Rihanna been drafted to headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, the NFL has confirmed.

Following a report from TMZ that she’s been in discussions with the NFL and Roc Nation about performing at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., on Feb. 12, 2023, the pop star took to Instagram on Sunday to share a photo her tattooed hand holding up an NFL-branded football. The post also marks Rihanna’s first social media activity since giving birth to her first child in May.

 

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Roc Nation, which oversees the halftime show, shared Rihanna’s post, adding the caption, “Let’s GO.” Jay-Z’s music entertainment agency — which features the “Umbrella” singer on its roster — also tagged Apple Music, which is replacing Pepsi as sponsor of the show.

Rihanna’s confirmation follows speculation that Taylor Swift was being considered for the halftime headliner gig. This past February saw the game’s first hip-hop headlined halftime show, featuring performances from Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak.

The Fenty Beauty mogul — who was photographed attending a Rolling Loud after-party with her partner, A$AP Rocky, on Saturday night — previously turned down the Super Bowl gig in solidarity with activist and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

“I couldn’t dare do that,” she told Vogue in 2019. “For what? Who gains from that? Not my people. I just couldn’t be a sellout. I couldn’t be an enabler. There’s things within that organization that I do not agree with at all, and I was not about to go and be of service to them in any way.”

In a statement from the NFL announcing Rihanna’s performance, Jay-Z hailed the music star as a “generational talent, a woman of humble beginnings who has surpassed expectations at every turn.”

Rihanna expected to headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime showhttps://t.co/YxwgWq1T7g pic.twitter.com/ayafeUqhdw

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 25, 2022

Official.

Rihanna will be the halftime show at the Super Bowl. pic.twitter.com/GT9i8BBT9r

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 25, 2022

With two Super Bowl Titles, two AFC Championships, five Division Titles and ten Playoff appearances since 1996, the Baltimore Ravens have certainly been one of the more successful NFL franchises over the last 25 years. Today, the Baltimore Ravens play in the AFC North division of the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and their biggest rivals of all in the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here are five fascinating Baltimore Ravens facts

1. 1. The Ravens are one of only two franchises to play in at least two Super Bowls and be undefeated. (source) Since entering the NFL for the 1996 season, the Baltimore Ravens have been one of the more successful franchises in the league. In fact, in the history of the NFL, the Ravens are one of only two franchises, along with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, to play in at least two Super Bowls and win them all. Both the Ravens and Buccaneers are 2-0 in the NFL’s biggest game of the year, and the Ravens first Super Bowl win came over the New York Giants 34-7 in Super Bowl XXXV. Twelve years later, the Ravens would get past the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to claim their second Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl XLVII.

2. 2. The first player to ever be drafted by the Ravens went on to be a Hall of Famer. (source) The Ravens entered the league for the 1996 NFL season, and held the fourth overall selection that year in the NFL Draft. With that pick, the Ravens selected offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden out of UCLA. The star offensive tackle would play for the Ravens from 1996 through 2007, be named to 11 Pro Bowls, and eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Today, Jonathan Ogden is considered to be one of the greatest offensive tackles in the history of the game.

3. 3. Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the youngest signal caller in NFL history to start a playoff game. (source) On January 6, 2019 at the age of just 21 years, 364 days old, Lamar Jackson started at Quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers. While the Ravens would fall to the Chargers that day by a score of 23-17, Lamar Jackson still became the youngest Quarterback to ever start a playoff game in the history of the National Football League.

4. 4. The Ravens are one of only two NFL teams that still have a marching band. (source) Along with the Washington Football Team, the Baltimore Ravens still have a marching band during their games. The Baltimore Marching Ravens have been performing for the last 70 years, starting with the Baltimore Colts before their move to Indianapolis.

5. 5. The all-time leading scorer for the Ravens is Matt Stover with 1,464 points. (source) The Ravens currently have an All Pro kicker in Justin Tucker, but it’s actually another kicker that is the all-time leading scorer for the franchise. Matt Stover was the Ravens kicker from 1996 through 2008 with 1,464 total points. Throughout his career, Matt Stover had 2,004 total points. While the majority of those came during his time in Baltimore, Stover also spent time with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Indianapolis Colts, in a lengthy career that spanned from 1990 through 2009.

If you’re a Ravens fan and have more fun facts to share, please drop them for us in the comments below!

The Eagles are back. Super Bowl-bound for the first time in 13 years, the City of Brotherly Love is counting the seconds until Sunday’s opening kickoff. Philly’s resident NFL club has yet to feather its nest with a Vince Lombardi Trophy, but then again, can you name another football team whose fight song popped up in the Star Wars universe? Swoop on over for more facts about this signature franchise.

1. A NEW DEAL PROGRAM INSPIRED THE TEAM’S NAME.

From 1924 to 1931, the Philadelphia area had an NFL team called the Frankford Yellow Jackets. After they folded, another club was established by league veteran Lud Wray and businessman Bert Bell. Their new franchise played its first game in 1933—the same year that saw Franklin Roosevelt create the National Recovery Administration. This New Deal agency enforced industry codes that were designed to set minimum wages, promote union membership, and encourage fair competition. The NRA’s emblem was a blue eagle carrying a gear and three bolts of lightning. Taking a cue from this symbol, Wray and Bell decided to name their team “The Philadelphia Eagles.”

2. THE NFL DRAFT WAS THEIR CO-FOUNDER’S IDEA.

In 1935, Bell—a future NFL commissioner—came up with the idea for a draft, the NFL’s main talent-recruitment system, and proposed it at a league meeting. The first NFL Draft was held in 1936. Before the draft, it had been standard practice for teams to negotiate with college players directly. As a result, the most in-demand stars almost always joined the richest, most successful franchises. Bell convinced his fellow owners to implement a draft, whereby the NFL teams would take turns selecting athletes from a pool of eligible players. For fairness’ sake, it was decided that, in each draft, the worst team of the preceding NFL season would get to choose first.

3. PHILLY PLAYED IN THE FIRST TELEVISED NFL GAME.

On October 22, 1939, the Eagles lost to the Brooklyn Football Dodgers (a club which no longer exists) by a final score of 23-14. NBC sent an eight-man crew to film the contest, which was broadcast on one of the network’s New York City affiliates. Roughly 500 New Yorkers tuned in to watch the game. Altogether, the broadcast lasted for two hours and 33 minutes. There were no commercial interruptions.

4. IN 1943, THE EAGLES MERGED ROSTERS WITH THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS.

#Betcha didn’t know the NFL once had a team called “The Steagles”https://t.co/asL2gYVhvT

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 4, 2016

World War II created a massive player shortage, with many pro footballers leaving their teams to fight overseas. In Pennsylvania, the Steelers’ and Eagles’ rosters were so heavily depleted that some feared both clubs would shut down. Instead, they merged. For the duration of the 1943 season, these two franchises consolidated their squads into one, 25-man team nicknamed the “Steagles.” Their union ended the next year, when Philadelphia recruited enough players to strike out on its own again. Meanwhile, the understaffed Steelers were forced to enter a new merger with the Chicago Cardinals in 1944.

5. PHILLY ICON STEVE VAN BUREN WAS THE FIRST NFL RUNNING BACK TO HAVE MULTIPLE THOUSAND-YARD SEASONS.

A fan favorite, Eagles running back Steve Van Buren ran for 1008 yards in 1947 and 1146 in 1949. He’s also the only Pro Football Hall of Famer who was born in Honduras.

6. JOHN F. KENNEDY AND HIS BROTHERS THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING THE FRANCHISE.

Imagine if a sitting president co-owned an NFL team? Such a thing might’ve come to pass in 1962, when the Eagles were in the market for a new owner. The First Family learned they could acquire the club for the bargain price of $6 million. It was a tempting prospect.

According to former senator Ted Kennedy, “My brother Jack called me and said, ‘Are you in for a third if we can get [the Eagles] for $6 million? I’ve talked to Bobby and he says he’ll go for it.’ I said, ‘Okay, I’ll go for a third.’” The deal never materialized, however. As ex-senator John Culver—a lifelong friend of Ted’s—has explained, the Kennedys became convinced that owning the Eagles “wouldn’t work very compatibly with Jack’s responsibility as president.”

7. SOME EAGLES DIEHARDS GOT TO ATTEND THE 1948 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR FREE … THEY JUST HAD TO BRING SHOVELS.

During the pre-Super Bowl Era, the Eagles won three National Football League titles. They earned the first of these on December 14, 1948 by beating the Cardinals in that year’s NFL Championship Game. Played at Philly’s Shibe Park, the contest was a bleak affair. That’s because, hours before kickoff, a nasty blizzard smothered the host stadium under a foot and a half of snow. Fans were told that if they brought a shovel over and helped clear the field, they wouldn’t be charged admission. In the end, the groundskeepers, an army of shovel-wielding spectators, and players from both teams all had to work together to get Shibe Park ready for the big game.

8. THE EAGLES WERE THE ONLY TEAM TO EVER BEAT VINCE LOMBARDI’S PACKERS IN THE PLAYOFFS.

The Vince Lombardi Trophy is named after a gridiron giant. As Green Bay’s head coach, Lombardi won five world championships, including the first two Super Bowls. Under his command, the Packers were a force to be reckoned with, especially in the postseason. Indeed, they only suffered one playoff loss during Lombardi’s legendary, nine-year tenure: In the 1960 NFL Championship Game, the Eagles prevailed over the Packers at Franklin Field by a final score of 17-13.

9. THAT SANTA CLAUS WHO WAS FAMOUSLY PELTED WITH SNOWBALLS BY EAGLES FANS THOUGHT THE INCIDENT WAS FUNNY.

Philadelphians will never hear the end of the Santa Claus incident: On December 15, 1968, the last-place, 2-11 Eagles played their final game of the season against the Minnesota Vikings. Some 54,535 fans fought their way through a blizzard to watch the game at Philly’s Franklin Field. In an effort to raise everyone’s spirits, the owners had booked a Santa Claus impersonator to perform at halftime, but the actor never showed. Fortunately, the staff noticed then-19-year-old Frank Olivo who, as fate would have it, had worn a homemade Santa suit to the game.

After agreeing to fill in for the absent Kringle, Olivo made his way down to the field—where the miserable, frigid fans started booing him and hurling snowballs. It was an incident that Eagles fans—including those who weren’t even born at the time—have never been able to live down. But Olivo claimed that, “I’m a Philadelphia fan, I knew what was what. I thought it was funny.”

Before his death in 2015, Olivo event went on the record as saying “Philadelphia fans are the best in the world. I don’t care what anybody says, they live and die with their teams.”

10. A MIRACULOUS EAGLES WIN POPULARIZED THE QUARTERBACK KNEEL.

When the team with the lead has possession of the ball during a game’s final seconds, it’s now standard practice for their quarterback to take a knee and run out the clock. That wasn’t always the case, though. For a long time, many considered this maneuver to be unsportsmanlike. However, it became widely adopted after a 1978 Eagles-Giants game nicknamed “The Miracle at the Meadowlands.”

With less than 30 seconds remaining, New York had the ball and a 17-12 lead. But instead of kneeling, Giants QB Joe Pisarick tried handing the ball off to one of his fullbacks, but in the process, he dropped it. Thinking fast, Eagles defensive back Herman Edwards was able to grab it and score a game-winning touchdown. Needless to say, New York fans were stunned. One week later, the league embraced quarterback kneel-downs and never looked back.

11. ONE OF THE TEAM’S STRANGEST GAMES INVOLVED A THICK BLANKET OF FOG.

On New Year’s Eve, 1988, the Eagles lost a postseason heartbreaker to the Bears in Chicago, in a game that has gone down in history as “The Fog Bowl.” Meteorologically, the title was well-earned. Lake Michigan sent a blinding sheet of fog over Soldier Field late in the first half, and the haze stayed put until the very last play. Visibility was so bad that most players couldn’t see beyond 10 yards in front of their faces. Up in the public address booth, Bears play-by-play announcer Jim Riebandt had to get game updates relayed to him from an usher who was standing on the field with a two-way radio.

12. SAFETY BRIAN DAWKINS RECORDED A SACK, A FUMBLE RECOVERY, AN INTERCEPTION, AND A TOUCHDOWN—ALL IN THE SAME GAME!

No other NFL player has matched this feat, which Dawkins executed in a 2002 loss to the Houston Texans.

13. SYLVESTER STALLONE MADE AN APPEARANCE AT LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD’S MAIDEN GAME.

What could be more Philadelphian than Rocky Balboa in an Eagles jersey? Since their inception in 1933, the Eagles have called six different venues home, and their present abode is the $512 million stadium Lincoln Financial Field—also known as “The Linc.” The team’s first regular season game there kicked off on September 8, 2003, with Stallone in attendance in a Duce Staley jersey. Sly, of course, is a huge fan of the club; prior to the 2017 NFC Championship Game, he filmed himself imploring the Eagles to “Keep punching.”

14. TWO STAR WARS FILMS CONTAIN HIDDEN EAGLES REFERENCES.

Lucasfilm sound engineer David Acord loves his Philadelphia Eagles. When he was tasked with devising a language for the reptile-like alien Teedo in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Acord had the beast say “Celek” and “Fletcher” onscreen. This was a reference to Eagles tight end Brent Celek and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. For Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Acord passed off an Esperanto translation of “Fly, Eagles Fly” as a mystical Jedha City chant.

15. THE STRANGE COLOR THEY WEAR ON THEIR HOME JERSEYS IS CALLED “MIDNIGHT GREEN.”

In 1996, the Eagles swapped out the more conventional Kelly green uniforms they’d been wearing since the 1930s for some new outfits in this darker shade. The hue isn’t easy to reproduce. Nike actually had so much trouble getting the shade just right that the company failed to complete Philadelphia’s 2014 home uniforms before the season began. Due to this snafu, the Eagles had to wear white or black jerseys during their first six home games that year. Nike finally got the team’s midnight green uniforms ready for a week 10 matchup against Carolina at The Linc.

16. PHILLY HAS THE ONLY LEFT-FACING LOGO IN THE NFL.

The team’s current bird-head design debuted in 1996. (Previous logos involved a soaring raptor with a football in its talons.) You may have noticed that, uniquely for an NFL insignia, this one faces to the left. The reason? Look closely, and you’ll see a capital “E” hidden in the neck feathers.

17. THERE ARE SOME EERIE PARALLELS BETWEEN THE 2004 AND THE 2018 EAGLES.

Let’s take a look back at the last Eagles team that reached the Super Bowl: The 2004 squad went 13-3 in the regular season. Then they beat the Vikings and Falcons before losing to New England in Super Bowl XXXIX. Right about now, football fans in eastern Pennsylvania must be getting a sense of déjà vu. After all, the 2017 Eagles also went 13-3 prior to defeating Atlanta and Minnesota in the post-season. Oh, and who will they face on Sunday? Tom Brady’s Patriots. Spooky!

18. IN 2017, PHILADELPHIA CITY WORKERS TRIED GREASING STREETLIGHT POLES TO PREVENT EAGLES FANS FROM CELEBRATING ON THEM.

By defeating Atlanta in the Divisional Round of the 2017 playoffs, the top-seeded Eagles earned the right to host the NFC Championship Game. Knowing that the team’s fans are an excitable lot, and fearing the worst, city officials had workers grease up street lights around Philadelphia. These so-called “Crisco cops” hoped that the measure would keep Eagles diehards from scaling the poles once the game ended. Instead, green-clad sports junkies took the whole thing as a challenge. After the Birds won, several Philly fans photographed themselves climbing grease-slicked streetlights in defiance.

19. THEIR TEAM ANTHEM HAS CHANGED LYRICS OVER THE YEARS.

Every modern Eagles fan can recite the team’s battle cry, “Fly, Eagles Fly.” But did you know that when this song was originally penned by Charles Borrelli and Roger Courtland in the late 1950s, it went “Fight, Eagles Fight?” The anthem had all but disappeared by 1997, when a team pep band resurrected it. New lyrics were later added and the tempo was sped up. Billboard has since listed “Fly, Eagles Fly” as one of the NFL’s best jingles. Also, the Philly-formed band The Roots has covered it multiple times.

20. A PAIR OF CURRENT EAGLES HELPED LAST YEAR’S PATRIOTS WIN SUPER BOWL LI.

Well, this’ll be an awkward reunion. Eagles defensive lineman Chris Long and running back LeGarrette Blount both earned a Super Bowl ring last year … as members of the New England Patriots’ roster. (Blount had also won another title as a Pat in Super Bowl XLIX.) On Sunday, we’ll see them take the field against their old team. With the duo’s help, can the Eagles finally capture a Lombardi trophy? Bradley Cooper certainly hopes so…

RELATED: EIGHTS Facts About the New York Giants (Probably) Didn’t Know

Of the 32 franchises that are in the National Football League, the New York Giants are one of the oldest, and because of that, the list of New York Giants facts out there is near endless. The Giants joined the NFL back in 1925, and won their first Super Bowl just two years later. Here are eight fascinating facts about the New York Giants that you may not have known.

8 Amazing New York Giants Facts:

1. The Giants are the second oldest franchise in the NFL. (source) Having joined the NFL in 1925, the New York Giants are the second oldest club behind the Green Bay Packers. The Giants are one of the league’s eight original teams, along with the Steelers, Eagles, Redskins, Lions, Packers, Bears and Cardinals.
2. The Giants first ever draft choice was Art Lewis in 1936. (source) Art Lewis played Offensive Tackle at Ohio University, and was selected by the New York Giants in the first ever draft back in 1936. The former Ohio Bobcat would play just one season for the Giants, wouldn’t play during the 1937 season, and then would spend two seasons with the Cleveland Rams (1938-1939). He would leave football to serve in the United States Navy during World War II, and would later become the Head Football Coach at both Washington and Lee University.
3. The Giants rank third among all NFL franchises with 8 Titles. (source) During the pre-Super Bowl era, the Giants won four NFL Championships, and the club has since won the Super Bowl on four separate occasions.
   • NFL Championships: 1927, 1934, 1938, 1956
   • Super Bowl Titles: XXI, XXV, XLII, XLVI
4. The Giants trailed at halftime in every Super Bowl they played in. (source) The Giants may be 4-1 all-time in the Super Bowl, but they were down on the scoreboard at the halfway point in all five games. The only Super Bowl loss for the Giants came against the Baltimore Ravens on January 28, 2001. In the 34-7 loss, New York’s only score came on a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Ron Dixon.
   • Super Bowl 21: Trailed the Broncos 10-9 (Won 39-20)
   • Super Bowl 25: Trailed the Bills 12-10 (Won 20-19)
   • Super Bowl 35: Ravens led 10-0 (Lost 34-7)
   • Super Bowl 42: Patriots held a 7-3 lead (Won 17-14)
   • Super Bowl 46: Patriots had a 10-9 advantage (Won 21-17)
5. The first New York Giants Quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards was Phil Simms. (source) During the 1984 NFL season, Giants Quarterback Phil Simms threw for 4,044 yards and 22 touchdowns, making him the first Giants signal caller to ever hit that milestone. Over the course of his NFL career, Simms was a two time Super Bowl Champion, received two Pro Bowl honors, and threw for 33,462 yards with 199 touchdown passes.
6. The Giants have appeared in the Playoffs 32 times. (source) 32 seasons for the New York Giants have seen them enter the Playoffs. Their mark of 32 times is the third most in the league behind the Green Bay Packers (34) and Dallas Cowboys (33). The team with the least amount of appearances all-time is the Houston Texans (6).
7. In 1925, the New York Giants were purchased for just $500. (source) Giants founder Tim Mara purchased the New York Giants for less than you received in your Stimulus check. As of September 2020, the franchise was worth $4.3 billion.
8. Following the 2020 season, the Giants all-time record in the regular season is 702-618-33. (source) The Giants are one of only three teams in the league with more than 700 wins in the NFL’s regular season (702), joining the Chicago Bears (777) and Green Bay Packers (769). Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers are closest to joining this elite group, as they sit at 643.

Super Bowl LVII is set to kick off on February 12, 2023 – and there still haven’t been any announcements about who might hit the stage for the halftime show just yet.

The annual football game, which will air on FOX, is set to be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, and fans are already wondering who might be the artist (or artists) that will entertain us during the halftime show.

Following Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak‘s performance this year, we want to know: who do you think should perform at the upcoming game?

There are plenty of stars who’ve gotten fan support and petitions over the years, but still haven’t hit the stage, including Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Pink, Drake and BTS.

Who do you think should perform at the show? Leave comments below – we’ll reveal the results right here on Friday, September 16 at 12 p.m. ET.

The NFL’s largest football stadium is getting a Super Bowl showcase.

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California – home to the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers teams – is playing host to the big game between the Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals on Feb. 13.

It’s a lavish and expensive building that maximizes its Southern California location with unique architecture and landscape design.

“We designed this building to be something that was authentically Californian and Southern California in particular,” says Lance Evans, principal at HKS Architects. “We did that through the design of the exterior of the building — was shaped, it was inspired by the coastline of California, the energy of the wave. But then also, we wanted to really translate and transfer how the experience of a patron into the building can be different.”

The stadium – 3.1 million square feet with the ability to accommodate up to 100,000 people – features a unique “indoor-outdoor” design. It’s capped by a massive, clear roof arching from the ground across the entire arena bowl and an adjoining plaza with a separate 6,000-seat performance venue- but the building also is open at each end and on its concourses.

The roof is made of material that dissipates the heat, and just under it is a unique and massive two-sided oval video board. The vertical seating area keeps fans close to the action.

“Half of the stadium is actually underground, so fans’ expectations and visual cues of the stadium from the parking lot or from the lake are so much different once they cross that threshold of the ticket line and they come to the edge of the bowl,” Evans said. “You know, you see the true magnitude and scale of the building, and it’s great to see a patron’s face, you know, and the fan’s face when they come in for the first time and they see how the seating bowl is vertically oriented. They’re so much closer to the action, the natural light pouring through this building, through the ETFE roof and the Infinity board, you know, kind of immersing them in digital content — it’s almost this attack on the senses that a fan gets once they come to SoFi.”

The stadium’s upscale amenities include 260 luxury suites and more than 13,000 premium seats. Several club areas are intended for attendees who may not even be interested in the games. Several large, connected suites called “Bungalows” sit just beyond the end zones.

“Whether you be a hardcore fan, a fanatic, or you’re a tagalong customer — you just happen to come to the game because your significant other wanted to be here — we wanted to provide spaces around SoFi,” Evans said. “So whether it’s these clubs, the Champagne bar or the whiskey bar, tequila bar, fan platforms throughout each level, we want to provide spaces throughout the stadium that would cater to those unique desires for a fan base and have them equally excited to be a part of the party at SoFi.”

After the 56th Super Bowl, SoFi will host college football’s national championship game in 2023. The 2026 World Cup seems likely to hold matches at the stadium, which is also expected to host the opening and closing ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

The Los Angeles Rams will play at their home building in Super Bowl LVI but aren’t the home team against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The home team designation for the Super Bowl alternates each year between the AFC and NFC champions.

As such, the Bengals will be considered the “home team” at SoFi Stadium on Feb. 13, and the Rams the “road team.”

The 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers became the first team to play the Super Bowl in their home stadium (defeated Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium). The Bucs were designated the home team in Super Bowl LV.

As the home team, the Bengals will choose what uniforms it will wear in Super Bowl LVI. As the road club, the Rams will call the coin toss to open the game — and overtime, if necessary. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Rams will use their own locker room, with the Bengals presumably using the Chargers’ locker room.

The big musical performance of the Super Bowl is, of course, the halftime show, but the pregame ceremony will be worth watching, too. The NFL announced that Grammy-nominee Mickey Guyton will sing the National Anthem, and Jhené Aiko is performing “America The Beautiful.”

Mary Mary will also sing “Lift Every Voice And Sing” accompanied by the L.A. Philharmonic Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, and Zedd will serve as DJ for the pregame during player warmups.

Actor Sandra Mae Frank, who appeared in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist and New Amsterdam, will also perform the National Anthem and “America The Beautiful” in sign language, accompanying Guyton and Aiko.

In 2021, Guyton made history as the first Black artist nominated for Best Country Album at the Grammys. She also received nominations for the 2022 Grammys for Best Country Album, Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance. Aiko is also a Grammy nominee, who was up for Album Of The Year in 2021 with her record, Chilombo. She is also slated to headline Sacramento-based R&B music festival Sol Blume coming up on April 30 and May 1.

As for the halftime show, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Eminem will take the stage. Pepsi released a trailer ahead of the show, showing Dr. Dre as a chessmaster, assembling the ultimate rap group for the Super Bowl. The nearly 4-minute-long trailer features Eminem facing his younger self’s alter ego Slim Shady (using bizarre Star Wars sequels-style CGI), Snoop Dogg driving around LA, Blige having a glam photoshoot, and Lamar focusing on writing what we can assume is the awaited album to follow up 2017’s DAMN.

The Super Bowl LVI is coming up on February 13, starting at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. ET. This year, it’ll be the Cincinnati Bengals versus the Los Angeles Rams.

NFL franchises use contextualized data to create competitive advantages. In order to realize an edge, teams need to employ the right data in the right way at the right time. This means distilling, interpreting and applying only the most influential data in a framework that accounts for personnel, opponents and evolving game situations. My goal is to be YOUR analytics department. Each week this season, I want to work for you by providing a peek into which numbers flag in my models as the most impactful … or the most misunderstood.

This column will follow the format of: one trend to monitor, one news story viewed through the lens of analytics and a couple of my favorite — or least favorite — projections.

As always, let me know if your eye test is picking up on something interesting, or if there’s a stat/trend you’d like me to take a deeper look at. You can hit me up on Twitter @CFrelund. As with any great analytics department, the more collaborative this is, the more value we can create.

Trend to watch: 3 offensive strategies paying off

We’re getting really close to the four-game mark, which typically gives us enough data to get to a comfortable place with sample sizes to create profiles of team identities for the season. Each season, an offense’s ability to deal with pressure is a major theme, predictor of success and important tracking metric. Winning teams cater to their personnel in order to create opportunities to exploit their opponents’ deficiencies. This season, there are three main strategies that seem to be working for offenses early on. Here’s what the data shows thus far, with an example of each:

Shifts and motions. Not all pre-snap disguises and looks that throw defenses off balance are created equal. However, over the past three seasons, teams earned a passer rating that’s about 14 percent higher when they use pre-snap shifts and motions compared with similar downs and distances results when they don’t use them. Some teams are so adept at using these tactics that they see an even more dramatic difference. This season, the Chiefs have used pre-snap shifts and motions on 81 pass plays (third-most in the league), per Next Gen Stats. Patrick Mahomes has been pressured on 27 percent of his total dropbacks, but just 23.5 percent of the time when using shifts and motions. The Chiefs have used motion at the second-highest rate in the league (72% overall, 70% on passing downs) and average 7.1 yards per play with motion compared to 5.8 without. On passing plays, they average 8.7 yards per play when they use motion and 6.3 yards per play without. While there might not be extremely dramatic disparities between the two sets of data, these edges can be the difference between a drive ending in a field goal or a touchdown.
Quick passes and rollouts where the QB throws on the move. Remember, the key here is to design plays and recognize situations where it’s advantageous to use these tactics, not just calling for them on every passing down. NGS shows that Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been pressured on 23.7 percent of dropbacks (ninth-lowest rate among QBs with at least 20 pass attempts). Through Week 3, 52.3 percent of his pass attempts have been quick passes (less than 2.5 seconds) and 11.4 percent have been outside the tackle box. Overall, the average pressure rate for QBs this season is 28.3 percent, but they’ve been pressured just 10.2 percent of the time when they’ve used quick passes (8.7% in Rodgers’ case) and 46.6 percent of the time when throwing outside the tackle box (36.4% for Rodgers, eighth-lowest rate in the league). It’s also worth noting that QBs have been under pressure on 26 percent of attempts outside the tackle box when they have a time to throw of four seconds or less, but Rodgers has faced pressure on just 20 percent of such attempts.

Draws and screens. The Bills have run seven draw plays this season, per Pro Football Focus. That’s tied for the second-most draws in the league — only the Patriots have more with nine. On these seven rushing plays, Buffalo earned 37 yards (5.3 yards per carry). The timing of the draws can help set teams up for success, too. Looking back over eight seasons of data, first-half use of a draw play resulted in about a 22 percent greater touchdown rate on the drive it was used in. As for screens, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts has been pressured on 23.5 percent of dropbacks this season (eighth-lowest rate in the league). Philadelphia has run 21 screens this season (the most in the NFL), and he’s 19-of-20 for 165 yards (8.3 yards per attempt) and a TD on those plays.

Before we move on to the next item, I just want to reiterate that the point is for offenses to find which outlets are successful to mitigate pressure based on personnel and potential. None of these tactics work every time, and they don’t work equally for every team, but the teams that find their identity under pressure quickly create gains that help drive wins. It’s also worth noting that these tactics will need to adapt as defenses adapt, so think of the observed trends as a starting point for success.

Trevon Diggs: Analytics show signs of breakout

With offenses passing more than ever, defensive backs are shaping game outcomes more than ever. This week alone, the Bucs signed Richard Sherman and the Panthers traded for CJ Henderson to help combat cornerback injuries. With that in mind, I thought it was worth looking a bit deeper at an example of how the back end and front end of defenses are working together this season (aka my homage to Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs, who’s tied for the league lead in interceptions with three entering Week 4).

Thus far, Dallas is generating its lowest pressure rate (25.4%) since the start of the 2017 season, but the team is producing its lowest passer rating allowed (59.2) over that span when it does create pressure. Diggs has increased his individual win share by 31 percent in 2021 and part of what has helped drive that is the quality of the pressure up front. Faster and more effective pressure (leading to more scrambles, pocket breakdowns and checkdowns) creates more opportunities for Diggs to exploit. The other factor driving his win-share jump is that Diggs is closer to passing targets when the ball arrives (tracking at about 1.3 yards closer on average) and his hips are facing targets more often in coverage. Typically, hip direction is correlated with reaching a target faster and an increase in the rate of stopping the pass. My research suggests he’s improved his game this season. Coordinator Dan Quinn’s scheme and the opportunities being afforded Diggs have given him the space (literally) to realize those gains.

PROJECTION SECTION

NOTE: The figures cited below are provided by Caesars, current as of 2 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 1.

One Week 4 projection I like: Baltimore defeating Denver.

In 54.4 percent of my simulations for Sunday’s Ravens-Broncos game in Denver, Baltimore wins. On a neutral site, the number would be 56.9 percent. There’s a lot to like about the Broncos’ defense, but one area that’s a potential advantage for the Ravens is their ability to make impact run plays. NGS shows that the Broncos have a 12.2 percent run stuff rate (fourth-lowest in the league).

One Week 4 projection I love: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts earning more than 52.5 rushing yards against the Chiefs.

The Eagles did not leverage Hurts’ rushing potential to its fullest in a Week 3 loss to the Cowboys. Looking at the box score (nine runs for 35 yards) doesn’t really tell the whole story, though. Philadelphia used designed runs on just 9.4 percent of plays last week, but the play-calling forecasts to be different against a Chiefs defense that allowed Lamar Jackson to rush for 107 yards in Week 2.

One Week 4 projection I don’t like: Vikings QB Kirk Cousins passing for more than 281.5 yards against the Browns.

This isn’t meant to be a knock on a guy who’s averaging 306 passing yards per game and completing 73.9 percent of his attempts. This is my model suggesting that facing Cleveland’s secondary, which will likely finish the season among the top three in the league by win share, will limit deep gashes and hold Cousins to a more moderate stat line.