Super Bowl

Mahomes will be playing in his third Super Bowl in the past four campaigns, and his task today is to solve the dominant defense of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Ariz.

Reuters reports Philadelphia has been backed by 67 percent of the spread-line bets and 68 percent of the handle at BetMGM. The action was similar at BetRivers to begin the week before more money started flowing in on the Chiefs, with the Eagles now drawing 58 and 51 percent, respectively.

On Monday (NZ time), the former rugby league player and church choirboy will perform on the NFL's biggest stage as the man tasked with protecting quarterback Jalen Hurts against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I didn't understand how to play the game. I was just watching mostly for the half-time performances," the hulking 25-year-old said.

"I thought about singing in (a Super Bowl), but definitely not playing in it.

"No, I'm playing with you. I never thought about being here when I was watching it."

Chiefs quarterback Mahomes, 27, will face Philadelphia Eagles counterpart Jalen Hurts, 24, in Arizona on 12 February.

BBC reports Mahomes is a previous winner with the Chiefs having triumphed in 2020.

"To be on the world stage with two Black quarterbacks starting, I think it's special," said Mahomes.

Mahomes, who helped guide the Chiefs past the Cincinnati Bengals to reach the Super Bowl, paid tribute to former black quarterbacks including Doug Williams, who was the first to start in and win the NFL's showpiece event with the Washington franchise in 1988.

The Los Angeles Rams went all-in in assembling an all-star cast to make sure they played the Super Bowl in their magnificent new home stadium, but nobody was expecting the Cincinnati Bengals, 125-1 outsiders at the start of the season, to be lining up against them.

With another bumper set of all-stars set to make the half-time show a blockbuster too, it's all set up to be a night like no other in Los Angeles.

Catch a tossed microphone from metres away….these are all requirements that would send shivers down the spine of most performers. 

But Samoan Wellingtonian dancer Lance Savali says a sense of calm swept over him ahead of performing on one of the world's most-watched stages. 

"You hear the crowd roar and you are instantly filled with energy, no matter how exhausted your body is," he told Newshub. 

"I found myself thinking; 'This is weird, I'm so chill, yet I'm about to perform in front of my biggest crowd so far'." 

The long-time friends and collaborators wowed those in attendance in Florida, after a rather forgetful half of football.

The 49ers outgained the Chiefs 177-155 and seemed poised to take the lead when Jimmy Garoppolo connected with tight end George Kittle on a 42-yard play that would have gotten San Francisco inside the Kansas City 15 with 6 seconds left.

But Kittle was called for offensive pass interference to nullify the big play, the 49ers took a knee on the ensuing snap to run out the clock, and off to halftime they went.

The 11th year veteran was a healthy scratch for Andy Reid's team, not making the 53-man gameday roster along with linebacker Darron Lee and cornerback Morris Claiborne.

McCoy, who has the 27th most scrimmage yards of all time in the NFL, joined the Chiefs this offseason but has played just one snap since Week 15.

Tevin Coleman and Dee Ford were, as expected, both active for the San Francisco 49ers despite some initial concerns over their injuries, while wide receiver Dante Pettis was a healthy scratch having not had a target since Week 10.

Raheem Mostert ran in four touchdowns as the 49ers took control, with the Packers, who trailed 27-0 at half-time, scoring two Aaron Jones touchdowns and another from Jace Sternberger.

The Chiefs beat the Tennessee Titans 35-24 in the AFC Championship game earlier on Sunday to secure a first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years.

This will be the 49ers' first Super Bowl since 2013 when they lost 34-31 to the Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.

The concert is one of the biggest in the world - over 98 million people watched the show this year.

In a statement, the NFL said the pair would perform on 2 February in Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.

Their show will be the first to be produced by Roc Nation, an entertainment company founded by rapper and businessman Shawn "Jay Z" Carter.

Both artists have released chart-topping songs in English and Spanish since the 1990s.

They shared the latest announcement on social media.

The NFL announced on Monday that P!nk will perform the national anthem ahead of kickoff on February 4 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

The singer will make her first Super Bowl appearance, unlike half-time headliner Justin Timberlake, whose last show caused quite a stir.

Timberlake previously created a controversy during half-time of the New England Patriots' 32-29 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 when he exposed Janet Jackson's breast at the end of the show.

Photo Getty Images. Caption: Pink