2023 Super Bowl cheat sheet for Chiefs-Eagles: Start time, TV, picks and everything else you’ll need to know
2 years ago
Chiefs #Chiefs
IT’S FINALLY HERE! HAPPY SUPER BOWL SUNDAY EVERYONE!
Since you’re probably going to have several hours to burn between now and the start of Super Bowl LVII, I thought it made sense to shoot out a newsletter today that will give you enough reading material to last until kickoff, and if it doesn’t last you until kickoff, then I suggest taking a 30-minute break and then reading it again.
I know I’ve already mentioned this 19 times this week, but I’ll mention it once more: I’ll be at the game today and if you want to see what kind of Super Bowl shenanigans I’ll be getting into, be sure to follow along on Twitter or Instagram, I promise to keep sharing photos until my phone dies or until it gets confiscated and I’m not going to say which one is more likely to happen.
Remember, this is a Super Bowl newsletter, so there will only be Super Bowl news coming at you. Finally, if you’re hanging out with family and/or friends today, please tell them all to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here and then share this link with them.
1. How to watch the Super Bowl
If it’s Super Bowl Sunday, that means you know you’ll be getting a marathon amount of NFL coverage and this year is no different. The game will be airing on Fox and that network will be kicking off their coverage at 11 a.m. ET.
The notable thing about Fox is that the network will be going into the game with a pair of announcers who have never called a Super Bowl before. The past six times the Super Bowl has been on Fox, the announcers were Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, but those two departed for ESPN in 2022, so Fox will have a new team this year.
Here’s a look at that team:
Play-by-Play: Kevin Burkhardt
Color Commentator: Greg Olsen
Fox will also have Tom Rinaldi and Erin Andrews as its sideline reporters along with rules official Mike Pereira. The big question about Fox’s coverage is whether Tom Brady will be show up at all today. The retired quarterback has a 10-year, $375 million deal with Fox, but he has said he doesn’t plan on joining the network until 2024. That being said, you have to think that Fox would love to get him on at some point during its seven and a half hours of pregame coverage, even if it’s just to spend five minutes breaking down the game.
Here’s how you can watch Super Bowl LVI:
Date: Sunday, Feb. 12Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ETLocation: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)TV: FOX | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)Odds: Eagles -1.5, O/U 51
Although the game won’t be airing on CBS, we will have plenty of coverage for you, especially leading up to kickoff. If you love to spend Super Bowl Sunday watching as much pregame coverage as possible, we’ll have you covered.
Here’s the schedule for our streaming coverage on CBS Sports HQ, which will be running nearly all day (You can click here to watch):
Live pre-game coverage begins: 3 p.m. ET
Pre-game hosts: Chris Hassel and Tommy Tran
Pre-game analysts: Jonathan Jones, Bryant McFadden, Danny Kanell, Pete Prisco, Josina Anderson and Rick Spielman. There will also be gambling analysis from SportsLine’s Erik Kuselias, Todd Fuhrman and Kenny White.
Live postgame coverage begins: Immediately after the game and runs until midnight
As I already mentioned, I’ll also be at the game and because I like to stay busy, I’ll be providing pictures and commentary on social media along with several stories for CBSSports.com.
Finally, if you’re wondering what the entertainment is going to look like today, here’s your lineup:
The halftime show could have a slightly different feel this year and that’s because Pepsi won’t be sponsoring it for the first time since 2012. Instead, Apple Music will be the presenting sponsor, which is a sponsorship that would seem to make a lot more sense.
2. Everything you need to know about the Chiefs
Not surprisingly, there will be a lot of focus on Kansas City’s coach and quarterback today. When he takes the field today, Patrick Mahomes will become the youngest QB in NFL history to start in three different Super Bowls.
As for Andy Reid, he’ll likely be extra motivated to win and that’s because he’ll be facing the team that fired him in 2012. During his 14 seasons in Philly, Reid took the Eagles to five conference title games and a Super Bowl. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said this week that firing Reid was “extremely difficult.” If you want to check out his full comments, then head here.
If the Chiefs win today, we can be watching a budding dynasty as it would give them their second Super Bowl win in four years to go along with the fact that this is their third Super Bowl appearance in four years.
Anyway, here’s everything else you need to know about the Chiefs heading into today’s game.
Chiefs’ injury report: Chiefs owner Clark Hunt admitted that Patrick Mahomes likely won’t be 100% in this game, but he’s definitely going to be playing today, which means the Chiefs are going to be at full strength for Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs are so healthy that no player was given an injury designation.
Reid not the only one going for revenge. Andy Reid actually has TWELVE assistants on his coaching staff who either played for him or served as an assistant coach for him in Philadelphia (Full list here), which means there will be a lot of people on Kansas City’s sideline today who would love to get revenge on the Eagles.
X-factors that could help the Chiefs win: If the Chiefs are going to win their third Super Bowl, they’re going to need a huge performance from a young secondary that’s going to be tested by DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown. That’s one of multiple X-factors that Jared Dubin has pinpointed for today’s game and to check out the rest of them, be sure to click here. We also explained why Isiah Pacheco could be an X-factor today and you can check that out here.
How the Chiefs were built: If you’re wondering how the Chiefs roster was built, we covered that here. One interesting thing about the Chiefs is that they only rank in the top-10 in spending at three different position groups: Quarterback, tight end and defensive line. Outside of that, the Chefs have done a good job of drafting or finding bargains in free agency.
Under-the-radar moves for the Chiefs: One reason the Chiefs have been able to sustain success is because of how well they’ve been drafting. Specifically, they hit a home run on Day 2 and 3 of the 2021 NFL Draft by landing Creed Humphrey, Nick Bolton, Noah Gray, and Trey Smith. We documented some other under-the-radar moves that helped them get to the Super Bowl and you can check that out by clicking here.
Chiefs’ Super Bowl history: The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the third time in four years and fifth time overall. The Chiefs actually played in the first Super Bowl back in January 1967 when they lost to the Packers 35-10. Although they lost that game, they managed to get back three years later during a season that ended with a Super Bowl IV win over the Vikings. To read about all five of their trips, be sure to click here.
Chiefs trying to join impressive list: If the Chiefs win today, they’d become just the 10th team in NFL history with three or more Super Bowl wins. A third Super Bowl win would put them in a tie with the Broncos, Raiders and Washington.
Chiefs set to hit free agency. As far as free agency goes, the Chiefs will have a few things to get figured out as soon as the Super Bowl ends with several key players set to hit free agency, including: LT Orlando Brown, RT Andrew Wylie, WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR Mecole Hardman, WR Justin Watson, RB Jerick McKinnon, S Juan Thornhill and DE Carlos Dunlap. We actually ranked the top players from the game who are set to be free agents and you can check that out here.
For more Chiefs news, you can check out our team hub by clicking here.
3. Everything you need to know about the Eagles
After going winless in the first 51 years of the Super Bowl, the Eagles are now trying to win their second title in five years. Although this is being billed as a revenge game for Andy Reid, it’s also a revenge game for Nick Sirianni. The Eagles coach spent four seasons on Kansas City’s coaching staff (2009-12), but got let go by REID after Reid was hired as Kansas City’s head coach in 2013.
Anyway, here’s everything else you need to know about the Eagles heading into today’s game.
Eagles injury report: The Eagles had 14 players listed on their injury report this week, but only one has been given an injury designation and that’s Britain Covey, who has been listed as questionable. Other than that, the Eagles are good to go for today.
Eagles set to make punting change for Super Bowl. It’s not often you see a team make a major move involving a starter the day before the Super Bowl, but the Eagles did that on Saturday. The Eagles activated punter Arryn Siposs from injured reserve, which almost certainly mean he’ll be the starting punter today. Ross injured his ankle against the Giants in Week 14 (Dec. 11) and hadn’t played since. Siposs will be getting his job back from Brett Kern, who had been Philly’s punter for the past two months. Siposs averaged 45.6 yards per punt this year, which was more than three yards better than Kern (42.2).
X-factors that could help the Eagles win: If the Eagles are going to win, they’re likely going to have to figure out a way to stop Travis Kelce. To make that happen, they’re going to need a big game from their linebackers and safeties. That’s one of multiple X-factors that Jared Dubin has pinpointed for the Eagles today and to check out the rest of them, be sure to click here.
Under-the-Radar moves for Eagles: Since winning the Super Bowl five years ago, the Eagles have totally revamped their roster and the strategy has actually worked. If the Eagles win today, they’ll become just the second team in NFL history to win two Super Bowls in a six-year span with a different head coach and different QB in those two wins (The 1976 through 1980 Raiders are the other team). If you’re wondering how the Eagles were able to build a Super Bowl contender so quickly, you should check out this list of under-the-radar-moves that they’ve made over the past 12 months.
Eagles drama in lead up to Super Bowl. Although Super Bowl week has been pretty quiet, the Eagles did deal with some drama after the NFC title game when Josh Sills got indicted on rape and kidnapping charges by a grand jury in Ohio. Sills was placed on the commissioner’s exempt list shortly after that and will not be playing today. You can head here for more details on that story.
Eagles could lose Jonathan Gannon. Although Philly’s defensive coordinator said he would be returning in 2023, that’s not guaranteed anymore. According to ESPN, Gannon plans to interview for the Cardinals head coaching job this week and it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he eventually lands the job.
Eagles Super Bowl history: The Eagles are in the Super Bowl for the fourth time and they’ll be hoping this game goes like their last trip when they beat the Patriots 41-33 One quirk about the Eagles is that they’ve made their four Super Bowl trips with four different head coaches. If you want to take a longer look at the Eagles’ Super Bowl history, be sure to click here.
Eagles set to hit free agency. The Eagles are going to have some major questions to answer after the Super Bowl and that’s because several players are set to become free agents, including: RB Miles Sanders, RB Boston Scott, OT Andre Dillard, DT Javon Hargrave, DT Linval Joseph, DT Fletcher Cox, DT Ndamukong Suh, DE Robert Quinn, DB Chauncey Gardner Johnson, DB James Bradberry, LB Kyzir White and S Marcus Epps. We actually ranked the top players from the game who are set to be free agents and you can check that out here.
For more Eagles news, you can check out our team hub by clicking here.
4. Super Bowl LVII picks
I’ve been sharing Super Bowl picks with you from every CBS Sports writer over the past two weeks, but since there’s a 100% chance that you don’t actually remember any of those specific picks, I’m going to rehash everyone’s pick here and since I write this newsletter, it only makes sense that I would give my pick top billing.
I am rolling with the underdog and taking the CHIEFS to win 27-24.
Although the point spread fluctuated wildly in the first 24 hours after it was released, it hasn’t done much moving over the past 10 days and the Eagles are currently favored by 1.5 points.
Our stable of writers clearly can’t decide who’s going to win because the 14 of us are SPLIT down the middle: Dave Richard: Eagles 24-17 over ChiefsTyler Sullivan: Eagles 27-23 over Chiefs (Full pick)Cody Benjamin: Eagles 28-26 over Chiefs (Full pick)Jeff Kerr: Eagles 27-24 over Chiefs (Full pick)R.J. White: Eagles to win and cover over Chiefs (Full pick)Will Brinson: Eagles to win and cover over ChiefsJason La Canfora: Eagles to win and cover over Chiefs
Here is everyone who’s taking the Chiefs: John Breech: Chiefs 27-24 over Eagles (Full pick)Pete Prisco: Chiefs 33-30 over Eagles (Full pick)Jordan Dajani: Chiefs 27-24 over Eagles (Full pick) Jared Dubin: Chiefs 26-24 over Eagles (Full pick)Jamey Eisenberg: Chiefs 31-27 over EaglesRyan Wilson: Chiefs 28-27 over EaglesBryan DeArdo: Chiefs 27-20 over Eagles
You can check out our full picks hub for the Super Bowl by clicking here.
If you plan on gambling on the game, here are my six favorite props, and in news that probably won’t surprise you, two of them are kicker props (all odds via Caesars Sportsbook):
1. Game to be tied after 0-0 (-130): This prop has hit in five of the past eight Super Bowls and I’m thinking it’s going to hit again tonight. 2. Total players with a pass attempt: OVER 2.5 (+110): This one is pretty simple; if you think a player besides the two quarterbacks will throw a pass, then you bet this prop. The pass doesn’t even have to be complete, it just has to be thrown. I think we’ll see at least one trick play and this prop will hit (This prop could also hit if one of the quarterbacks takes a big hit and has to leave the game for a play or two, leaving the backup QB to throw a pass). 3. Chiefs call first timeout of game (-155): The Chiefs called the first timeout in 15 of the 19 games they played this year and I don’t think the Super Bowl will be any different. Andy Reid has no issue spending timeouts in the first half. If the play clock gets low or if the Chiefs have trouble getting a play in, Reid will gladly call a timeout.4. Team with shortest field goal: Chiefs (-115). Harrison Butker had seven field goals of under 30 yards this year and I think we’ll see another short one in the Super Bowl. Also, I feel like Nick Sirianni likes to gamble a little bit more, so I think he’d be more inclined to go for it rather than kick a short field goal.5. Isiah Pacheco rushing and receiving yards OVER 68.5 (-108). He’s gone way over this total in both playoff games and I think we’re going to see more of the same. The Eagles have a great pass rush and one way to beat that is with screens. And it won’t be surprising if we see Mahomes checking down to Pacheco a few times, so I think he could put up a big receiving total that will help him hit this prop.6. First scoring play: Chiefs field goal (+380). If the Chiefs get the ball first, I think they’re going to drive down and score. If the Eagles get the ball first, I think we’re going to see the Super Bowl jitters and they’ll have to punt, which will set things up for Kansas City to get the first score no matter what. I love the value of the field goal at +380, so I’m grabbing it. Also, in the past two Chiefs Super Bowls, a field goal has been the first points scored.
For more props, be sure to click here so you can check out our monstrous prop guide, which might be the most comprehensive thing that I’ve ever read. We also have a list of the 57 best props for Super Bowl LVII and you can check that out here.
If you’re looking to bet props, those two stories should cover everything you could possibly think of.
5. 15 wild facts to know about Super Bowl LVI
I was going to do 57 facts to know about Super Bowl LVII here, but that probably would have taken me three days to write and since the Super Bowl kicks off in just a few hours, that math didn’t add up, so I did what any resourceful person would do: I trimmed it down to 15 facts.
Andy Reid will become the fifth coach to face his former team in the Super Bowl, joining Pete Carroll, Jon Gruden, Dan Reeves and Weeb Ewbank. If Reid wins, he’ll become the first head coach to beat a team in the Super Bowl that he also led to the big game (Reid got the Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2004).
This game will mark the first time since the 1983 season that the Super Bowl featured two teams that have both won a Lombardi Trophy over the past five years. The last time that happened came in Super Bowl XVIII when the Raiders played Washington (The Raiders won that game 38-9).
Jason and Travis Kelce will become the first set of brothers to play against each other in a Super Bowl. However, they won’t be the first set of brothers to share a field in a Super Bowl. Jim and John Harbaugh coached against each other in Super Bowl XLVII when the 49ers played the Ravens. Also, the McCourty brothers — Jason and Devin — were on the same New England team in Super Bowl LIII, which ended with the Patriots beating the Rams 13-3.
This game will mark the seventh time in NFL history that the top-scoring team in the AFC has played the top-scoring team in the NFC with each conference winning three of the first six games. The last time it happened came in Super Bowl LI when the Patriots beat the Falcons. Before that, it hadn’t happened since Super Bowl XXXIII when the Broncos beat the Packers. The AFC and NFC have each won three of the previous six games.
This will be just the second Super Bowl in NFL history where the team with the most passing touchdowns (Chiefs) is facing the team that led the league in rushing touchdowns (Eagles). The only other time it happened came in Super Bowl XXVI when the team with the most rushing touchdowns (Washington) beat the team with the most passing touchdowns (Buffalo) 37-24.
That last stat might have been good news for the Eagles, but this one isn’t: Since 2000, the team that led the NFL in rushing touchdowns has made it to the Super Bowl five times and they’ve gone 0-5 in those games (2001 Rams, 2005 Seahawks, 2014 Seahawks, 2015 Panthers, 2019 49ers).
This game will mark the eighth time that the Super Bowl has featured two No. 1 seeds. In the previous seven games, the NFC’s No. 1 seed has gone 5-2.
This game will mark the eighth time that the Super Bowl has featured the first-team All-Pro QB (Patrick Mahomes) facing the second-team All-Pro QB (Jalen Hurts). The twist here is that the second-team All-Pro QB has gone 6-0 in the previous six games. The last time it happened came in Super Bowl LI with second-team QB Tom Brady beating first-team QB Matt Ryan.
No quarterback in NFL history has ever led the league in passing AND won the Super Bowl in the same year, which we’re only mentioning because Patrick Mahomes led the NFL in passing this year. The Chiefs QB can end the 56-year drought with a win against the Eagles.
If the Chiefs beat the Eagles, Patrick Mahomes will also be breaking the MVP curse. Since the 2000 season, we’ve seen nine MVPs play in the Super Bowl and they’ve gone 0-9. The last player to win an MVP and win the Super Bowl in the same season was Kurt Warner, who led the Rams to a win in Super Bowl XXXIV.
With a Chiefs win, Andy Reid will become just the fourth head coach in NFL history to win at least 200 regular season games AND multiple Super Bowls. Bill Belichick, Don Shula and Tom Landry are the only three who have pulled that off.
Assuming we don’t see a major shift in the point spread, this will mark just the eighth time that the line has been 2.5 points or less in the Super Bowl. In the previous seven games where that happened, the team that was favored to win has gone 6-1 (The Chiefs were favored by 1.5 over the 49ers when they beat San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV).
Jalen Hurts (24) and Patrick Mahomes (27) are a combined 51 years and 337 days old today, which makes them the youngest opposing starting quarterbacks in Super Bowl history (you can check out our ranking of all the Super Bowl QB matchups here). The previous record was held by Joe Montana and Dan Marino, who were 51 years and 350 days when the 49ers beat the Dolphins 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX. This game will also mark the first time that two Black starting quarterbacks have faced each other in a Super Bowl.
As the home team, the Eagles have chosen to wear green, which means they’re going to have a buck a big uniform trend if they want to win: The team wearing white has gone 15-3 in the past 18 Super Bowls, including last year when the Rams beat the Bengals while wearing white. However, one of those three wins by a team not wearing white came in Super Bowl LII when the Eagles beat the Patriots while wearing green.
The coin toss has turned into a catastrophe at the Super Bowl. Over the past eight years, the team that has won the coin toss has gone 0-8 in the game. The Chiefs might want to think about losing the coin toss on purpose since they get the call as the visiting team.
Please feel free to use any or all of these Super Bowl fun facts to impress people today.
6. Super Bowl LVII weather report
The weather in Phoenix is expected to be picture perfect, but even if it’s not, that won’t matter because State Farm Stadium has a retractable roof. As a matter of fact, the stadium actually has two retractable parts, so let’s check those out.
State Farm Stadium has a retractable roof. There have been two previous Super Bowls played at State Farm stadium and in both games, the roof was open. For today’s game, the roof is once again expected to be open, but the NFL won’t make the final call on that until it gets closer to game time. There could be some high winds on Sunday evening, which could lead the NFL to call for a closed roof.
State Farm Stadium has a retractable field. Not only does State Farm have a retractable roof, but it also has a RETRACTABLE FIELD. Seriously, the field rolls right out of the stadium and if you want to see how it works, be sure to click here. The Chiefs actually complained about the field at State Farm Stadium after traveling to Arizona in Week 1, but there shouldn’t be any issues this week as the playing surface on Sunday is a new one that was specially grown for the Super Bowl.
Here’s a look at the final weather report:
Chiefs vs. Eagles in Glendale, Ariz. Projected weather: Partly cloudyProjected temperature: 74 degrees at kickoff down to 63 by the end of the gameChance of rain: 0% Winds: South 8 to 17 mph
Alright everyone, have a great time watching the Super Bowl and just as a friendly reminder, I’ll be tweeting up a storm today from State Farm Stadium, so if you want to follow along, be sure to click here.
