The San Francisco 49ers on Monday morning (10.30am AEDT) face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII.
The Chiefs, led by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, are the reigning NFL champions after beating the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s Super Bowl.
But the 49ers, led by quarterback Brock Purdy and the NFL’s best running back Christian McCaffrey, will look to topple the champs at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada – and get revenge for losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV four years ago.
While the action on the field promises to be a thrilling contest, there’s plenty of other reasons to be invested in the game. After all, it’s more than just four quarters: Super Bowl Sunday is a genuine spectacle, from the national anthem to the halftime show and even the television ads.
Week 17
NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Bills
Bills
29
Falcons
15
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Bears
29
Giants
3
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Bengals
34
Chiefs
31
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Titans
34
Dolphins
3
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Colts
20
Raiders
23
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Patriots
50
Jaguars
10
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Jets
24
Buccaneers
28
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Commanders
16
Eagles
20
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 5:00am AEST
FT
Ravens
19
Rams
20
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 8:05am AEST
FT
Chargers
34
Broncos
13
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 03 8:05am AEST
FT
49ers
23
Texans
7
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NFL
Jan 03 8:25am AEST
FT
Cowboys
22
Cardinals
25
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NFL
Jan 03 8:25am AEST
FT
Saints
18
Panthers
10
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NFL
Jan 03 8:25am AEST
FT
Seahawks
51
Lions
29
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NFL
Jan 03 12:20pm AEST
FT
Packers
Packers
37
Vikings
Vikings
10
MATCH CENTRE
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NFL
Jan 04 12:15pm AEST
FT
Steelers
Steelers
26
Browns
Browns
14
MATCH CENTRE
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One bizarre aspect among the fanfare is the range of unusual or prop bets available when it comes to the game – and this year, they’re wilder than ever.
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Let’s start with the obvious ones. Who wins the coin toss – and what will it be? Well, seven of the last ten years, it’s been tails. Interestingly, if you look all-time, the team that wins the toss typically loses the game.
Before the Chiefs last season won the toss and won the game, there had been an EIGHT-year streak of teams winning the toss and losing the Super Bowl (since the Seahawks in 2013).
This year, Caesars Sportsbook reported a $100,000 USD wager has already been placed on tails for the coin toss.
You can bet on the length of the national anthem – sung this year by Reba McEntire. Will it be longer or shorter than 90.5 seconds? Will a word be missed?
If you want to combine the national anthem with the on-field performances, you could even bet on whether any scoring drive in the game will be shorter than the anthem (in terms of time).
By halftime, the real entertainment arrives (just kidding).
This year, the halftime show will be performed by Usher. Want to take a punt on that? You could guess his first song (‘Yeah’ is the favourite), how many songs he’ll play (over or under 8.5 tunes), whether he’ll debut a new tune (yes is the favourite), or even take a punt on who he’ll bring out to perform with him (including, for example, Taylor Swift … or Madonna).
There’s another classic American tradition after the final whistle blows – the winning coach gets doused in sports drink (normally Gatorade, because this is American sports and everything is branded).
But what colour will the Gatorade be? You can bet on that too – Red/Pink is the favourite, but Orange is the most common colour since 2001.
And this year, there’s another megastar set to steal the show: Taylor Swift, the global music sensation bringing a whole new audience to the NFL since she started dating the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift offering tactical advice to Travis Kelce (we presume).
Source: AFP
Some truly bizarre bets are available. Will Kelce propose to Swift on the field? Will the Super Bowl MVP mention Swift in their speech (likely if Kelce wins, but also possible if a rival player wants to get one back for all the attention Kelce and Swift have received)?
What outfit will she wear? What lipstick colour? How many times will she be shown on TV? Will she cry if the Chiefs lose, and if the Chiefs win, will she wear their championship hat?
There’s even one called ‘Shake It Off’, asking whether a player will score a touchdown after fumbling earlier in the game.
BetOnline.ag, based in Panama, has a whopping 89 prop bets available relating to Swift (Swifties, of course, know that this is a tip of the hat to her ‘1989’ album).
With so many ridiculous ways to lose money, it might be better just to watch the game after all.
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