Super Bowl 2021 cheat sheet: Here’s everything you need to know before the Chiefs and Buccaneers kick off

HAPPY SUPER BOWL SUNDAY EVERYONE, WE MADE IT!

Actually, I don’t want to jinx anything, so I’m not going to say we made it until the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m ET. I mean, who knows what could happen between now and then, and I’m mostly saying that because the city of Tampa got hit with a TORNADO WATCH last night, which was weird, because I didn’t even know Florida could get tornadoes.

Since we’re going to have several hours to burn between now and game time, I thought it made sense to shoot out a newsletter today that will give you enough reading material to last until the next Super Bowl. For starters, 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.

Remember, this is a Super Bowl newsletter, so we’ll save everything else for tomorrow…. except Aaron Rodgers winning MVP and getting engaged, those both made the cut today.

1. How to watch the Super Bowl

Since I work for CBS Sports, I’ve probably mentioned this at least 112 times over the past two weeks, but just to be safe, I’m going to mention it one more time right now: The Super Bowl is on CBS this year.

If you love to spend Super Bowl Sunday watching as much pregame coverage as possible, we’ll have you covered. On the other hand, if you’re someone who likes to turn on the game just minutes before kickoff, we’ll also have you covered.

Here’s how you can watch Super Bowl LV:

Date: Sunday, Feb. 7Kickoff time: 6:30 p.m. ET (CBS)Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)TV: CBSHow to stream: FOR FREE on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App on your phone and connected TV devices.

And just in case that isn’t clear enough, Super Bowl LV is available live on TV through CBS and it’s live to stream via CBS All Access and CBSSports.com. The link above will take you to the CBS Sports app where you can watch it on your phone, tablet or connected TV devices.

The Super Bowl pregame will kick off at 9 a.m. ET on CBS Sports HQ, which you can access for free by clicking here. Two-time Super Bowl winner Bryant McFadden and former first-round pick Brady Quinn will join CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora from Tampa to kick off the coverage. Including that show, there will be nine straight hours of coverage leading up to the game, so make sure to bookmark CBS Sport HQ.

On the TV side, CBS will have you covered starting at 11:30 a.m. ET with a schedule that looks like this:

11:30 a.m. ET-12 p.m. ET: That Other Pregame Show 12-1 p.m. ET: Road to the Super Bowl (Presented by NFL Films)1-2 p.m. ET: Tony Romo goes to the Super Bowl 2-6 p.m. ET: The Super Bowl Today6-6:30 p.m. ET: Super Bowl on CBS Kickoff Show

During the game, we’ll also be presenting a live Twitch and YouTube stream where we’ll talk props, react to the game and I think we’ll also be gambling on the game DURING the stream, so you’ll definitely want to watch. I will be taking part in that during the fourth quarter you can check out that on our YouTube page by clicking here. You can also check out all the Super Bowl themed podcasts we’ve had this week here.

2. Everything you need to know about the Buccaneers

The Buccaneers are just hours away from becoming the first team in NFL history to play the Super Bowl at their home stadium. However, someone must have forgotten to let the NFL know that this game is being played in Tampa, because the league has decided to take away one aspect of Tampa Bay’s home-field advantage: The Buccaneers aren’t ALLOWED TO FIRE THE CANNONS on the pirate ship. Why even have a Super Bowl if you’re not going to let them fire the cannons, NFL?

Anyway, here’s everything else you need to know about the Buccaneers heading into today’s game.

Buccaneers injury report: The two biggest names on Tampa Bay’s final injury report were Antonio Brown and Cameron Brate, and although both players are listed as questionable for the game, they’re both expected to play, which means the Buccaneers are going to be full go. One player to watch for Tampa Bay will be safety Jordan Whitehead, who will be playing on Sunday despite having a FULLY TORN LABRUM. It will be interesting to see if Patrick Mahomes goes after the injured safety.

Tom Brady by the numbers: Brady is going to be playing in his 10th Super Bowl today and if you’ve ever wondered just how many Super Bowl records Brady has claimed through his first nine games, you’re going to want to click here.

Three X-factors that could help the Buccaneers win: The last time these two teams played, Patrick Mahomes torched the Buccaneers defense for 462 yards. If Tampa Bay is going to win the Super Bowl, something is going to have to change. Although the Buccaneers are underdogs, they can definitely win and we looked at three X-factors that could help them do that and you can see those X-factors by clicking here.

Why Leonard Fournette could be the key to a Buccaneers win: Playoff Lenny probably isn’t a nickname that’s going to catch on anytime soon, but that’s what everyone in Tampa is calling Leonard Fournette after the way he’s played during the first three rounds of the postseason. Not only has Fournette averaged more than 100 yards per game (104.3), but he also has three playoffs touchdowns this year. With Fournette coming on strong, you’re going to want to click here to find out why he could be a huge key for Tampa Bay.

How the Buccaneers got to Super Bowl LV: The Buccaneers’ road to Super Bowl LV started in March when they signed Tom Brady to a two-year contract. Brady’s signing wasn’t the only big move they made during the offseason, though. The Buccaneers also came up huge in the draft and if you’re interested in reading how Tampa Bay’s offseason helped spur them to the Super Bowl, be sure to click here.

Five reasons to root for the Buccaneers: If you have no rooting interest in today’s game, but you kind of want a team to cheer for, you’re in luck, because we’ve put together five reasons why you should root for the Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. Spoiler alert: Tom Brady is one of the reasons.

Buccaneers Super Bowl history: Before this year, the Buccaneers had only made it to one Super Bowl in franchise history and if you’d like to know how exactly that game went for Tampa Bay, you’re definitely going to want to click here as we take a deep dive into their win over the Raiders.

For more Buccaneers news, you can check out our team hub by clicking here.

3. Everything you need to know about the Chiefs

Although things were quiet with the Buccaneers for most of the week, the same can’t be said for the Chiefs, who had to deal with two completely different types of problems. With that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about the Chiefs heading into today’s game.

Britt Reid car accident: The Chiefs are going to be down a coach today and that’s because Britt Reid, the team’s outside linebackers coach, won’t be attending the Super Bowl. Britt, who is the son of Andy Reid, got into a car crash that involved two other vehicles on Thursday night. According to police, Britt admitted to having two or three drinks on the night of the crash. Police also revealed that a 5-year-old child in one of the other cars suffered life-threatening injuries. For more details on the incident, be sure to click here.

Chiefs dodge COVID bullet: The Chiefs had to place two players — Demarcus Robinson and Daniel Kilgore — on the COVID list this week. If they would have tested positive, they would have been ineligible to play on Sunday, but as it turned out, they were both close contacts. Although the two players didn’t practice this week, they did both test negative for the past five days, which means they’re eligible to suit up today.

Chiefs injury report: With Kilgore and Robinson both cleared to play, the Chiefs only have one player who’s questionable for today and that’s Sammy Watkins, who’s dealing with a calf injury. Watkins hasn’t played since Week 16, but he’s expected to return to the field against the Buccaneers. Eric Fisher (achilles) and Willie Gay (knee/ankle) were previously ruled out.

Patrick Mahomes to have surgery: Although Mahomes has been insisting all week that his injured toe isn’t bothering him, it seems that’s not actually the case. According to NFL.com, the Chiefs quarterback plans to have surgery on the toe after the season. One thing to watch on Sunday night is whether the toe will have any impact on Mahomes’ mobility.

Five X-factors that could help the Chiefs win: If Patrick Mahomes has a huge game, it’s almost a guarantee that the Chiefs will win, but what if he doesn’t? We took a look at five X-factors that could come into play for Kansas City and you can check those out by clicking here.

How the Chiefs got to Super Bowl LV: Even though last March seems like it was seven years ago, that’s actually when the Chiefs’ march to Super Bowl LV started. From free agency to Patrick Mahomes’ monstrous extension to getting Chris Jones under contract to selecting a running back in the first round of the draft, the Chiefs had a huge offseason and we took a look at how their offseason helped turn 2020 into a magical season and you can check that out by clicking here.

Five reasons to root for the Chiefs: If you have no rooting interest in today’s game, but you kind of want a team to cheer for, you’re in luck, because we’ve put together five reasons why you should root for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.

Chiefs Super Bowl history: Today’s game will mark the fourth time that the Chiefs have played in the Super Bowl and if you’d like to know what happened in the other three games, be sure to click here.

For more Chiefs news, you can check out our team hub by clicking here.

4. Super Bowl LV 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, starting with me. I write this newsletter, so it only makes sense that I would give my pick top billing.

Here are the picks from our 11 writers who are taking the Chiefs:

John Breech: Chiefs 34-27 over Buccaneers (Full pick)Pete Prisco: Chiefs 35-30 over Buccaneers (Full pick)Jonathan Jones: Chiefs 28-27 over BuccaneersWill Brinson: Chiefs 31-20 over BuccaneersRyan Wilson: Chiefs 28-24 over BuccaneersDave Richard: Chiefs 36-30 over BuccaneersJamey Eisenberg: Chiefs 31-30 over BuccaneersJared Dubin: Chiefs 33-27 over Buccaneers (Full pick)Jordan Dajani: Chiefs 28-24 over Buccaneers (Full pick) Cody Benjamin: Chiefs 32-28 over Buccaneers (Full pick)Jeff Kerr: Chiefs 34-24 over Buccaneers (Full pick)

And just in case you’re wondering, we do have three souls who were brave enough to take the underdog Buccaneers and those brave souls are: Jason La Canfora: Buccaneers 30-27 over ChiefsTyler Sullivan: Buccaneers 33-27 over Chiefs (Full pick)Bryan DeArdo: Buccaneers 31-27 over Chiefs

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 five favorite props (I’ve combined three I really like with two long shot props):

1. Game to be tied after 0-0 (-130): This prop has hit in five of the past six Super Bowl and I’m thinking it’s going to hit again tonight. 2. Harrison Butker four or more extra points (+115): If you think the Chiefs are going to score a lot, then Butker is also probably going to score a lot and this is one of the few kicking props that gives you great value. 3. Each team scores 7 or more in the second quarter (+140): The second quarter is usually when things start to get spicy in the Super Bowl and all you need to win this is for each team to score one touchdown. 4. First score of the game is a Chiefs FG (+550): The last time these two teams played, the first score was a Chiefs field goal and I’m betting that history repeats itself. 5. Brady and Mahomes to each attempt 45 or more passes (+1000): If this turns into a shootout, this prop could very well hit and since it’s paying 10-to-1, I’m going to take a flyer on it.

5. Best part of Super Bowl Sunday

Let’s be honest, half the people watching the Super Bowl aren’t watching for the game, they’re watching for the commercials, and maybe they’re also watching because it gives them an excuse to pig out. I think there are also some people who only watch for the halftime show.

This will be the first Super Bowl I’ve been able to watch at home on TV since 2013, so I’m not going to lie, I’m kind of excited for the commercials.

With that in mind, here are some details about some of the best things about Super Bowl Sunday:

Commercials: Some of the commercials for the game have already leaked and if you want to check those out, be sure to click here.

Snacks: If you need some last second ideas about what to eat on Super Bowl Sunday — I highly recommend corn dogs — then you’re going to want to click here and check out your options.

National anthem: Grammy-nominated artists Jazmine Sullivan and Eric Church will collaborate on the anthem and if you’d like more details on their performance, be sure to click here. If you’d like to hear them rehearsing, be sure to click here so that you can watch the video that got posted to Twitter (Sports books regularly let you bet on the length of the national anthem and they were NOT thrilled that someone leaked a rehearsal video).

Halftime show: The Pepsi halftime show will feature The Weeknd, who has promised to give us something that has never been “done before.” If you don’t know who The Weeknd is or would just like more details on his halftime show, be sure to click here.

Ranking every Super Bowl ever: I’m not sure where this year’s Super Bowl is going to rank on the all-time list, but I do not know where each of the first 54 rank thanks to Will Brinson, who took the time to rank every single Super Bowl ever and you can read that by clicking here.

Ranking Super Bowl QB matchups: This Super Bowl is going to be giving us one of the best QB matchups ever in the big game, so one of our writers decided to rank all the best QB matchups ever and you can check that out by clicking here.

Super Bowl rosters by colleges: If you want to know whether or not you went the same college as anyone who’s playing today, be sure to click here so you can check out each team’s roster sorted by where they went to college.

55 things to know about Super Bowl LV: If you need to kill time before the start of the game, I can’t think of any better way than reading this and you can do that by clicking here.

Finally, here’s a casual fan’s guide to the game that’s expressly written for the people out there who don’t know Tom Brady from Marcia Brady.

6. Non-Super Bowl news: Aaron Rodgers wins MVP

This newsletter was supposed to be only loaded with Super Bowl tidbits, but I decided to call an audible so I could include a list of everyone who won all of the NFL awards that were handed out on Saturday night. At the 10th annual NFL honors event, the league handed out its annual awards for MVP, coach of the year and all the other big ones.

The biggest headline belongs to Aaron Rodgers, who not only won MVP, but the quarterback apparently also got engaged at some point over the past couple of weeks (He announced during his MVP speech that he had a fiancée). Although there were no huge surprises, there was some debate on Twitter after Aaron Donald won the defensive player of the year award over T.J. Watt. The Watt brothers — T.J. and J.J. — chimed in on that debate and they were definitely not thrilled that T.J. lost.

Here’s a look at all the key award winners:

MVP: Aaron Rodgers (Packers)Offensive player of the year: Derrick Henry (Titans)Defensive player of the year: Aaron Donald (Rams)Offensive rookie of the year: Justin Herbert (Chargers)Defensive rookie of the year: Chase Young (Washington)Comeback player of the year: Alex SmithCoach of the year: Kevin Stefanski (Browns)Assistant coach of the year: Brian Daboll (Bills)NFL Man of the year: Russell Wilson

The class of 2021 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame was also announced and here’s a look at the class: Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, Charles Woodson, Alan Faneca, Tom Flores, John Lynch, scout Bill Nunn, Drew Pearson.

7. The Kicker: Final Super Bowl weather forecast

Holding an outdoor Super Bowl is always a gamble due to the weather, but it appears the NFL is going to luck out this year and get surprisingly good weather for the game. Although there had been rain in the forecast for most of the week, it’s now looking like there are going to be clear skies in Tampa by the time the game kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET.

With that in mind, here’s the current weather report for the game:

Chiefs vs. Buccaneers in TampaProjected weather: Clear skiesProjected temperature: 67 degrees at kickoff down to 60 by the end of the gameChance of rain: 6% chance of rain for the day with 2% chance at kickoffWinds: NNW 5-7 mph

If you consider the fact that there was a TORNADO WATCH last night in Tampa, this is the best situation the NFL could have asked for. All the rain should be leaving Tampa by 3 p.m., which means it should be a non-factor in the Super Bowl.

Hopefully this newsletter will provide you with enough reading material to get you through to the game. As for me, I’ll be eating corn dogs from now until kickoff and crossing my fingers that neither kicker pulls a Scott Norwood.

Tags: Chiefs

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