kickoff.
6:10 p.m. ET (approximately): Live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV, Post Malone will sing “America the Beautiful”, followed by the national anthem sung by Reba McEntire. Singer Andra Day will also perform hymn “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” Actor Shaheem Sanchez will sign Day’s song as well as perform the ASL version of Usher’s halftime performance.
6:30 p.m. ET, Super Bowl LVIII begins: Jim Nantz and Tony Romo are scheduled to call the game, with reporters Tracy Wolfson, Evan Washburn and Jay Feely and rules analyst Gene Steratore. Armando Quintero and Benny Ricardo call the Network’s SAP coverage in Spanish.
2024 Super Bowl postgame coverage: When the game is over, the action continues with CBS’ postgame coverage, including the presentation of the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the winners.
9:30 p.m -10:00 p.m. ET (approximately), postgame coverage begins: “The NFL Today” team will recap the Super Bowl and Jim Nantz will present the Vince Lombardi Trophy to the winners of Super Bowl LVIII.
The NFL season reaches its finale Sunday in Las Vegas when Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers take on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium.
Live updates
Pre-game updates
Betting favorites (2 p.m.): We’re about two-and-a-half hours before kick-off is scheduled. The 49ers are slight favorites (-2) over the Chiefs, according to BetMGM.
Patrick Mahomes is the early favorite to win the game’s MVP award at +145 — meaning a $100 bet would win $145. He’s followed by 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (+230), San Francisco running back (and Colorado native) Christian McCaffrey (+450) and Taylor Swift’s main squeeze Travis Kelce (+1,200). — Joe Nguyen
Watch parties (1:55 p.m.): Are you a Chiefs or a 49ers fan and want to find others to cheer with today? Here’s a list of the watch parties hosted by the two fanbases’ Denver chapters. — Joe Nguyen
49ers-Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII: Must-reads
Many tried to stop Christian McCaffrey during his Colorado high school days. Few could. “He did whatever he wanted”
One moment, Blake Nelson had the perfect angle to stop a bubble screen for a loss near the sideline. The next, he was laying on the turf, subject to the full Christian McCaffrey Experience. That’s just one tableau of many from McCaffrey’s storied prep days at Valor Christian from 2010 to ’13 when the dynamic running back and Colorado native was the centerpiece of four straight state title teams.
As the San Francisco 49ers star prepares to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday’s Super Bowl, the players and coaches who tried to stop McCaffrey during his Colorado prep days now speak with reverence about the time they shared a field with the future All-Pro. For many, it represents a brush with athletic greatness they’ll never forget. For others, it stands as the most frustrating 48 minutes of their careers.
One thing just about all of them agree on: McCaffrey, at his best, was “untackleable,” Kyle Newman reports. Read the full story.
Keeler: Gary Kubiak on Kyle Shanahan, Christian McCaffrey, his sons and Broncos West in Super Bowl LVIII: “I miss football a lot, and this gets me a chance to stay in it”
While Mike Shanahan and Kubiak were pushing buttons and kicking tail for the Broncos and 49ers, a young Kyle, the Cherry Creek alum now coaching in his second Super Bowl with San Francisco in the last four years, got tasked with babysitting the Kubiak boys. Sometimes, things went … you know, sideways.
“Somebody told me the other day, ‘You know that you’ve been part of three world championships with Ed McCaffrey?’” the elder Kubiak said. “So, yeah, we have a lot of history together. And Christian was running around as a little kid back in those days. Life comes full circle, man.”
No kidding. Klint, the kid whose tighty-whiteys once dangled from said doorknob, is now Kyle’s offensive passing game specialist and, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the next offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints. Klay, that other young rapscallion, is Kyle’s assistant quarterbacks coach with the Niners. Flail and forgive, apparently, Sean Keeler writes. Read the full column.
The day is here it’s finally time for Super Bowl LVIII and the Usher half-time show and we’ve got your drink menu covered.
Super Bowl LVIII is going down tonight and once again the Kansas City Chiefs are close to securing another Lombardi trophy. Hopefully, the game isn’t a blowout and the 49ers have a solid plan to stop that from happening. On the bright side at least we get Usher at half-time which is sure to be a treat. While you’re watching the game from home you’ve got to have drinks. You know we’ve got a menu for you and your guests to enjoy while watching the game. We would say take a shot every time you see or hear Taylor Swift mentioned but we don’t want any hospital visits.
Method: Add ice to a wine glass and gently pour in Prosecco. Swirl in SKYY Infusions Watermelon, Aperol, and lemon juice. Top with a splash of soda water. Garnish with Mint bouquet + watermelon triangle (*optional*)
Source: Gran Coramino Cristalino / Gran Coramino
TASTES LIKE TEAM SPIRIT RECIPE
Ingredients: (for a pitcher)
750 ml bottle of Gran Coramino Cristalino
2 cups fresh lime juice
2 cups Cane Sugar
7 cups cold premium water
2 limes (covers Limeade base and 3 custom cup garnishes)
Source: The Bedford at Paris Las Vegas / The Bedford at Paris Las Vegas
“Kansas City Ice Water” From The Bedford at The Paris Las Vegas
Ingredients:
½ lemon (cut in half)
1 lime (cut into quarters)
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
1 ounce Belvedere vodka
1 ounce Hendricks gin
1 ounce Cointreau
4 ounces seltzer
1 wide strip lemon zest
1 wide strip lime zest
Method: Place lemon and lime pieces in a cocktail shaker. Add sugar. Muddle lime and lemon together. Add vodka, gin, and triple sec. Fill the shaker with 1 generous cup of ice, and shake until the outside of the shaker is very frosty and the mixture is very cold 30 to 40 shakes. Pour the contents of the shaker into a highball glass. Top with seltzer. Express zests over the drink, then rub the rim of the glass with zests. Skewer zests on a decorative pick. Garnish drink. Serve immediately.
Whew! Roommates, Nelly flew out to Las Vegas and got on his Chrisean Rock! The rapper checked in with his “baby” Ashanti via Instagram Live overnight on Sunday (Feb. 11). While on his way to a performance, he told the R&B singer that he lost his bottom tooth in Sin City!
“We on our way to Marquee, Super Bowl weekend,” Nelly said, revealing his nightclub booking. “Sh*t so motherf**king crazy, I done knocked my damn tooth out my mouth.”
Ashanti Was Screaming Laughing At His Toothless Look
From the looks of it, though, Ashanti already knew what was up because she was mid-laugh when she joined Nelly’s Instagram livestream.
Dressed in a baby blue top, matching eyeshadow, and silver hoop earrings, Ashanti got her laugh off while kicking it on a couch. Another woman in her company also got a couple of kikis in when she glanced at Nelly’s toothless image on the screen.
And here’s the part that had Ashanti extra weak: this isn’t the first time Nelly has lost the tooth! Apparently, she found it for him “last time” in Miami.
“Where are the spares,” Ashanti asked, saying she had some for him while screaming with laughter. When he asked her if she still loved him, the singer responded, “Of course.”
Her ultimate suggestion? Put in a “chicklet.”
See the hilarious interaction for yourself below.
More On Nelly & Ashanti’s Rekindled Romance
It’s unclear if Ashanti is also in Las Vegas, where NFL fans are just hours away from watching the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers go head-to-head in this year’s Super Bowl.
On Feb. 7, the singer was in New York performing at Adore Me’s show for New York Fashion Week, per Getty Images. Yesterday, she acknowledged the event on her Instagram page. Meanwhile, amid her kii with Nelly online, she shared footage of another performance in Fresno, California.
She could likely be joining her man in Vegas later today. However, the couple didn’t discuss their travel plans with their combined 12.3 million followers.
For those just catching up, Nelly and Ashanti spun the block for each other early last year! Rumblings of getting back together started in December 2022. But fans really began putting two-and-two together after they attended a boxing match together in April.
Months later, in September, Nelly seemingly confirmed they were back together. Within the same week, Ashanti rocked a clutch featuring a 2003 picture of them on the VMAs’ red carpet. In October, Nelly gifted Ashanti a diamond necklace for her 43rd birthday, and the following month, she gifted him a brand-new car for his 49th.
In December, US Weekly exclusively reported that the rekindled couple is expecting their first child together. However, neither Ashanti nor Nelly have confirmed or denied the news. Nonetheless, speculation about whether Ashanti is pregnant has continued online with her every pop-pout.
*Watch the above video to see NFL star and NE Ohio native Jason Kelce give Cleveland Heights some love*
LAS VEGAS (WJW) — Nevada is nearly 2,000 miles from Cleveland but NFL star Jason Kelce, who is in Las Vegas for Super Bowl week, has his hometown on his mind.
Jason is in Vegas today to root for his brother Travis who is playing in the big game with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers at 6:20 p.m.
The Kelce brothers are graduates of Cleveland Heights High School.
A NE Ohio native, Kate Stromberg, who is in Las Vegas just happened to cross paths with Jason and asked him to give a shout out to her dad Gary Stromberg who is a Cleveland Heights High School graduate from the class of 1968, and spent 31 years as FOX 8 News reporter.
Courtesy: Kate Stromberg
Jason not only agreed, as you’ll see in the video player at the top of this story, but he was rather enthusiastic about it!
*Gary Stromberg wrote a book about prominent graduates from Cleveland Heights High School and other inspiring grads. The book is titled ‘Every Tiger has a Tale’.
There’s something to be said about the heart of a champion. The Kansas City Chiefs have proven it time and again. So it will be hard to bet against the defending champions when they take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Chiefs’ 2024 season leading up to the Super Bowl
Kansas City had an up-and-down regular season but still won 11 games and captured the AFC West title for the eighth consecutive year. The Chiefs then went on the road in the playoffs, which many thought would lead to their undoing considering their relative lack of postseason experience away from the friendly confines of Arrowhead Stadium.
It turns out, it didn’t matter. Defense and timely performances from key offensive superstars played large roles in wins at Buffalo and Baltimore.
“We know nothing is going to be given to us. We’ve got an even bigger target on our back than we did last year,” Chiefs safety Justin Reid said last Saturday. “But as far as the mentality in the room, we’re working to continue this dynasty, and continue to build on what we did last year, not just rest on our laurels of what we did.”
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, celebrates with teammates defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) and quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore.
Emily Curiel/The Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Kansas City has positioned itself as the NFL’s gold standard in the post-Tom Brady era. Brady’s New England Patriots won six Super Bowls, tying them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most in NFL history. However, if the Chiefs can get the job done on Sunday night, they’ll be more than halfway to equaling that mark. And with a young superstar quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, a surefire Hall of Fame coach in Andy Reid, and a front office that always seems to retool the roster, there’s no reason to believe they won’t continue to be a perennial Super Bowl contender for the foreseeable future.
How many Super Bowls have the Chiefs won?
The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions and have won three total:
2023: Kansas City Chiefs def. Philadelphia Eagles 38-35
2020: Kansas City Chiefs def. San Francisco 49ers 31-20
1970: Kansas City Chiefs def. Minnesota Vikings 23-7
How many Super Bowls have the Chiefs appeared in?
This Sunday will mark Kansas City’s sixth trip to the Big Game and its fourth in the last five years, including a 31-20 victory over the 49ers in 2020 at Super Bowl LIV in Miami:
2024: Kansas City Chiefs v. San Francisco 49ers
2023: Kansas City Chiefs def. Philadelphia Eagles 38-35
2021: Tampa Bay Buccaneers def. Kansas City Chiefs 31-9
2020: Kansas City Chiefs def. San Francisco 49ers 31-20
1970: Kansas City Chiefs def. Minnesota Vikings 23-7
1967: Green Bay Packers def. Kansas City Chiefs 35-10
Here’s a look back at their championship game history:
The last Chiefs Super Bowl win, in detail
Feb. 12, 2023: A third ring for Kansas City —The Chiefs trailed the Philadelphia Eagles by 10 points at halftime and by six after three quarters of Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, but eventual MVP Mahomes threw two touchdown passes in the first 5:38 of the fourth to open an eight-point advantage. The Eagles tied the game with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that was capped by Jalen Hurts’ 2-yard run and subsequent two-point conversion plunge. Mahomes, however, got the ball back with plenty of time to spare and marched the Chiefs 66 yards before Harrison Butker booted a 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left, giving K.C. the 38-35 victory.
Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Super Bowl 2021
Feb. 7, 2021: A repeat wasn’t in the cards, thanks to Brady — Mahomes, star tight end Travis Kelce and the rest of an extremely talented group finished the regular season 14-2 and looked like a lock to become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the Patriots in 2004. But Brady and his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, had other ideas. The 43-year-old quarterback became the oldest player to win Super Bowl MVP, his record-breaking fifth, and the first to do it with two different franchises, as the Buccaneers cruised to a 31-9 victory at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Chiefs vs. San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl 2020
Feb. 2, 2020: Long wait ends with comeback win over 49ers — The Chiefs erased a 10-point deficit entering the fourth quarter with 21 unanswered points on their way to their second league championship and first in 50 years. Super Bowl LIV MVP Mahomes threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score. The title was the first for head coach Andy Reid, who has since gone on to join the short list of the greatest coaches in NFL history.
Chiefs vs. Minnesota Vikings at Super Bowl 1970
Jan. 11, 1970: Lessons learned and championship earned — Led by Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson and coach Hank Stram, the Chiefs defeated the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans. Dawson, who was named MVP, threw for 142 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs, like the New York Jets the year before, showed with relative ease that the upper-echelon teams from the AFL had come a long way in a very short time.
Chiefs vs. Green Bay Packers at Super Bowl 1967
Jan. 15, 1967: Chiefs no match for Bart Starr-led Packers — They will always be remembered as the first team to represent the AFL in the Super Bowl following the league’s merger with the NFL, but the game, itself, was anything but a celebration for the Chiefs. Kansas City hung around early and only trailed by four points at the half, but did not score over the last two quarters on its way to a humbling 35-10 loss. Coming into the game, many prognosticators believed that type of outcome was inevitable, given the strength of the more-established NFL representative. Green Bay’s Bart Starr threw for 250 yards and two touchdowns and was named MVP.
It’s an urban legend that’s been floating around social media for years.You’ve probably seen it: a photo of a construction worker proudly displaying a Kansas City Chiefs #ChiefsKingdom flag in front of the giant hole in the ground that would one day become Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.So, is there a hidden advantage at Allegiant for Super Bowl 58?That construction worker is Gerald Decosta.In 2017, he claimed to have buried that flag under the stadium while working on the project.With the Super Bowl in town, the story and post are resurfacing.So, is it real?Is there actually a Chiefs flag buried under Allegiant?We reached out to Decosta this week. His response?”A good magician never reveals his secrets.”He’s not confirming or denying whether the flag is there.With the most Las Vegas answer ever, Chiefs Kingdom is left to ponder, and maybe hope, that the Arrowhead West legend is real.
LAS VEGAS —
It’s an urban legend that’s been floating around social media for years.
You’ve probably seen it: a photo of a construction worker proudly displaying a Kansas City Chiefs #ChiefsKingdom flag in front of the giant hole in the ground that would one day become Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
So, is there a hidden advantage at Allegiant for Super Bowl 58?
That construction worker is Gerald Decosta.
In 2017, he claimed to have buried that flag under the stadium while working on the project.
With the Super Bowl in town, the story and post are resurfacing.
So, is it real?
Is there actually a Chiefs flag buried under Allegiant?
We reached out to Decosta this week. His response?
“A good magician never reveals his secrets.”
He’s not confirming or denying whether the flag is there.
With the most Las Vegas answer ever, Chiefs Kingdom is left to ponder, and maybe hope, that the Arrowhead West legend is real.
Harrison Butker has earned his reputation as one of the NFL’s great kickers. The two-time Super Bowl champion has made all 14 of his kicks in the Kansas City Chiefs’ postseason victories this season and has become as dependable in his art as Stephen Curry is at his.
But in a bit of great irony, it was a Butker missed field goal at last year’s Super Bowl that prompted an epiphany from Jason Cohen, a CBS Sports vice president of remote technical operations.
With 2:24 left in the opening quarter of Super Bowl LVII between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, Butker’s 42-yard field goal attempt smashed the top of the left upright at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. (Said Fox broadcaster Kevin Burkhardt in describing the play: “So a good drive ends with the ‘doink!’”)
It just so happened that Cohen and Mike Francis, a vice president of engineering and technology at CBS Sports, were sitting in the end zone where the kick was missed. As the sound of the miss reverberated in their section, Cohen and Francis looked at each other with excitement.
“The ball ricocheted off the pole and made this very loud sound — a ‘doink,’” Cohen recalled this week. “We looked at each other and I said, ‘We need a camera in the uprights.’”
Immediately after Butker’s miss, Cohen texted NFL’s senior director of broadcasting, Blake Jones, who was, well, working. He excitedly told Jones that he wanted to place a camera in the uprights at this year’s Super Bowl when CBS was airing the game. An amused Jones texted Cohen back immediately and said they should talk after the Super Bowl.
Months of planning and testing has produced a set of “doink” cameras for Sunday’s game. The CBS broadcast will feature six total 4K cameras that have been inserted into the Allegiant Stadium uprights of both end zones. Two of the cameras on each upright are positioned to face out to the field on a 45-degree angle. Another faces directly inward to get a side profile shot of the ball as it flies through. They have high-resolution zoom capabilities and super slow-motion replay capabilities. CBS will be able to get fantastic replays of any field goal or extra point, but the dream will be if someone hits the post for the doink.
“The doink camera isn’t just if it hits the upright,” said CBS Sports executive producer and executive vice president of production Harold Bryant. “If there is a field goal that’s tight, we have three different angles on each upright, so we can see it in three different positions.”
Immediately after he texted Jones, Cohen started digging around the internet and found a company, Sportsfield Specialities, that designs and manufactures sports construction equipment including football goalposts. He sent in a LinkedIn request during the game to the company’s director of sales. Cohen and his team ultimately spent months composing engineering drawings and schematics to make sure that the integrity of the uprights would not be compromised. Sportsfield helped CBS with the engineering of the pole and cutting holes. Cohen said Fletcher Sports, a speciality camera-capture company that often works with CBS Sports, designed the inserts that go into the uprights and figured out how to make the cameras fit.
The proof of concept initially came in a preseason game between the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Aug. 19 at MetLife Stadium. Cohen and his group consulted with kicking analyst Jay Feely to get his perspective on where he thought might be a good place for the cameras.
“We presented our ideas early enough on this where we had a preseason plan,” Cohen said. “The NFL had time to evaluate the plan, and then come back to us with their feedback after the preseason test.”
The next live test came at Allegiant Stadium in October for a Week 6 game between the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders. There had been plenty of trial and error to get to this point, but the doink cameras made their television debut for a successful kick.
Ryan Galvin, the lead replay producer for this year’s Super Bowl, explained how the process of a doink camera replay getting on the air would work in practical terms. At the Super Bowl, production specialist Amanda Smerage will run the machine that controls the six cameras from the uprights. They call it “DOINK” in the production truck. Steve McKee, who normally produces the team of Andrew Catalon, Matt Ryan and Tiki Barber but is working as a replay producer for this year’s Super Bowl, will monitor those cameras. He will alert Galvin if DOINK produces something memorable.
Doink Cam fits inside the uprights to give a unique view of field-goal and extra-point attempts. CBS will have three of them in each goalpost. (Courtesy of Jason Cohen)
Galvin, who has 60-something replay feeds at his disposal, ultimately has to decide what replays to use, including the doink cameras, in real-time throughout the game. Galvin loves the technology but is quick to point out that ultimately you have to produce the game in front of you and rely on the people around you.
“A brand-new look for the viewer can be tricky,” said Galvin, who will work his seventh Super Bowl. “Will it be slightly confusing? Can people ‘get it’ in six seconds? I’m not smart enough to answer that. I know that Jason Cohen and our entire operations team work incredibly hard to fill a toolbox of cameras and replay machines for our crew. My job is to get the best replay on the air when appropriate.”
Jones said that the NFL is always trying to identify the next broadcast innovation. For instance, pylon cam is now standard for major NFL games across all the broadcast partners. The Super Bowl often lends the opportunity to do something unique, and sometimes what debuts at a Super Bowl can become a standard in-game production.
Ultimately, such broadcast innovations are dictated by the networks because they are the ones that have to invest the budget and research and development. If the viewing public immediately falls in love with a certain camera, the NFL’s other media partners would certainly take notice.
“It used to be that sky cam was something you would only see at the big prime-time games,” Jones said. “Now that’s going into the more regular Sunday afternoon games. We’ll learn a lot after this week. In the end, these are network decisions that we’re supporting and facilitating rather than necessarily saying you have to have cameras X, Y, and Z. This one is a pretty unique use case, and you need a certain part of the game to happen a certain way to get that ‘wow’ factor. It’ll be interesting to see how it all plays out.”
“There is no history to go off of as to what is the perfect camera to catch the perfect doink,” Cohen said. “A part of this is going to be luck. Where will a ball possibly strike? What I’ll tell you is that we put cameras in different positions for the preseason game in August and the game in October where we looked at every possible angle, trying to see what the pros and cons were. … What we came up with is what we think are the right height, angle and wide-angle lens.”
A Doink Cam in place and ready to go inside a goalpost, with Plexiglass cover. (Courtesy of Jason Cohen)
Cohen said what testing revealed was it’s not just about the image of the football coming toward viewers, but viewers also needed to see the other goal post as a frame of reference to see if the ball went through or not. Sportsfield Specialities was able to get the cameras where CBS wanted them through custom fitting. There is a camera cylinder tube with a piece of unbreakable Plexiglass that gets slid into the pole through a back opening of the upright. “Think of it like there’s like a little door or a chamber in the back of the upright, and this little camera slot gets kind of inserted inward,” Cohen said. “Then a piece of Plexiglass that’s curved and gets pushed forward so that it’s completely flush with the rest of the upright.”
The doink cameras and proper wiring were placed inside the Allegiant Stadium uprights on Wednesday. Testing was scheduled for Thursday night, when the final field installation happens. There will also be a run-through on Friday. Cohen said he will be sitting in one of the CBS production trucks on Super Bowl Sunday with other CBS brass. He admits he’s rooting for a doink.
“Look, you never root for someone else’s misery, and I don’t want to put bad karma on the world and hope that field-goal kickers don’t do their job,” Cohen said. “But this is the kind of innovation that if someone hits the post and our cameras get a great look, it’s going to make us really feel happy about all of the work and effort we put into inventing this angle. So as they line up for kicks on Sunday, I’m definitely going to be holding my breath a bit.”
GO DEEPER
Super Bowl broadcast Q&A: Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson on the big game
(Top photo of a monitor showing the view from “Doink Cam” during a test at a preseason game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New York Jets: Courtesy of Jason Cohen)
Nicholas Cù has been on the fence about buying a ticket to see his beloved San Francisco 49ers play in the 2024 Super Bowl on Sunday.
The lifelong fan has attended every 49ers playoff game for the last two years, but ticket prices this year are unrivaled by any football game in history, going for an average of more than $12,000 on some resale sites last week.
With just two days left until the big game, Cù was unsure Friday if he’ll ever get to attend a Super Bowl in person.
Cù asked a Facebook group of other 49ers faithful in January for “tips on the best and most affordable way to buy Super Bowl tickets.” The more than 100 replies that flooded in were emblematic of a well-known truth about the big game: it’s almost impossible for an average fan — or even a well-heeled one — to make it to the Super Bowl.
Lifelong San Francisco 49ers fan Nicholas Cù celebrates his beloved team — but may never see them play in the Super Bowl in person due to high ticket prices.
Nicoline Cu
Face-value tickets, which are expensive to begin with, are rarely made available to the general public.
It didn’t used to be this way. But in the last few years, ticket industry experts say, a series of business decisions made by the NFL for distributing the coveted tickets shot prices through the roof — far out of the reach of most fans.
Impossible to afford, by design
“It’s just a complete mystery how to even possibly attend without remortgaging your house to afford tickets,” said Cù.
That’s by design, according to Stephen Shapiro, associate chair of the University of South Carolina’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management.
Some tickets are distributed to NFL teams, or sold at face value to players, coaches and others tied to the sport. Others are given to the league’s corporate sponsors and partners, such as CBS’ parent company, Paramount Global. (CBS is broadcasting the game; it will also air on Nickelodeon and stream on Paramount+.) Then another batch of tickets goes to an events company founded by the NFL in 2010 called On Location Experiences.
“There isn’t typically a general public opportunity,” Shapiro said. “Teams will have tickets that they can sell to season ticket holders, but even that’s a lottery system. And then between sponsors and hospitality and other corporate partnerships, tickets are pretty much spoken for.”
Driving costs up further is the size of the venue this year. Attendance at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium is expected to be about 60,000 — among the smallest in Super Bowl history. By comparison, nearly 68,000 fans attended the 2023 game in Glendale, Arizona, and about 70,000 the year before, in Inglewood, California.
Face-value tickets usually cost anywhere from $950 for a nosebleed seat to $9,500 to be just behind the teams, overlooking the 50-yard line. That’s a fraction of what Super Bowl tickets are selling for online.
Other buyers have to settle for secondary market sites like StubHub or SeatGeek; ticket brokers — people who buy and sell tickets for a living; or high-end packages from the NFL’s “Official Hospitality Partner,” On Location.
The packages on On Location’s website this week ranged from around $7,000 to more than $60,000.
The NFL did not respond to emailed questions. A spokesperson for On Location declined to comment.
The NFL investment vehicle with a stake in the game
Nearly a dozen ticket brokers, sports management experts, academics and attorneys contacted by CBS News said the current structure makes it challenging for fans to get access — and drives up the cost.
“How does a $4,500 ticket become a $14,000 ticket?” asked one frustrated ticket broker, who agreed to speak with CBS News on an anonymous basis because he still does business with the league.
“It’s greed, just greed,” he said.
He and others pointed to On Location, which is allotted at least 11,000 tickets each year, according to ticket brokers and other sources familiar with doing business with the NFL, as a culprit driving these astronomical prices.
Before On Location became a factor, ticket brokers sometimes sold Super Bowl seats for just a few hundred dollars over face value, and some were arranging flights and hotels for fans to attend.
“I was making, in many cases, $50 or $100 over the face ticket value, but I was happy,” another ticket broker told CBS News.
NFL executives started an equity fund in 2013 called 32 Equity to invest in companies and deals on behalf of the teams, according to PitchBook, which tracks venture capital investments. Forbes’ 24th Annual NFL Team Valuations reported the firm’s investments drove the average net worth of each of the 32 NFL teams to $3.48 billion, according to Global Corporate Venturing. Because it is a private fund, 32 Equity is not required to disclose its finances.
32 Equity has typically invested in companies that work with the league, including the NFL’s data provider Genius Sports, retired NFL star Tom Brady’s brand TB12, the athlete recovery device company Hyperice, and software companies Appetize, Skillz, and Strivr, reported Front Office Sports.
It invested in and acquired On Location in 2015, according to PitchBook. On Location sells its tickets as part of packages that can run tens of thousands of dollars, and include perks like unlimited food and drinks during the game, hotel accommodations, live pre-game entertainment and what the company describes as “bucket list experiences.” Hotel rooms and other amenities associated with the Super Bowl are booked months in advance, with the company setting high prices as a test to see what the market can bear, multiple sources familiar with the pricing strategy told CBS News.
One leading broker defended On Location’s pricing.
“They’re trying to price a product within a fair market value,” said Ken Solky, president of LasVegasTickets.com and former president of the National Association of Ticket Brokers. “It’s their party and their tickets.”
Fans enter Allegiant Stadium prior to the Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night on Feb. 5, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Columbia University professor of business Vicki Morwitz noted that ticket prices through resellers and brokers were dropping in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. She said these waves reflected the dynamic pricing model most ticket sellers use, in which prices go up and down based on demand. It’s a model that’s not always popular with customers, she said, pointing to complaints when high demand leads to high prices in other industries.
“Uber and Lyft let supply and demand decide everything about how a price is set, but in the eyes of the consumer, that economic reality of supply and demand doesn’t always match perceptions of fairness,” Morwitz said.
Shapiro, the sports marketing professor, said the guaranteed supply of tickets to sell, paired with blocks of hotel rooms and other amenities, creates “a competitive advantage for On Location,” which is now owned by the Endeavour Group — a multibillion-dollar global sports and entertainment company that NFL owners have a small minority stake in.
In January 2020, Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. acquired On Location in a $660 million deal, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The NFL’s equity fund retained 13.5% ownership of the company, according to an SEC filing.
Endeavour CEO Ariel Emanuel said in a statement at the time that the company would “advance the way consumers and brands think about money-can’t-buy experiences.”
In 2022, the NFL’s investment arm bought back its equity in On Location. Executives exercised an option to retake close to 40% equity in the company, marketing Super Bowl LVI as On Location’s “single largest hospitality event of all time,” according to an annual investor pamphlet in an SEC filing.
Two months later, On Location became a wholly owned subsidiary of the talent agency, which converted the NFL owners’ stake in On Location to a 1.5% ownership share of Endeavor. The agency reported $1.344 billion in revenue in the last quarter of 2023.
Bags of cash, and secondary market secret deals
The NFL’s control of the Super Bowl ticket market has repercussions in the secondary ticket market.
That players, coaches and other staff receive and sell tickets is something of an open secret, according to brokers who spoke with CBS News.
One ticket broker called a CBS News reporter while driving in New York City with $85,000 in cash in his car that he said was to purchase Super Bowl tickets from an NFL employee. CBS News agreed to anonymity so the ticket broker could provide details on how the brokering system works.
Brokers said they often acquire tickets from people who’ve received them at face value and elected to sell them for profit: players, coaches, event sponsors, agents or their clients.
Many of these deals are conducted in cash, and it’s “not uncommon to bring one million dollars in cash” to the Super Bowl city to purchase tickets, said the broker.
The NFL started to crack down on these sales as its own hold on ticket sales grew. Every year it notifies employees that they are prohibited from selling their tickets.
“Coaches are petrified,” said one ticket broker — and they’re selling less, some brokers said.
This change has also had the effect of raising the pricing, brokers said.
“Let’s just say inevitably tickets are going to move, the tickets are going to travel some road. And inevitably, some of them are going to end up in the hands of upstanding brokers like LasVegasTickets.com,” Solky said.
Shapiro said the image of NFL personnel cashing in on the game doesn’t jibe with the NFL’s fan-friendly marketing.
“From a public perception perspective, I don’t think it would look good for the league if individuals that are associated with the league buy the tickets at face value and are just reselling them to make an obscene profit,” Shapiro said.
Even with the “obscene” markup, Nicholas Cù said he was still thinking about pulling the trigger.
“I’m in a position in life where I potentially could afford to purchase these tickets to go, given how much it means. But it’s just so high for three hours of entertainment,” Cù said.
“It’s just a small percentage of people that have the means and the access,” said Shapiro. “We’re talking about the one-percenters that get to go.”
Graham Kates is an investigative reporter covering criminal justice, privacy issues and information security for CBS News Digital. Contact Graham at KatesG@cbsnews.com or grahamkates@protonmail.com
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) looks on during the Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night presented by Gatorade featuring the AFC Champions Kansas City Chiefs and the NFC Champions San Francisco 49ers on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
If you’ve cut the cord to your cable TV company, you’ll need a digital TV antenna or streaming subscription to watch the game on your TV. Not all streaming platforms, however, will broadcast Super Bowl LVIII.
To help you make sense of your Super Bowl streaming options, the experts at CBS Essentials have rounded up all your options for watching Sunday’s game. Read on to learn how you can stream the game for free.
Note: CBS News and Paramount+ are both subsidiaries of Paramount.
Stream the 2024 Super Bowl for free with Paramount+
Paramount+
Paramount+ gives you access to CBS original content, NFL football games airing on CBS and NCAA college football. Paramount+ is also the exclusive streaming home to Super Bowl LVIII.
Right now, Paramount+ is offering a seven-day free trial of the service to new subscribers. That means you can watch the 2024 Super Bowl for free. After the free trial period, you’ll pay $5.99 per month for the ad-supported Paramount+ Essential plan, or $11.99 per month for the ad-free Paramount+ with Showtime tier.
What you’ll get with Paramount+:
You’ll have access to all NFL games airing on CBS locally and nationally televised on all its subscription tiers.
Paramount+ has CBS programming, including hit shows like “Survivor,” “Young Sheldon” and “NCIS.”
Paramount+ has original programming like “1923,” “Lawmen Bass Reaves” and “Tulsa King.”
Paramount+ has professional soccer, including the Champions League live.
Paramount+ features SEC college football games (with a Paramount+ with Showtime subscription).
The Walmart+ shopping subscription service includes access to the Paramount+ Essential tier (with live NFL games and Super Bowl LVIII). Walmart+ subscribers also get discounts on gasoline at Mobil and Exxon stations, access to special members-only deals, same-day home delivery from your local store and more.
Walmart+ costs $98 per year. Tap the button below to learn all the benefits of Walmart+, and to start your 30-day free trial.
What you’ll get with Walmart+:
Walmart+ members get access to this game through the Paramount+ streaming service, a $72 value.
You can get groceries delivered to your home quickly — sometimes same day — without paying Instacart-like markups.
Walmart+ members get early access to Walmart’s Black Friday deals.
You can make returns from home — Walmart will pick them up for you. (Restrictions apply; must be present for pickup.)
If you’re new to streaming sports, you should know about Fubo. Fubo is a sports-centric streaming service that offers access to almost every NFL game of the season, your local TV affiliates, hundreds of cable TV channels and 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage. It’s the ultimate replacement for your costly cable TV subscription.
Start watching sports on Fubo just in time for the 2024 Super Bowl by starting a seven-day free trial of Fubo. You can begin watching immediately on your TV, phone, tablet or computer. Fubo starts at $80/month for the Pro tier (includes 188 channels).
What you’ll get with Fubo Pro Tier:
There are no contracts with Fubo — you can cancel at any time.
The Pro tier includes 188 channels, including NFL Network. (You’ll need to upgrade to the Ultimate tier for NFL RedZone.)
Fubo includes all the channels you’ll need to watch college and pro football, including CBS.
In addition to NFL football, Fubo offers MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer games.
All Fubo tiers come with 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR recording.
If you’ve completely cut cable and you’re looking to stream sports while still accessing local programming, Hulu + Live TVwill save you a bundle. You can watch programming aired locally on CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates, plus the NFL Network, NBA on TNT, Major League Baseball games and more.
You’ll be able to watch Super Bowl LVIII with Hulu + Live TV, which includes your local CBS affiliate. Hulu + Live TV comes bundled with ESPN+ and Disney+ for $77 per month.
What you’ll get with Hulu + Live TV:
You won’t need a cable subscription when you subscribe to Hulu + Live TV.
Watch top-tier sports like NFL football, the NBA on TNT and the 2024 MLB season with Hulu + Live TV.
Unlimited DVR storage is included.
You won’t need a clunky cable box with Hulu + Live TV.
If you want to watch Super Bowl LVIII on your phone or tablet, check out NFL+. You’ll get access to the 2024 Super Bowl on your mobile device, plus out-of-market NFL games next season. Or, boost your NFL experience and upgrade to NFL+ Premium with NFL RedZone and watch up to eight NFL games simultaneously next season.
The premium streaming service, which starts at $7 per month, offers access to the NFL Network. Start with a seven-day free trial, or take advantage of the NFL+ deal on an annual subscription, now 60% off.
Why you’ll get with NFL+:
You can watch the 2024 Super Bowl live on your phone or mobile device.
You get access to all NFL preseason games, including those that are out of market.
NFL+ lets you watch stream local and primetime regular season games on your phone or tablet, but not your TV.
NFL+ includes the NFL Network (and NFL RedZone with NFL+ Premium), so it’s a good option for those who are looking to stream football on the go.
How to stream the 2024 Super Bowl for free
If you’re looking to stream the 2024 Super Bowl, but aren’t sure if you want to commit to another streaming subscription, both Paramount+ and Fubo let you test drive the platform with a seven-day free trial. Neither platform requires a long-term contract, so you can cancel anytime.
Tap the buttons below to learn more about your free streaming options for Super Bowl LVIII.
