Category: NFL News

NEW ORLEANS — On paper, Super Bowl LIX is setting up to be one of the most evenly matched games of all-time. Even the oddsmakers are expecting a close game with the Kansas City Chiefs favored by just 1.5 points over the Philadelphia Eagles. 

When you have a game that’s expected to be close, there’s a good chance that it could come down to a field goal, which is exactly what happened the last time these two teams played each other in the NFL’s biggest game. In Super Bowl LVII, Harrison Butker hit a 27-yard field goal with just eight seconds left to give Kansas City a 38-35 win. 

Although Butker hit that kick, he did miss one earlier in the game and that’s because when it comes to kicking field goals in the Super Bowl, nothing is a given. The overall field goal percentage in Super Bowl history is just 75.4%. When you only look at attempts from 45 yards or longer, the percentage drops to 52.2, which essentially makes it a coin toss. 

The Super Bowl is a high-powered pressure cooker that has gotten the best of many kickers throughout history. There’s a fine line between famous and infamous for kickers at the Super Bowl. For every Adam Vinatieri, there’s a Scott Norwood. If you make a big kick, you’re a hero forever, but if you miss the kick, you go down in infamy. 

If this year’s Super Bowl comes down to a big kick, the Chiefs and Eagles will probably be feeling good about the guy they send out there. On the Eagles’ end, they have Jake Elliott, who is the fifth-most accurate kicker in NFL playoff history with a 95.7% hit rate. On the other hand, the Chiefs’ have Butker, who has hit 32 STRAIGHT postseason kicks, a stat that includes both extra points and field goals.

There are only 13 kickers in NFL history who have attempted at least 10 postseason field goals and made at least 90% of them and Butker and Elliott are both on that list. Basically, these are two of the most clutch…

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NEW ORLEANS — John Madden once said the biggest gap in sports was the difference between the winner and loser of the Super Bowl. And if you were comparing all of America’s most grandiose sports spectacles, the biggest gap is the one that exists between Super Bowl supremacy and anything else with the audacity to try and come close.

Sting called it “Americana at its most kitsch.” Paul McCartney once remarked, “There’s nothing bigger than being asked to perform at the Super Bowl.” Legendary New York ad executive Jerry Della Femina — the inspiration for the alpha-chauvinistic television drama “Mad Men” — dubbed it “Judgment Day,” adding “[P]oliticians have Election Day and Hollywood has the Oscars. Advertising has the Super Bowl.” Before the Nielsen ratings system existed, the most watched television show in the history of the planet was believed to be the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Now? The top 10 shows in history — and 19 of the top 20 — are all Super Bowls. And the NFL’s pie-in-the-sky hope is that Sunday can somehow break last year’s mammoth all-time record of 123.4 million average viewers. But that may take some serious hype and maybe even a little luck, with last year’s Super Bowl breaking the previous season’s record by a staggering 7.4 percent.

That number was helped in part by simulcasts on streaming platforms, but the biggest boost was that the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers went to overtime — giving the Super Bowl broadcasts an extra timeframe to draw in a larger audience. That said, a league source told Yahoo Sports this week that while the NFL has been conservative about projecting the possible size of Sunday’s audience (partially due to last season’s unexpected surprise spike in viewership), there’s an undercurrent of excitement over Fox’s decision to push the Super Bowl in 4K on its free (but ad supported) streaming channel Tubi, which has more than 97 million monthly active…

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In addition to being one of the top tight ends in NFL history, Travis Kelce is dating arguably the most famous person on the planet. That only stands to amplify interest in Super Bowl 59 on Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans. As one of the biggest stars of Super Bowl 2025, Travis Kelce props would already be among the most heavily exposed at online sportsbooks, but Swifties will ratchet up the popularity. The latest 2025 Super Bowl props offer odds on how many yards (over-under 60.5) and receptions (over-under 6.5) Kelce will have, but you can also bet on whether he’ll propose to Swift after the game.

The latest 2025 Super Bowl odds list Kansas City as a 1.5-point favorite, down a half-point from the opener, while the over/under is 48.5. How can you tie Travis Kelce props into your Super Bowl parlay picks or build winning NFL DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? See the latest odds, picks, props, and more here.

With hundreds of options to utilize in 2025 Super Bowl parlays, SportsLine’s advanced NFL model has done the hard work for you, simulating this matchup 10,000 times and finding the best picks for Eagles vs. Chiefs parlays and doling out Travis Kelce picks, while SportsLine’s experts have also revealed some of their favorite Super Bowl entertainment props. 

The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up well over $7,000 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception. The model enters the 2025 Super Bowl on a 31-15 betting hot streak on top-rated NFL picks this year, a stunning 67% success rate. Longer term, it is on a 211-143 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season and a 65-36 roll on top-rated NFL picks since Week 7 of 2022.

The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past six years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94% of CBS…

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We’re big on transparency in these parts, because the lack of it causes people to wonder what’s really going on behind the curtain.

Last year, I posted my full AP awards ballot, which went five deep at MVP and three for all other awards. My 2024 ballot, which now has five names for each award, appears below.

MVP

1. Lamar Jackson, Ravens.
2. Josh Allen, Bills (WINNER).
3. Saquon Barkley, Eagles.
4. Jared Goff, Lions.
5. Joe Burrow, Bengals.

COACH OF THE YEAR

1. Dan Campbell, Lions.
2. Kevin O’Connell, Vikings (WINNER).
3. Sean Payton, Broncos.
4. Andy Reid, Chiefs.
5. Dan Quinn, Commanders.

ASSISTANT COACH OF THE YEAR

1. Ben Johnson, Lions (WINNER).
2. Brian Flores, Vikings.
3. Todd Monken, Ravens.
4. Joe Brady, Bills.
5. Aaron Glenn, Lions.

COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. Joe Burrow, Bengals (WINNER).
2. Damar Hamlin, Bills.
3. Sam Darnold, Vikings.
4. J.K. Dobbins, Chargers.
5. Christian Gonzalez, Patriots.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. Pat Surtain II, Broncos (WINNER).
2. T.J. Watt, Steelers.
3. Myles Garrett, Browns.
4. Trey Hendrickson, Bengals.
5. Kerby Joseph, Lions.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

1. Saquon Barkley, Eagles (WINNER).
2. Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals.
3. Lamar Jackson, Bengals.
4. Joe Burrow, Bengals.
5. Derrick Henry, Ravens.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. Jared Verse, Rams (WINNER).
2. Braden Fiske, Rams.
3. Quinyon Mitchell, Eagles.
4. Cooper DeJean, Eagles.
5. Edgerrin Cooper, Packers.

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

1. Jayden Daniels, Commanders (WINNER).
2. Brock Bowers, Raiders.
3. Bo Nix, Broncos.
4. Brian Thomas Jr., Jaguars.
5. Malik Nabers, Giants.

Each of the 50 AP voters should do the same. If you’re going to accept the opportunity to have a voice in these awards, you have an obligation to let the world know how you used it.

And that includes Raiders minority owner/FOX broadcaster/AP voter Tom Brady — especially since it would be nice to know who cast the first-place ballot for Brock Bowers that kept Daniels from winning the offensive rookie of the year award unanimously.

Moving…

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One of the major non-football storylines that centers around the Super Bowl is the halftime show. These days, the halftime show is one of the most exciting performances of the year and is headlined by some of the biggest artists of all time. 

In 2024, Usher took the stage in Las Vegas. In 2023, Rihanna took the stage at State Farm Stadium during Super Bowl LVII. Before that, five performers took the stage for Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles, California: Eminem, Dr. Dre. Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige performed halfway through the Rams win over the Bengals. Just a few years after that performance, Kendrick Lamar is once again hitting the Super Bowl stage, this time as a headliner. 

The NFL, Roc Nation and Apple Music announced ahead of Sunday’s Week 1 games that the 17-time Grammy winner will be this year’s performer. SZA was announced as the special guest a few weeks before the big game. 

Usher headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show in Las Vegas in 2024.

Ranking 10 most iconic Super Bowl halftime performances of all-time: Most memorable moments from the big game

Shanna McCarriston

For the artists who play the halftime show at the Super Bowl, they’re entertaining an audience that is exponentially bigger than any they’ve ever encountered. It was not always like that however. 

So, what were the shows like before they were must-see television? Do you remember that killer halftime show featuring the Rockettes, Chubby Checker and the 88 grand pianos in 1988? Do you remember the captivating “Be Bop Bamboozled” at the Orange Bowl in 1989? No, no you do not. Ditto Carol Channing (twice) or any one of those four annoyingly contrived Up With People…

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[Reuters]

Harrison Butker’s field goal proved decisive in Super Bowl 57 two years ago, giving the Kansas City Chiefs a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Donald Trump confirmed as a guest for the rematch this Sunday, BBC Sport asked the Chiefs kicker what it will be like playing in front of the US president knowing that the game could again come down to one of his kicks.

“It’s exciting,” said Butker. “I remember the first Super Bowl I played in, I saw all these celebrities – Jay Z and Beyonce on the sideline, David Beckham up in the stands.

“You know all of these celebrities watch the game on TV but – at least to my knowledge – they’re not at Arrowhead Stadium watching our game. To see them in person is pretty cool, and to know that President Trump is going to be there is an honour, and I’m looking forward to playing in front of him.

“I try to make practice as pressure-packed as possible. I think that gives me a lot of confidence going into the game, knowing that I’ve practiced it over and over.

“Even though President Trump and different celebrities will physically be at the game, I know they’re watching on TV normally so once the game starts for the Super Bowl, you have to forget about that and focus on what you can control.

“You can’t worry about the people that are watching because that’s not going to help you have success on the field.”

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Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz is at Super Bowl LIX Radio Row and joined by New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez who discusses game day rituals, the biggest adjustment from college to NFL and more.

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Video Transcript

We are hanging out with Patriots defensive back Christian Gonzalez.

Christian, you’re joining us on behalf of Toyota.

We’ll get to that in just a second, but first we get to play a game, right?

This is Yahoo’s favorite game.

What’s in the cards, but there’s a spin this year.

It’s what’s in the tarot cards.

OK, so I’m, I’m gonna deal 3 cards face down.

You’ll pick any one of them.

I’ll flip it over, and depending on the card that comes up, I have a question that matches it.

Are you ready?

Right, so I’m dealing 3 out.

I have not shuffled these.

We don’t know what they’re gonna be.

You get to pick anyone you want.

What you got?

Let’s go middle now.

He has no one card that he picks too.

This is interesting.

You got the hermit which has Aaron Rodgers on the card.

It’s a, it’s a traditionally, right, so the hermit is self-reflection.

What’s been the biggest adjustment for you going from college to being a pro?

I would say like the time the time um management um I mean it’s all football now it’s all wake up, go to the facility.

Practice work out and then I mean you have a lot of like.

We have a good amount of time more than people think, um.

So really just still staying focused on when you go home, you know, take a little like a little break from football you know you don’t wanna get overwhelmed but you still gotta study and and watch a lot of film at home, not just in the building.

So how much easier did that make year two for you having that adjustment versus year one?

I think what helped me honestly was my injury getting hurt in my rookie year um I obviously couldn’t play physically um so I had to learn a lot more about the game like mentally more than I knew so um.

You know it was a blessing in disguise for real.

When you get back on the field after an injury like…

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The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year could soon be on the move. On Monday, star pass rusher Myles Garrett made it known he requested a trade from the Cleveland Browns, the franchise he has spent his entire career with since he was the No. 1 overall pick at the 2017 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. 

Naturally, given Garrett’s standing in the league as one of the best defensive players it has to offer, this news set the NFL ablaze with various folks musing about where the 29-year-old could ultimately end up. What’s just as interesting as where Garrett could go in the next chapter of his career, however, is how much he’ll fetch on the trade market. 

Back at the Senior Bowl and prior to Garrett going public with his trade request, Browns general manager Andrew Berry emphasized that he would not trade his star edge rusher, not even if a franchise offered two first-round picks. Of course, a lot has changed between then and now, so it will be interesting to see if Berry will stick to his guns on the two first-rounder (and more) price tag, especially considering that every GM in…

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