The National Football League, like every team sport and activity, tried to have as normal as possible of a season during the pandemic, which culminates in the big game, Super Bowl LV, on Sunday, February 7. Here’s a quick list of what to know about the game, teams and entertainment.
Who is playing:
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be playing in this year’s Super Bowl.
These two teams played against each other in the regular season, on November 29. The Chiefs won that game, 27-24.
Who are the quarterbacks:
Tom Brady, the legendary quarterback previously with the New England Patriots, is leading the Buccaneers to the Super Bowl in his first year with them. This is only the second Super Bowl appearance for the Buccaneers.
Patrick Mahomes with the Chiefs is the youngest quarterback to go to back-to-back Super Bowls. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year.
Where are they playing:
Super Bowl 55 will be played in Tampa, at the Buccaneers home field, Raymond James Stadium. This is the first time where one of the teams playing in the Super Bowl is playing on its own home field.
How to watch:
Kick-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET, and CBS is airing the game in addition to online streaming options from the NFL. CBS Sports is offering a live stream of the game for free on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports App.
Who is performing at halftime:
The Weeknd is headlining the halftime show this year. Other supplementary performers have not been announced yet, and neither have details about The Weeknd’s song selections for the performance.
What is confirmed: Amanda Gorman, the poet who stole the show at the inauguration, will participate in the pregame show. Miley Cyrus will also have a performance during the pregame festivities.
H.E.R. will be performing “America the Beautiful” at the Super Bowl, and Eric Church and Jazmine Sullivan will pair up to sing the national anthem.
Which commercials to watch:
Or not watch. Budweiser has become the latest company to say they will not advertise during the game. Instead, the beer company says they will join a public awareness campaign for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is the first time in 37 years Budweiser will not air their commercials, according to Anheuser-Busch.
Pepsi, Coke and Hyundai have previously said they will take a step back from advertising in this year’s game. Pepsi will still sponsor the halftime show.
