NFL
Your must-know guide to Super Bowl LVI:
What’s All This? Super Bowl LVI, the NFL’s championship game for the 2021 season, is played Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. It’s the first Super Bowl played in Los Angeles since 1993. It’s also the latest date ever for a Super Bowl.
What’s LVI In Regular Numbers? 56.
Who’s In It? The AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals — who’ve never won a Super Bowl and are making their first appearance since the 1988 season — will face the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams, making their first Super Bowl appearance since their 13-3 loss to the New England Patriots in the 2018 season. The Rams are only the second team to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium — the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers being the first. Oddly, the Rams are designated as the away team in their own stadium.
Lombardi on site.
📺: #SBLVI — Sunday 6:30pm ET on NBC
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/CkGj1eSZDH— NFL (@NFL) February 9, 2022
Is It On TV? NBC airs the game with play-by-play man Al Michaels and analyst Cris Collinsworth in the broadcast booth. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm ET. It could be Michaels’ last assignment for NBC, as his contract expires after the game. Sideline reporter Michele Tafoya announced that this game will be her final one for NBC.
How Many People Watch It? Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buccaneers averaged 96.4 million TV and streaming viewers, the lowest since 2007. Still, it was the 18th most watched broadcast in U.S. TV history.
Can You Gamble On It? Yes! Legally, even! The Rams are four point favorites. You can also put down money on prop bets like the coin toss or the length of the National Anthem.
Who’s Singing The National Anthem? Mickey Guyton, whose 2021 debut album, Remember Her Name, earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.
Who’s Performing At Halftime? Hip-hop and rap icons Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar grab the mic.
How Much For A Commercial? NBC has been getting ad buys for as much as $6.5 million for a 30-second spot. That’s about $1 million more than last year’s rate. Odds are you’re going to watch most of them on the web before or after the game, anyway.
What’s On NBC After? The Winter Olympics, that other sports thing going on.