The National Football League is inviting 7,500 vaccinated health care workers to be among the 22,000 fans in attendance at Super Bowl LV next month, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Friday.

“I am the son of a nurse and all of you have a very special place in my heart,” Goodell said during a surprise video conference with health care workers at Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Florida. “I’ve seen the work that you do. My mom used to talk about it all day. It’s just extraordinary work and and we owe you our ongoing gratitude.”

“I want to personally invite each member of your team … to be our guest at the Super Bowl,” Goodell then told the excited hospital workers, some wiping away tears.

The NFL made the decision “following discussions with public health officials, including the CDC, the Florida Department of Health, and area hospitals and health care systems,” according to a press release.
“These officials reviewed and provided feedback on the NFL’s comprehensive plans that will enable the league to host fans and the vaccinated health care workers in a safe and responsible way,” the statement added.

The statement did not mention a timetable for when tickets will be available to the general public.
Super Bowl LV is scheduled to take place at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, February 7. In that case how to stream Super Bowl LV? fan will have to prepare alternative way.

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Either the Buffalo Bills or the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will represent the American Football Conference. Either the Green Bay Packers or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will represent the National Football Conference. If Tampa Bay beats Green Bay the Buccaneers would become the first team in history to play the Super Bowl at home.

The league said health care workers will be recognized with planned tributes in the stadium and during the broadcast.

“These dedicated health care workers continue to put their own lives at risk to serve others, and we owe them our ongoing gratitude, we hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes. This is also an opportunity to promote the importance of vaccination and appropriate health practices, including wearing masks in public settings,” Goodell said.

Courtesy of Homero De La Fuente and Ray Sanchez, CNN

On Sunday afternoon, only one of the two remaining teams in the NFC will advance to Super Bowl LV: the Green Bay Packers, or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A cold and potentially snowy Lambeau Field will play host to this final showdown, a rematch of a much sunnier affair in October, and that is where either Aaron Rodgers or Tom Brady will be crowned king of the conference. It’s where we’ll learn which of these explosive contenders gets to represent the NFC in a hunt for the Lombardi Trophy.

Still undecided on who to root for? Here are five reasons you ought to consider making the Packers your team on Sunday:

1. Aaron Rodgers’ legacy

Some people might scoff at the idea of advocating for a quarterback who’s already been heralded as the best in the NFL for long stretches of his career — a guy whose nine Pro Bowls, two MVP awards and countless NFL records already make him a future candidate for Canton. But it’s not like picking the other team in this NFC Championship will align you with the “underdog” QB. (More on that in a bit.) Regardless of your feelings (envy?) about Rodgers, he’s put in more than enough work to deserve a second ring. Heck, anyone who thrived for so long under Mike McCarthy probably does (no offense, Mike). Seriously, though, just one peek at Rodgers’ career numbers should remind you he’s one of the best to ever do it. He’s a standard-bearer. Another Super Bowl would be fitting.

2. Haven’t we seen Tom Brady enough?

Look, nothing against Brady, who probably deserves even more credit than he’s getting for guiding the Bucs this far and making his ninth conference championship in 10 years (wow, that really is nuts). But unlike Rodgers, Brady’s Super Bowl reputation is already golden. The guy’s got six rings! Seeing him rep a Tampa Bay uniform on Super Sunday would be something, but if history is any indication, he’ll be back in this spot again … and again … and probably again. Rodgers, on the other hand, has not reached the Super Bowl since beating the Steelers on the big stage way back in 2010. Let’s choose freshness here.

RELATED: NFL Super Bowl locations: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 including dates

3. Green Bay’s offense is more exciting

Don’t misread this as saying the Packers have more firepower. It’s easy to look at Tampa Bay’s lineup and leap for joy at the prospect of Brady unleashing deep ball after deep ball to guys like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski. But the reality is, while Brady has flashed the big-play ability down the stretch, Green Bay has easily been more consistently dangerous. For all the big names the Bucs trot out offensively, just look at how they fared against the Saints: Brady finished with 199 passing yards, mostly due to dink-and-dunk work, while Brown, Evans and Godwin combined for just six catches and 47 yards. Granted, the Bucs leaned on short fields from takeaways, but if you’re looking for true big-play dominance, the Pack are the safer bet.

4. Matt LaFleur deserves more respect

This could probably be No. 1 or No. 2 on the list, to be honest. How quickly we forget that the Packers’ current coach — the man chosen to succeed Mike McCarthy — was almost universally panned upon his hiring. LaFleur was a relatively anonymous candidate. He hadn’t stayed in one place for more than two seasons in the six years leading up to Green Bay. He told Sean McVay to fire him during his lone season as Rams offensive coordinator. The Titans passed over him for Mike Vrabel, then got him to accept a job under Vrabel. And yet, as Green Bay’s chief of staff, he’s only overseen a 28-7 record, including two straight NFC title-game bids, in his first two years on the job. This guy demands more respect. A trip to the Super Bowl would catapult him into bigger conversations.

RELATED: Who is Playing Super Bowl LV Halftime? Everything You Need to Know About This Year’s Show

5. Greater potential for an explosive Super Bowl

Again, Brady’s Bucs have the tools to play a high-scoring game, but in big games this year, they’ve often relied on their defense — or shrunk to a more conservative offensive approach — to secure the victory. Imagine, in contrast, watching a Super Bowl where Rodgers goes toe to toe with Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen. That, ladies and gentlemen, is guaranteed fireworks. As a bonus, should Kansas City top Buffalo in the AFC Championship Game, we’d be getting a rematch of the first-ever Super Bowl. The stories would write themselves!

Courtesy of Cody Benjamin at CBSSports.com

It can’t be disputed that Super Wild Card Weekend was a rousing success, dripping with storylines that included everything from an earth-rattling upset to thrillers that went to the wire. Even Nickelodeon got in on the fun, entertaining us with slime cannons and lighthearted commentary that tapped into the kid in all of us, along with actual kids they successfully entertained and kept tuned in for four quarters. And speaking of cannons, the quarterbacks preparing to take the field in the NFL divisional round are certainly not lacking for one, set to square up against some of the best defenses professional football has to offer this season. It’s all ramping up to the inevitable finale that is Super Bowl LV, set to be held in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, February 7.

But what battles would be the top draw at Raymond James Stadium?

Each of the final eight teams has a shot at making it happen, to varying degrees and with their own list of respective challenges, and while you could roll the dice in the remaining field of teams and get a fantastic matchup this February — five potential clashes truly stand out. So as we ourselves look ahead to what should be another exciting playoff weekend in the NFL, let’s jump ahead a bit and discuss five possible Super Bowl scenarios that would probably melt both our televisions and our eyes.

1. Chiefs (1) vs. Buccaneers (5)

This matchup needs no introduction.

The first time Patrick Mahomes was given the nod as a full-time starter in the NFL, he went on a record-setting tear to lead the Chiefs to a playoff berth and a clash in the AFC Conference Championship against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, losing in overtime thanks to a clutch throw from Brady to future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski. Mahomes would avenge his budding legacy by going on to win a Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP honors last season, but he never again got a shot at Brady and Gronkowski in the postseason. Fast forward to the present and Brady and Gronk are hoping to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first championship since 2002, and nothing would make for a better headline than him being tasked with going through Mahomes a second time, while Mahomes would work up a lather just thinking about avenging the playoff loss from two years ago.

2. Chiefs (1) vs. Packers (1)

This is the current collision course in the NFL, and it’s not hard to see why. Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback in the league but, right now, so is Aaron Rodgers — the front runner to land league MVP honors after leading Green Bay on a tear this season that can only be matched by what Mahomes is doing in Kansas City. The difference is Rodgers was considered in the dusk of his career, and the drafting of Jordan Love by the Packers only served to hammer home that narrative, but Rodgers would have none of it. With the help of an outstanding year by wideout Davante Adams and an opportunistic defense, the former league MVP is playing some of (if not the) best ball of his illustrious career, and seeing him square off with a younger former league MVP and reigning Super Bowl MVP for a chance at landing his second ring would be dynamite doused in gasoline. Meanwhile, Mahomes will have a shot at derailing a legend, further assuring his status as one himself.

3. Packers (1) vs. Bills (2)

Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs versus Aaron Rodgers and Devante Adams.

Talk about a headline. That writes itself and with a mountain of anticipation, seeing as this would be a matchup no one would be able to look away from. If you get up for popcorn, you’ll miss a big play. If you scamper off to the restroom, you’ll miss a big play — so forth and so on. These are two offenses that can blow the roof off of the scoreboard, and Allen is looking to solidify himself as the next big thing at quarterback in the NFL, but Rodgers is closer than he’s been in a long time to finally grabbing a second Super Bowl ring with no promises he’ll ever get this close again. The defenses for both teams will be under siege for 60 football minutes as the two QBs — both of whom can also make plays with their legs — launch a nuclear attack that would all of us with singed eyebrows. It also needs to be said that as furiously thirsty as Bills Mafia is for a return to glory, doing so at the expense of the Packers (who’ll enter this matchup as favorites) would be icing on the cake.

4. Packers (1) vs. Ravens (5)

Speaking of potentially seeing a legend derailed by a young up-and-comer, say hello to Lamar Jackson.

Jackson is reigning league MVP and is hot off of an exorcism of the Tennessee Titans, obliterating the narrative he can’t perform when the lights are the brightest. The road to the Super Bowl won’t get any easier for the Ravens as they ready to face the dynamic Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round, but it would be gobs of fun to watch the seasoned and wily Rodgers go toe-to-toe with a quarterback who not only makes game-breaking throws, but who also teleports downfield when he chooses to take off and run. To make things that much more spicy, aside from the fact these two fanbases loathe each other, is the fact Jackson has never once played the Packers in his young NFL career. If the first time it happens is with a Lombardi on the line, and a legend on the opposite sideline, the NFL will easily garner some of the highest TV ratings ever for The Big Game.

5. Saints (2) vs. Browns (6)

Let’s really, really have some fun with a curveball here.

The Browns aren’t supposed be in the AFC Divisional Round, right? After all, that’s what the Steelers believed, both before Pittsburgh got their lunch money stolen at home by Cleveland and afterward — wideout Chase Claypool doubling down on the shade from compatriot JuJu Smith-Schuster by predicting the Browns will “get clapped” by the Chiefs. Maybe they will, but they’re reloaded now from COVID-19 issues, so maybe they won’t. And if they can find a way to shock the world a second straight week and then one final time in the AFC Championship, few things would be better than pitting an organization that hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2002 against one who rarely misses it. Baker Mayfield has proven himself not only a fiery locker room leader of men but also anything but a draft bust, while the Saints hope to send Drew Brees in potential retirement on the highest note possible.

Courtesy of Patrik Walker at CBSSports.com

The 2021 Super Bowl is just around the corner (February 7, to be exact), which means it’s the perfect time to find incredible deals on a range of big-screen TVs. To help you find the very best bargain, we’ve rounded up the best Super Bowl TV deals and sales below from retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Amazon and included top brands such as Samsung, LG, Sony, and more.

Our top Super Bowl TV picks include everything from a mid-size 50-inch TV to a massive 75-inch set, with features such as HDR and voice control, and at a range of prices to meet all your football viewing needs.

To make things easier for you, we’ve split our selection of TVs into three categories: the outright best TVs for watching the Super Bowl, the best mid-range TVs, and the best budget TVs. We’ve included a range of different sizes in each category, and we’ve also picked a standout model for our Super Bowl TV deal of the week.

Shop our best Super Bowl 2021 TV deals below, and make sure to bookmark this page as we’ll be updating it will the best TV bargains leading up to the big game event.

• Super Bowl 2021 live stream: learn how to watch the game online from anywhere

The Weeknd will headline the Super Bowl LV Halftime Show on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.

The three-time Grammy award winner announced the news this past November.

“We all grow up watching the world’s biggest acts playing the Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position. I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage this year,” The Weeknd said in an official release.

The performance will be produced in part by Roc Nation, which is also serving as a strategic advisor for the showcase.

The Weeknd’s 2020 album, After Hours, is the No. 1 most streamed R&B album of all time, and his 80s nostalgic track “Blinding Lights” went five-times RIAA-certified platinum, breaking the record for Billboard’s longest-running No. 1 on its U.S. radio chart at 46 weeks and counting. He has also recently made a number of acting appearances, including in the 2019 film Uncut Gems.

Last year’s Super Bowl halftime show, which drew more than 104 million viewers, showcased Jennifer Lopez and Shakira.

Super Bowl halftime performances started as smaller productions, but after Michael Jackson headlined the 1993 show, the league made a more conscious effort to secure big name performers during the longer-than-normal halftime break.

Performances were also crafted around a theme until 2002, but following U2’s tribute to the lives lost in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, themes were dropped from the halftime performances. Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Prince highlight a list of some of the biggest names to perform at halftime of football’s biggest show.

This year, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the league is reportedly planning for a 20% seating capacity at the upcoming Super Bowl, which is set to take place in Tampa, Fla.

The game itself is set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Some good news for football fans in Tampa Bay and beyond.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday the league plans to allow fans in the stands at Super Bowl LV, according to multiple reports.

The Super Bowl is set for Feb. 7, 2021, at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium.

NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero says Goodell made the announcement after NFL owners “unanimously approved” a contingency plan that allows for the playoff field to expand from 14 to 16 teams if “meaningful games are canceled because of COVID-19.”

Goodell says teams will not be re-seeded, however, according to Pelissero.

“Goodell reiterates the goal is to have all teams complete a full schedule in 17 weeks and play the Super Bowl — with fans in the stands — on Feb. 7 in Tampa,” Pelissero tweeted. “Today’s resolution only triggers if one or more games impacting playoff spots or seeding are canceled because of COVID-19.”

Similarly, ESPN’s Chris Mortenson reported Goodell “reaffirmed” the NFL’s Super Bowl plan for fans attending the game. Mortenson added the league already announced “the plan for a 20 percent capacity for Super Bowl fans.”

Goodell reaffirmed NFL is planning for fans on Feb. 7 in Tampa for the Super Bowl but not counting on a vaccine at this moment.
The league already had announced the plan for a 20 percent capacity for Super Bowl fans so that does not chance at this juncture.

— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) November 10, 2020

Last month, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the NFL anticipated a 20 percent seating capacity. If that pans out for the February 2021 event, it comes out to a little more than 13,000 fans in the stands for a stadium that seats about 66,000 people.

RELATED: NFL could limit stadium capacity at Super Bowl LV in Tampa

Super Bowl organizers say details haven’t been finalized and are subject to change based on the latest health and safety guidelines available in February.

In a statement, the NFL said: “there is no set capacity figure at this time.” But one such capacity scenario includes a 20-percent cap, the league continued.

“The safety of the public, attendees, players and personnel continues to be our foremost priority. We are working on a host of Super Bowl plans, including gameday, in conjunction with the host committee and the appropriate local and county public health and government officials.

“There is no set capacity figure at this time as we continue to monitor the ongoing pandemic with more than three months to go before the Superbowl on Feburary 7.

You can watch Super Bowl LV live right here on 10 Tampa Bay on Feb. 7, 2021.

Courtesy of wtsp.com
Author: 10 Tampa Bay

The Weeknd will bring his popular falsetto vocals to the 2021 Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show.

NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation announced Thursday that the three-time Grammy Award winner will be the headline performer on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

RELATED: NFL Super Bowl locations: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 including dates

The Weeknd said he’s humbled by the opportunity. He posted a photo of himself with the logo of the halftime show on social media to announce the news.

“We all grow up watching Super Bowl and one can only dream of being in that position,” the singer said in a statement. “I’m humbled, honored and ecstatic to be the center of that infamous stage.”

The Weeknd broke though into mainstream with his smash hit “Can’t Feel My Face” that was featured on his second studio album, “Beauty Behind the Madness,” which topped the Billboard 200 in 2015 and won a Grammy. He’s had three other chart-topping albums including his recent offering “After Hours,” which was released in March.

Earlier this year, The Weeknd’s hit single “Blinding Lights” became his fifth song to peak at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He’s also won Grammys for his album “Starboy” and the song “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey).”

“The Weeknd has introduced a sound all his own,” said Jay-Z, founder of Roc Nation. “His soulful uniqueness has defined a new generation of greatness in music and artistry. This is an extraordinary moment in time and the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show is going to be an extraordinary experience with an extraordinary performer.”

Roc Nation and Emmy-nominated producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. The game and halftime show will air live on CBS.

It’s the second year of collaboration between the NFL, Pepsi and Roc Nation.

“We are thrilled to have The Weeknd join us in Tampa Bay on the Pepsi Halftime Stage,” said Brian Rolapp, the NFL’s chief media and business officer. “Halftime show performances have a history of excellence and creativity and we look forward to seeing what he will bring to Super Bowl LV.”

The Weeknd, whose real name is, Abel Tesfaye, joins a list of celebrated musicians who have played during Super Bowl halftime shows, including Madonna, Beyoncé, Coldplay, Katy Perry, U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson and last year’s duo of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

Courtesy of ABC11.com

The 2021 Super Bowl will look and feel very different from past Super Bowls. Apart from not having a full stadium (the league disputes that a decision has been made to fill Raymond James Stadium to only 20-percent capacity), Sports Business Daily reports that multiple major events associated with Super Bowl week will be virtual only.

Opening Night, for example, will have no ticketed access and all-virtual player interviews, in accordance with the agreement reached between the NFL and NFL Players Association. Likewise the NFL Honors awards show will be a virtual, made-for-TV production, without a red carpet or tickets to the event.

“Plans continue to evolve,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Sports Business Daily in confirming the changes to Opening Night and NFL Honors.

None of this should surprise anyone. The usual activity of Super Bowl week simply won’t be happening this year. And it’s impossible to imagine the full week of broadcasts and player interviews and everything else that normally happens in the host city.

Hopefully, it’s a one-year-only deviation from normalcy.

Courtesy of NBCSports.com

The NFL is moving forward with plans for a reduced-capacity Super Bowl LV, to be played Feb. 7 even if the league ultimately adds an 18th week to its regular season, ESPN reported.

One other note to the limited seating now expected at Super Bowl LV: If a Week 18 is added to this regular season, the off week would be eliminated and Super Bowl LV would stay on February 7. pic.twitter.com/wANGPM1Z7f

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2020

At this point, the NFL is planning to hold capacity to 20% at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium, which normally holds 65,000 fans. With temporary seating, its capacity could have been enlarged to nearly 75,000. Fans will be in pods 6 feet apart and masks will be required.

“The safety of the public, attendees, players and personnel continues to be our foremost priority. We are working on a host of Super Bowl plans, including gameday, in conjunction with the host committee and the appropriate local and county public health and government officials,” the NFL said in a statement.
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“There is no set capacity figure at this time as we continue to monitor the ongoing pandemic with more than three months to go before the Super Bowl on February 7. There have been 19 teams that have already or have been authorized by public authorities to host regular season games. The average has been around 20 percent with fans seated in pods and everyone wearing face coverings. Among the scenarios we are exploring is a capacity of around that figure but we anticipate it could grow as we get closer to the game.”

During the regular season, the NFL has left attendance decisions to home teams in conjunction with state and local authorities. Half of the league’s teams have had paid attendance for at least one game; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hosted an average of 10,961 fans at two home games.

As it maneuvers through the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL has kept open the possibility of pushing back the Super Bowl for up to four weeks in order to complete its regular season. But it would prefer to keep it on schedule if at all possible, and at this point all rescheduled games have been fit under the existing 17-week structure.

If the league needs an extra week to finish the regular season, it will eliminate the extra week that is normally scheduled between the Super Bowl and the NFC and AFC Championship Games.

The NFL’s biggest event of the year could be pushed back all the way to March if necessary, under a contingency plan that Green Bay Packers President Mark Murphy confirmed existed.

Both Murphy and Super Bowl organizers hope the Super Bowl is played on Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. But, Murphy’s comments suggest the game could conceivably be played as late as March 7 if coronavirus pandemic conditions warranted.

The NFL already went ahead and canceled the Pro Bowl to put more focus into the postseason. It’s the first time that’s happened since 1949.

Murphy’s Super Bowl LV remarks came during a virtual pep rally Tuesday. He is the first member of an NFL front office to publicly confirm that contingency plan.

10 Tampa Bay is the official media partner of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee. President and CEO Rob Higgins sent the following statement on Thursday:

“We’re in constant communication with our great partners at the NFL and our collective focus is totally on February 7th at this time. We’re event planners and are designed to be flexible, but as of today, we’re continuing to plan for an unforgettable Super Bowl that takes place on February 7th at Raymond James Stadium.”

The pandemic has already forced the league to shuffle more than a dozen games, and there’s a possibility that more games will have to be postponed.

At the end of September, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis voiced his support for any Florida NFL teams’ decisions to allow fans at games.

“We’re gonna be able to host a Super Bowl in February,” he said then. “We expect to do a full Super Bowl. And, we’re gonna show that we’ll be able to do that.”

Around the same time, NFL leaders in charge of planning Super Bowl LV voiced their hopes that fans will be in attendance for the big game at Raymond James Stadium.

“Our hope is going to be to fill the stadium with fans,” Jon Barker said in September. Barker is the NFL’s head of live event production.

WTHR contributed to this report.