Super Bowl 55: How to watch and stream, and what else to know before kickoff
Danny LawhonWe know you probably know — the Super Bowl is the biggest moment of the year in American sports.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic, little is stopping this yearly cultural phenomenon from captivating nearly 100 million sets of eyeballs the first weekend of February.
The game will have a different energy this Sunday in Tampa, Florida, with only 20,000 fans and another 7,500 medical workers in attendance. But whatever juice might be missing from the attendees is more than made up for by the matchup.
After waiting 50 years between championships, the Kansas City Chiefs are now attempting to defend their National Football League crown. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand in the way as the first team to play in a Super Bowl in their home stadium. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the new face of football, squares off against Bucs signal-caller Tom Brady, widely recognized as the greatest QB of all time.
Football fans are frothing at the mouth, and even casual fans are pumped by those two featured names. Here's what you need to know before kickoff.
How to watch, stream Super Bowl 55
WHO: Kansas City Chiefs (AFC champion) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC champion)
WHERE: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.
KICKOFF TIME, TV: 5:30 p.m. Central, CBS
BROADCASTERS: Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (analysis), Tracy Wolfson (sideline), Evan Washburn (sideline), Jay Feely (sideline) and Gene Steratore (rules)
ONLINE LIVESTREAM: For free on the CBS Sports app.
Super Bowl 55: What to know
PREGAME COVERAGE: The CBS party starts as early as 10:30 a.m. if you want it to. An alternative take on the game, titled "That Other Pregame Show," kicks off gameday buildup, followed by NFL Films' look back at the 2020 season with its "Road to the Super Bowl" retrospective at 11 a.m. Broadcaster Tony Romo talks to other famous quarterbacks about their favorite big-game memories as "Tony Goes to the Super Bowl" at noon. From there, the traditional previews begin with a four-hour marathon from CBS' studio crew, "The Super Bowl Today," from 1-5 p.m.
- Tackling COVID-19: How Chiefs, Bucs families kept players, children safe
HONORING AMERICA: The last half-hour between prelude and kickoff will include performances of "America the Beautiful" by Grammy Award-winning artist H.E.R., and "The Star-Spangled Banner" by Grammy-nominated artists Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan for the national anthem. After that, it's the usual team introductions and coin toss.
- Greatest anthem: Whitney Houston's stirring rendition almost didn't take place
WHO'S SUPPOSED TO WIN? The Chiefs are favored to repeat as champs by 3 or 3.5 points, depending on who is offering gambling odds. And in some Midwest states, it's legal to wager on the game and more than 900 scenarios related to it. (But sorry, Missourians and Kansans, not you yet. Text friends in Iowa, if you've got them.)
CHANGES IN THE COMMERCIALS: You'll still see a lineup of the funny, the weird and the heart-tugging ads throughout the game, but some big companies are sitting out this year. Budweiser, Coke, Pepsi and Hyundai are among the major companies choosing not to spend the estimated $5.5 million for 30 seconds of air time this year. But those openings leave spots for some companies to make rare appearances over the air, such as fast-casual chain Chipotle and diaper producer Huggies.
- Super Bowl Ad Meter: You'll be able to watch all commercials at this link
HALFTIME SHOW: Pepsi is still getting some pub during the game, however, as the sponsor for the annual spectacle at intermission. This year, Canadian singer-songwriter The Weeknd is headlining the live performance.
DUELING DYNASTIES?: Before last February's triumph over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, the Chiefs hadn't won an NFL championship since Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings in 1970. Now, head coach Andy Reid is hoping that his team will become the first team to go back-to-back since the New England Patriots in 2003-04.
- Eric Bienemy: Chiefs' offensive coordinator talks about being passed over for head coaching gigs
- Creative calls: How Chiefs use players' input to showcase team's talent
Those Patriots teams were guided by Tom Brady, who is leading the Buccaneers into the big game at age 43 in his first season with the team. It's the 10th Super Bowl appearance for Brady, which adds to his individual record, and he'll be looking to extend his all-time mark of titles by going for his seventh overall.
- 'My neighbor is the GOAT': Friends of Brady relish in his success
- TB12's Top 12: Accomplishments of Brady through his remarkable career
A BRIEF HISTORY: There are two things people usually bring up when asking about the background of the game. First is: Where'd the name come from? And the agreed-upon tale is that former Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt saw one of his children playing with a toy called a Super Ball, which led him to the idea of suggesting the name "Super Bowl" for the NFL championship. (Putting the "bowl" word at the end of a prominent football game was already an accepted practice in college at the time.)
The other, then, is often those pesky Roman numerals. The counting is one thing, and at least it's easy this year. "L" means "50" and "V" means "5." 50 + 5 = 55, and L + V = voila.
But as to the why of the numerals ... you'll just have to go with what the NFL says in its media guide. The league started using the designation for the fifth edition of the game. "The Roman numerals were adopted to clarify any confusion that may occur because the NFL championship game — the Super Bowl — is played in the year following a chronologically recorded season. Numerals I through IV were added later for the first four Super Bowls."
Don't ask us; we don't make the rules.
Danny Lawhon works across the Plains sports landscape for the USA TODAY Network, from editing, social media and sports wagering to bowls, brackets and data dives. Reach him at dlawhon@registermedia.com or follow @DannyLawhon on Twitter.