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Super Bowl: For Bosa, It’s Revenge

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LAS VEGAS -(Staff and Wire Service Report) – Losing in the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs four seasons ago has never slipped the mind of San Francisco 49ers star Nick Bosa. The defensive end said he documented his feelings and will break them out later this week as part of his preparation for Sunday’s rematch.

“No sharing but there are a couple recordings that I have,” Bosa said at Monday’s Super Bowl Opening Night. “I had some thoughts and I didn’t want to forget them so they’re in my phone.”

Bosa and the 49ers had a 10-point lead past the midway point of the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LIV before Kansas City scored 21 straight points to post a 31-20 victory at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Bosa scored one sack of Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes in that game and is eager for more.

“What stands out is very thin margins,” said Bosa, referring to Mahomes’ quick release and escape ability. “Very grateful for the opportunity against the same team. We have to make it count this time.”

Bosa and the 49ers figure to bring pressure with the Kansas City offense sometimes having issues against physical units.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid hasn’t forgotten the struggles of dealing with Bosa and the rest of San Francisco’s front seven four years ago.

“There were some running lanes early. They closed those up,” Reid said of the previous Super Bowl. “Their front — it starts with them. They’re really good, their front four. And then two of the most athletic linebackers in the league (in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw).”

Yet even with the 49ers’ four sacks in the game, Mahomes still made the San Francisco defense pay.

“There’s a few plays in the Super Bowl we look back at that were very big plays where he made plays with his legs,” Bosa said.

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Bosa had 10.5 sacks this season after needing time to find his stride after a long holdout.

He agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract as the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history shortly before the season started.

“It’s definitely a weight off your back getting your second deal done and just having that out of the equation,” Bosa said. “It was a stressful time. I’m glad it’s over with.”

One season earlier, Bosa had a league-best 18.5 sacks and won NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. He has 53.5 sacks in 68 regular-season games.

Bosa has 10 sacks in 11 postseason contests, including two in the NFC Championship Game when the 49ers rallied from a 17-point deficit to claim a 34-31 victory over Detroit.

Bosa isn’t the only key San Francisco defender looking to close the door on past demons.

Warner repeatedly replays the former Super Bowl loss in his mind. He intercepted Mahomes in that game but the fourth-quarter collapse is what’s at the forefront of his thoughts.

“The biggest thing I take away from that game is the game is never over until that clock hits triple zeros,” Warner said. “That’s the biggest takeaway.

“I remember guys on the sidelines in that fourth quarter real happy and excited about possibly becoming Super Bowl champions and things flipped on a dime real quick. (Kansas City) scoring 21 unanswered in about six minutes.

“That scar remains with me to this day.”

–Field Level Media

SB LVIII: Reid Will Know When It’s Time

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid embraces Tommy Bahama button-town style to the extent questions about retirement no longer inspire shock and disdain.

“My mom and dad told me a long time ago, ‘You’ll know when it’s time,’” Reid said Monday at Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night at Allegiant Stadium. “I’m here. And I’m still ready to go right now.”

But at age 65, another question might apply to Reid by Sunday night: Could he become the GOAT?

“I don’t think about that sort of thing really,” Reid said.

Reid is second in NFL history with 25 playoff wins and fourth in regular-season victories with 258. Recently unemployed Bill Belichick ranks No. 1 with 31 postseason victories and is closing in on Don Shula’s regular-season wins mark. Belichick stands at a grand total of 333 victories (302 in the regular season).

Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has coached against Belichick and worked for Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chiefs. He wouldn’t claim to have foreseen Reid chasing 300 career wins, but he did see greatness in the young coach groomed under Mike Holmgren with the Green Bay Packers.

“You knew immediately that Andy knew exactly how to do it,” Spagnuolo said Monday, adding the detail-oriented Reid has encyclopedic volumes of notes from his coaching experiences and offseason visits to college programs to keep learning and exploring what’s next. “He never looks riled. Rock solid. He never gets too high, never gets too low. Stays the course all the way through. When the coaches, the players see that — they follow.”

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Reid snapped Kansas City’s 49-year streak without a Super Bowl appearance when the Chiefs claimed Lombardi Trophy after the 2019 season. He has taken Kansas City to four Super Bowls in the past five seasons and is pursuing his third title.

Since being hired by the Chiefs in January 2013, Reid hasn’t had a losing record in 11 seasons. No other franchise has a streak of consecutive non-losing seasons higher than five during that same window.

Fired by the Eagles in 2012 after 14 seasons in Philadelphia, Reid isn’t underappreciated in Kansas City. Before his arrival, the Chiefs hadn’t won a playoff game since January 1994, when Shula was still coaching the Miami Dolphins. Miami beat the Chiefs in the playoffs the following season.

That was one of Shula’s 347 total wins. He logged 328 victories in the regular season.

Reid stands at 283 total, 64 behind Shula’s all-time record tally.

But Reid’s 28-year-old quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is set to become the youngest to start four Super Bowls — a clip two years ahead of Tom Brady, who started his fourth at age 30 with the New England Patriots under Belichick.

With Reid — who drafted Mahomes in 2017 — they’re on a run of eight consecutive AFC West division titles and six straight AFC Championship Games.

Could Reid catch Belichick and Shula? Well, it depends.

Belichick, 71, and the Patriots split in January. Pete Carroll, 72, and the Seattle Seahawks did, too. That makes Reid the NFL’s elder statesman with his 66th birthday on March 19, six days after NFL free agency begins and less than a week before he is scheduled to represent the Chiefs at league meetings in Orlando.

Within the NFL pantheon of coaching legends, greatness narratives often are coupled with dynasty-level success, the type Reid is in the throes of with the Chiefs.

He has 37 regular-season wins and eight playoff wins in the past three seasons with a chance to get another playoff “W” this week. Including the Chiefs’ franchise-record 14 wins in 2020 (a mark they matched in 2022), Reid’s four-season totals are 51 wins, 10 in the playoffs.

For now, Reid wants to keep his focus on the next one.

He has never lost in Las Vegas (4-0 vs. the Raiders) and said the Chiefs are thanking the Raiders for the Christmas Day defeat in Kansas City that lit a spark under the team.

“We had some ups and downs throughout the year,” Reid said. “It was good to see the young guys step up and finish strong. The growth would be the biggest part of the journey.”

–By Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media

Goodell Welcomed Swiftie Effect

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has attended two Taylor Swift concerts with his two daughters and his wife, but chances are, he never thought his status as a “Swiftie” would bleed over into the workplace.

But it has.

Swift has taken the NFL world by storm due to her relationship with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and Goodell had nothing but good things to say on Monday about the couple’s impact on football.

“Having the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ is also a positive,” Goodell told reporters. “Both Travis and Taylor are wonderful young people, and they seem very happy. She knows great entertainment, and I think that’s why she loves NFL football.

“Obviously, it creates a buzz. It creates another group of young fans, particularly young women, that are interested in seeing why she is going to this game, why she is interested in this game. Besides (her relationship with) Travis, she is a football fan, and I think that’s great for us.”

Kansas City beat the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game on Jan. 28, leading some fans to believe that the outcome was pre-planned in order to have Swift draw more viewers for the Super Bowl. The 14-time Grammy Award winner is expected to be in attendance when the Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but Goodell made it clear that he is far from capable of cooking up such a storyline.

“I don’t think I’m that good of a scripter — or anybody on our staff,” Goodell said. “Listen, there is no way I could have scripted that one, let’s put it that way.”

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Swift has been spotted at 12 of Kelce’s games this season, with Kansas City coming out on top in nine of them. She first attended the Chiefs’ 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears back on Sept. 24.

Of course, there has been some backlash from the NFL’s focus on Swift over the past five months, but Goodell is hoping that she sticks around.

“I think anybody in this society, when they’re in a public position, (is) going to be subject to criticism,” Goodell said. “Taylor is obviously a dynamo. Everything she touches, there are people following. So we count ourselves fortunate and we welcome it.”

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | February 4

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While We’re Young (Ideas) on St. John’s and the BIG EAST

Maybe it’s the Red Storm Mascot and Nickname That’s Cursed The Johnnies?

 

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – You have to turn the calendar back to Sunday, August 13 (NFL preseason) or Sunday, September 10 (NFL regular season openers) to mark a Sunday when there wasn’t an NFL game to tune into and that discards today’s flag football version of the NFL Pro Bowl.

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In place of hard-hitting NFL action, the sports calendar offered up a couple gems, including the NHL All-Star Weekend (to be mentioned later), the first of two Duke vs North Carolina regular season contests – the best rivalry in NCAA College Basketball. Or, you could’ve opted for Caitlin Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes were live, against the BIG 10 Maryland Terps, in primetime women’s NCAA Basketball on (regular) FOX, Saturday night at 8pm (ET). (Note: FOX Sports deployed a Caitlin Cam for those who wanted to view 100% of the broadcast focused on Ms. Clark, available only on the FOX Sports app).

The Boston Red Sox used the slow sports news weekend to bring back Theo Epstein to the mother ship, as the one-time GM of the Sox returned for a senior Advisory role for all of the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) properties, including the Red Sox. That no worry to newly hired Boston GM Craig Breslow who was hired by Epstein back when Theo the Miracle Worker was orchestrating the first MLB Championship for the Chicago Cubs (2016) which came not long after Epstein broke the 1918 “Curse of the Bambino” with a 2004 Red Sox World Series pennant.

It’s not clear whether Epstein will place more of his attention on FSG’s new investment into the PGA Tour, their efforts with Liverpool in the English Premier League or maybe the new entry – The Boston Common – in the one-year delayed TGL Golf entity.

Regardless, Epstein was welcomed back to New England with open arms of fans hoping his experiences at the Cubs and Major League Baseball might shore-up a baseball team that’s destined for another last place finish in the competitive AL EAST.

Last place? Yes, as in:

AL EAST Prediction:

  1. Baltimore Orioles
  2. New York Yankees
  3. Tampa Bay Rays
  4. Toronto Blue Jays
  5. Boston Red Sox

Remember, the Orioles won 101 games last season and they’ve improved while the NY Yankees signed free agent slugger Juan Soto and starters Marcus Stroman and Luke Weaver, all questionable moves with the aging stars.

Rain-drenched Pebble Beach and Spyglass golf courses were of no help to the PGA Tour which threw us another curve ball – let’s call it a flop shot – when they announced a new but long talked-about entity – SSG (Strategic Sports Group) – invested a cool $3 billion into the tour via PGA Tour Enterprises, an investment and marketing arm for the Tour which will be valued at $12 billion to start but will hold a huge open chunk of equity7 for an eventual investment by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) with the pot of new dough “subject to all necessary regulatory approvals” by the United States’ Treasury, State and Justice departments.

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: This brings us to today’s BIG TOPIC – the BIG EAST Conference, a highly competitive basketball focused conference now deep into the 2024 regular season with a post season tournament scheduled March 8-12 that is second to none.

The reason it is second to none? It’s an easy answer. It’s The Garden.

Madison Square Garden brings out the best in sports, in music, in everything.

Bono, of U2, said his band “has had our best nights in this building.” That was particularly true when U2 played one of the first rock shows after 9/11 and decided to scroll the names of every person (crews/passengers/everyone) murdered on the three flights and those on the ground at The Pentagon.

The Concert for New York was another magical night, not long after the Trade Towers fell, as was 12/12/12 – The Concert for Sandy Relief. They followed many others, from No Nukes to George Harrison.

But basketball is king at The Garden and St. John’s – which boasts as New York’s Team – is the only college that calls Madison Square Garden its home. Tjhat should be a HUGE advantage when teams visit during the regular season, for the Holiday Festival or for the BIG EAST Conference Tournament.

Sadly of late, it hasn’t mattered one bit.

Truth be told, this columnist owns a handful of seasons tickets for St John’s, dating back to 1977-78. This year, because of the preseason hype and ticket demand – much of it because of the hiring of Coach Rick Pitino – the number of seats was upped to eight – all in the hope of reliving a season as a Top 10 team, one that held court at The Garden and spit out any opponent daring to venture towards Penn Plaza.

That is no longer the case. Other schools waltz into MSG and sell out the joint – like a Baylor vs Duke game earlier this season. Duke even closed down most of the bars and restaurants on 7th Avenue with alumni gatherings and fund raisers. Duke made more money in one night than they do for a whole season at the Cameron Indoor Center on the bucolic campus in Durham, Carolina.

St. John’s lowered its appearances at MSG to four last season but Pitino is planning to schedule more games in the city and leave only some exhibitions, some patsys, and one BIG GAME at Carnesecca Arena, and that being UConn – a college with 10,000 of more ticket-scalping fans. At Saturday’s 77-64 drubbing of the Johnnies in front of 10,000 UConn fans and, maybe, 9,000 St. John’s fans – who were mostly quiet anyway.

As St. John’s center Joel Soriano said quite well, when he said, “There’s a little bit more meaning to it (the games) now just because we have been losing some games that we haven’t been closing out. Our backs are kind of plastered against the wall.

“We’ve got to finish out the season strong if we are going to make the NCAA Tournament,” Soriano added. “We all know that, the coaching staff knows that, our teammates know that and really we are just beating ourselves at the end of the day. We just got to finish our games.”

The fingers could not be pointed elsewhere. Soriano indicated he knew his game was nowhere near where it should be at this point in the season. His honesty and maturity was evident. His game? Invisible.

Thirty-three minutes, 2-of-6 from the field, 2-of-5 from the FT line, a lowly four rebounds and only two assists with one blocked shot. It was one of only four shots blocked by the team – a club which shot 4-of-14 from 3 Pt. FG range (29%) and 14-of-21 from the FT line (67%).

UConn, their opponent, shot 20-of-22 from the line (91%) and drained 47% of their 3 Pt. FGs – all on an unfamiliar rim in The Garden of Eden.

St. John’s hasn’t won the BIG EAST tournament since 2000, and 1986 before that. They haven’t won a Sweet 16 game since that ‘99 season and in 1991 before that. Only 1985 brought the modern day Johnnies to the Final Four where they were smoked by Georgetown.

For the 21st Century, St, John’s has been the FYRE Festival of Fashion Avenue.

Meanwhile their opponents in the BIG EAST have loaded and re-loaded their programs with talent and determination. Only Chicago’s DePaul University can claim to have less success.

In many a year, a typical BIG EAST basketball schedule made it damn near impossible to win a road game. That remains the case for most UConn, Seton Hall, Marquette, Creighton and Providence homers. Not so much for St. John’s as they’ve slipped to a 5-6 BIG EAST record (.455) with an 0-4 record against any team ranked.

UConn coach Danny Hurley and his No. 1 ranked Huskies remain the team to beat. No. 9/10 Marquette is trending upward while No. 13 Creighton – toughest at home – will be a very tough out at the conference tournament or in the NCAAs.

Pitino has nine regular season games to right the ship. Five of the nine are winnable games while four (@Marquette, @Providence, vs. Seton Hall and vs. Creighton) will be tuffies, as the Aussies say.

Pitino seems to have one player he can count on in guard Danis Jenkins, a transfer who followed Pitino from Iona. Other scorers, highly touted in their recruiting nes releases, but overmatched in a step-up (from IVY League types) to BIG EAST level competition.

At this point of the season, it’s really not on Coach Pitino to pull off a miracle, as he’s done in the past at Louisville or in the Wayback machine at Providence. It’s squarely on the players to plant their feet and make a stand. They need to do it on New York city hardwood, at The Garden, the Garden of Eden where they once dominated.

NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND: The NHL proved something that most hockey fans already knew coming into this weekend’s NHL All-Star Weekend and NHL Skills Competition.

That fact? Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers is the best player in the NHL.

The National Hockey League has fast become a game of speed and McDavid was on display in the fastest skating competition on Friday night. In fact, McDavid was the leader all the way through the Skills competition thanks to finishing first in the previously mentioned NHL Fastest Skater (13.408 seconds), best in the NHL Stickhandling contest (25.755 seconds) and his display in the NHL Accuracy Shooting contest, when he went 4-for-4 on the targets in 9.158 seconds. His only drawback was in the (seemingly impossible) Passing Contest.

The revamped format for the Skills competition featured 12 skaters and eight goalies, leading to one overall winner. McDavid spoke with Steve Mayer, the NHL’s executive vice president and chief content officer, to give his opinion on what could work.

“I thought it was entertaining,” McDavid said. “From a competitive side, it definitely got competitive out there. I was huffing and puffing. Guys were working hard trying to put on a good show, and I feel like we did that and we can feel good about it. Ultimately, it’s up to the fans, and I hope they enjoyed it.”

For his efforts in the Skills contest, McDavid took home a cool $1 million in a “winner-take-all” scenario.

Super Bowl LVIII: Line Dancing for KC

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Heavy early money backing the Kansas City Chiefs led to multiple changes in the betting line within 24 hours of the matchup for Super Bowl LVIII being set.

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The San Francisco 49ers opened as 2.0-point favorites shortly after storming from behind to beat the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday night. However, the line dipped as low as 1.0 points at sportsbooks including DraftKings and BetMGM, where the Chiefs had been backed by 78 percent of the spread-line money as of Monday morning.

The line has since shifted back to San Francisco being favored by 1.5 points at both sportsbooks, who both have the Over/Under points total at 47.5 points. The early money at BetMGM has the Over being backed by 90 percent of the money wagered on the market.

Sportsbooks were widely pulling for the Lions to upset the 49ers, who are the biggest Super Bowl liability at many sportsbooks, and that remains the case ahead of facing the Chiefs.

“Even though early action is on the Chiefs as underdogs, the sportsbook is cheering for a Kansas City victory,” BetMGM senior trading manager Tristan David said.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the early favorite to claim his third Super Bowl MVP award. The MVP of Super Bowls LIV and LVII, Mahomes is +120 to claim No. 3 at BetMGM, where he opened the season at +1000. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is second at +220, followed by teammate Christian McCaffrey at +450.

Mahomes has drawn 20 percent of the MVP money at DraftKings, where he is also +120. Teammate Travis Kelce has far longer odds at +1200, but the tight end has been the second most popular early pick with 14 percent of the money backing him.

The most popular player prop at DraftKings has been McCaffrey at -155 to lead all players in combined rushing and receiving yards. He has also been the most popular Anytime Touchdown play despite -215 odds.

–Field Level Media

Super Teams, Super Bowl, Super Prices

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – With the NFL’s title game in Las Vegas for the first time, combined with the Taylor Swift effect on the Kansas City Chiefs’ side and the San Francisco 49ers’ West Coast fandom, ticket prices are a record level for Super Bowl LVIII.

According to ticket aggregator TicketIQ, the average secondary ticket market list pricing for the Feb. 11 game at Allegiant Stadium has reached a record $10,752. Tickets for Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Fla., went for a higher number but the pandemic limited capacity to just 25,000.

Average prices for Super Bowl LVIII were at a record $9,815 on online marketplace TickPick, an increase of 70 percent over last year’s title game, Front Office Sports reported.

Making their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons, the Chiefs have been a popular team for years. Support for the Chiefs has been bolstered by Swift’s relationship with star tight end Travis Kelce, which has the pop star’s fans swooning from coast to coast.

The 49ers, who are aiming to join the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers with the most Super Bowl wins (six), are highly popular on social media. It also doesn’t hurt that San Francisco is loaded with offensive stars — Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Brock Purdy.

Wrapping it all up is the fact that Las Vegas, a destination for millions of partygoers, is hosting the country’s largest single sporting event.

“This is probably one of the lower-impact (potential) matchups, actually, and demand is still up,” TicketIQ founder and CEO Jesse Lawrence told Front Office Sports. “All bets are off for where this goes over the next two weeks, but I do think team demand is less of a factor this year, and the Vegas location is definitely helping drive this.”

Just to get into this Super Bowl, it’ll cost fans more than $7,000, one of the highest non-COVID figures for the annual event.

However, had the Detroit Lions prevailed over the 49ers in the NFC title game, the ticket prices likely would’ve skyrocketed even further. The Lions, who have never played in the Super Bowl, won their first playoff game in 32 years and won two postseason games for the first time since 1957.

“The Lions’ demand for this would have been through the roof,” Lawrence said.

–Field Level Media

 

Red Sox: Former Skipper Williams, 80

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BOSTON – Longtime baseball man Jimy Williams, who won 910 games as a major league manager and was the 1999 American League Manager of the Year, has died at the age of 80. Two of the teams that Williams skippered, the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox, announced his passing. No cause of death or other details were reported.

“We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Blue Jays manager Jimy Williams,” the Blue Jays said in a satement. “His impact on our organization will forever be remembered.”

Williams went 910-790 in 12 seasons managing the Blue Jays (1986-89), Red Sox (1997-2001) and Houston Astros (2002-04). He took the Red Sox to the postseason in 1998 and 1999, going 5-9. He was manager of the year for Boston in 1999.

“Jimy Williams was a true staple and leader of the Red Sox,” Boston said in a news release to media.

Williams won two World Series rings as a coach, in 1995 as third base coach of the Atlanta Braves and 2008 as bench coach of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Williams played in just 14 games as a middle infielder in 1966 and ’67 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He went 3-for-13 in his career, with his first hit coming off Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.

He joined the Blue Jays as a base coach in 1980 after managing in the minor leagues for six years.

–Field Level Media

Super Bowl LVIII: KC vs SF in a Rematch

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LAS VEGAS – (Staff and Wire Services Report) – There’s no need to check your eyes if Super Bowl LVIII has a familiar look. Just four years after the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers met in the big game, the two foes are back for a rematch in the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 in Vegas.

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San Francisco took a 10-point lead into the fourth quarter of that matchup on Feb. 2, 2020, in Miami Gardens, Fla., before the Chiefs scored 21 points to claim a 31-20 victory.

Kansas City also won last season’s Super Bowl, 38-35 over the Philadelphia Eagles. The franchise is 3-2 in Super Bowls, the first win coming in Super Bowl IV to cap the 1969 season.

The Chiefs qualified for this year’s game with Sunday’s 17-10 road victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Now they will look to become the first franchise to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots (2003 and 2004 seasons).

“Now we’re in the Super Bowl and the job’s not done,” Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “We got to go out there to Vegas and play a great team and see if we can go out there and get the Super Bowl.”

Mahomes, a two-time Super Bowl MVP, will be making his fourth Super Bowl start. The only quarterbacks to start more are legends Tom Brady (10) and John Elway (five).

Chiefs coach Andy Reid will be coaching in his fifth Super Bowl, tied for third most with former Dallas Cowboys legend Tom Landry. Bill Belichick (nine) and Don Shula (six) are the only two to coach in more.

Meanwhile, the 49ers have been knocking on the championship door during Kyle Shanahan’s coaching tenure.

The loss to the Chiefs was the only time San Francisco made it to the Super Bowl under Shanahan. But the lead got away — just like it did when the Atlanta Falcons blew a 25-point lead when Shanahan was offensive coordinator for an epic meltdown in Super Bowl LI.

The 49ers were the top seed in the NFC this season and reached the Super Bowl with Sunday’s 34-31 comeback win over the Detroit Lions in the conference championship.

The feeling is that it is time for this version of the 49ers to win the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl title, and first since the 1994 season.

“There’s been unfinished business for a while,” Shanahan said after the win over the Lions. “Our team has been set up for this for a long time. It’s been a long year to get to this point.”

While the Chiefs possess arguably the best quarterback in the game in Mahomes and his 14-3 career postseason record, the 49ers have seen Brock Purdy go from Mr. Irrelevant as the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft to one of the most relevant signal-callers in the game.

Purdy (24 years, 46 days) will be the third-youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl and has given San Francisco stability at the position.

Jimmy Garoppolo was the starter when the 49ers lost to the Chiefs four years ago, and the organization thought it would be better served using the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 on Trey Lance. That decision turned out to be a colossal blunder, but Purdy saved the day with his emergence and is already a bona fide star.

Both teams have star tight ends (Travis Kelce for the Chiefs, George Kittle for the 49ers) and an upper-echelon pass rusher (Chris Jones for the Chiefs, Nick Bosa for the 49ers).

San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey is one of the NFL’s top all-around running backs, while few backs run harder than Kansas City’s Isiah Pacheco.

Both teams have celebrity fans who can’t wait to hit the Las Vegas Strip while using their best moves and distractions to avoid the crush of paparazzi. But only one of these teams (the Chiefs) has Taylor Swift cheering for them.

But it won’t turn into “Swift Week” leading up to the big game, as Kelce’s girlfriend won’t be anywhere near Vegas until the eve of the contest. She will be serenading Kelce with “You Belong With Me” from Tokyo with four straight concerts scheduled from Feb 7-10.

So, let the Super Bowl hype begin.

–Field Level Media

Patriots to Promote Covington

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FOXBOROUGH – (Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots will promote defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington to defensive coordinator, according to multiple media reports Saturday.

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Covington, 34, would be the first staff hire for new head coach Jerod Mayo, who recently was promoted as an assistant to replace longtime head coach Bill Belichick.

The Patriots hired Covington as an assistant in 2017 and he moved up to defensive line coach in 2020.

Belichick often called the defensive plays, with the last defensive coordinator title held by Matt Patricia in 2017.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | January 28

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While We’re Young (Ideas) | Best Weekend of NFL Season

It’s KC’s Patrick Mahomes vs B’more’s Lamar Jackson for the AFC title (file photo)

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Screw Super Bowl Sunday. The best weekend of the year for a tried and true NFL fan is THIS weekend, the home of the AFC & NFC Championship games.

It’s pretty simple math. Two is greater than one.

First, the opener. The Kansas City Chiefs travel East to the Charm City of Baltimore, but please don’t expect Baltimore Ravens fans of extending the warm and wonderful, faithful and friendly hospitality known of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Chiefs might get more WIRE or House of Cards than The Social Network.

With full disclosure in mind, I adore Baltimore. It’s one of the gems of the I-95 corridor from Washington DC to Portland, Maine. (The other gems include Philadelphia (PA), Mystic (CT), Providence (RI), Portland (Maine) and a not-too-far off “95” Portsmouth (New Hampshire). There is more to be written on the nuances of these Mid-Atlantic to Northeast corridor gems, but let’s get back to the NFL.

With the upstart and impressive Detroit Lions traveling to Santa Clara, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, we have the possibility of a new rivalry in the making. Th Lions and Niners might see a lot of each other down the road. The SF 49ers are the best in the business with a healthy RB Christian McCaffrey – my choice for league MVP over Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson. And, while all four teams possess potent offenses, it’ll be the defense that wins the respective championships. (Now, who was the first to say that poignant phrase)?

They’ll be playing for a chance to compete for the Vince (file photo)

LET’S DIG IN: Here’s some background and some good juice on the two games being played for the right to compete at Super Bowl LVIII (that’s 58 for you non-Romans).

3PM (ET) – KANSAS CITY CHIEFS at BALTIMORE RAVENS

As many a media outlets are reporting, the Chiefs are playing in their sixth consecutive AFC Conference Championship game, the second longest streak in NFL history (New England: (8) from 2011-2018).

The Chiefs, with a win, can become the third team ever to advance to four Super Bowls in a five year span. (Buffalo 1990-1993) and New England (2014, 2016-18). With another win, KC head coach Andy Reid can become the fourth head coach in NFL history to head-up a team in five or more Super Bowls. (Bill Belichick, Don Shula and Tom Landry).

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (2018 and 2022) has two league MVPs while Lamar Jackson (2019) has one league MVP with a strong possibility of another one coming for this season. Mahomes is (13-3) in his 16 NFL Playoff starts and has 38 TD passes, 4,561 yards passing with a 106.7 passer rating. He needs a victory to tie Terry Bradshaw, John Elway and Peyton Manning – all with 14 playoff wins. Tom Brady (35) and Joe Montana (15) lead the NFL in playoff victories as QBs.

Since the start of last year’s playoffs, Mahomes has 10 touchdown passes with no interceptions over five games. He can become the first QB in NFL history to go six playoff games without an interception (minimum of 20 attempts per game).

Mahomes’ cohort, Travis Kelce will begin his day with 145 receptions, 1,694 yards and 18 TD receptions in his postseason career. With seven receptions against the Ravens, Kelce can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most receptions in NFL Playoff history with (151) the magic number.

On the other side of the field, the Baltimore Ravens are seeking their third franchise Super Bowl appearance (they won in 2013).

Baltimore boasts the NFL’s best rushing attack, averaging 156.5 yards per game but their claim to fame this season is the fact they led the NFL in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 16.5 ppg. They also led in sacks with 60.

Kansas City was second in scoring defense (17.3 ppg) and the Chiefs defense claimed 57 sacks.

Will it be offense or the defense that wins an AFC Championship on Sunday?

6:30PM (ET) – DETROIT LIONS at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

The Lions are playing in only their second NFC title game, the last coming in 1991. A victory would propel Detroit to its first ever Super Bowl appearance.

Detroit’s Jared Goff can become the fifth QB to advance to the Super Bowl with multiple franchises (LA Rams). He’d join Tom Brady (New England and Tampa Bay), Peyton Manning (Indianapolis and Denver), Craig Morton (Dallas and Denver) and Kurt Warner (St. Louis and Arizona).

Detroit’s rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs recorded 63 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in the Wild Card game, then 114 scrimmage yards and a rushing TD in the divisional round. On Sunday, he can become the fourth rookie in NFL history to record a TD in three playoff games.

Detroit wide-out Amon-ra St.Brown recorded seven catches in the wild card game and eight in the divisional playoff game and he can join Michael Thomas and Wes Welker as players to grab at least seven catches in their first three NFL Playoff games.

The team to beat, however, is the San Francisco 49ers who’ve played in four of the past five NFC championship games (2019, 2021-23) and the franchise has 19 championship game appearances.

The Niners can become the fifth NFL franchise with eight Super Bowl appearances. They’d join:

  • 11 – New England
  • 8 – Dallas
  • 8 – Denver
  • 8 – Pittsburgh

SF QB Brock Purdy can become the fourth quarterback to win four playoff games in his first two NFL seasons.

Saving the best for last, Niners amazing RB Christian McCaffrey totaled 128 scrimmage yards (98 rushing, 30 receiving) and two rushing TDs last week in the divisional round.

McCaffrey can become the third player in NFL history with at least 50 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in each of his six career playoff games. He would join Marcus Allen and Terrell Davis.

What does it all mean? May the best team win and – to all teams and players, stay safe and healthy so we can see the best of the best.

January 27th’s Boston Globe told the story of Game 1 (Photo by T. Peter Lyons)

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA told us, it’s “Rivalry Week.” Oh yeah? Wrong sport. There is no better rivalry than the “Battle of Commonwealth,” two epic college ice hockey games – played back-to-back this weekend – featuring the No. 1 Boston University Terriers vs the No. 2 ranked Boston College Eagles.

The 30 minutes before the annual men’s basketball tournament (Final Four) is on the list of the greatest moments in sports, yes, but the 30 minutes before Boston College (BC) hosted Boston U. (BU) resembled the college hockey version of college basketball’s Duke vs Carolina. At the Conte Forum on Friday, January 26th, there were a few things missing – as in BU fans. All the tickets in the crowd of 7,884 went to the BC faithful and the students. – let’s call ‘em kids – gobbled them up.

No. 1 BU skated out to see a sea of white shirted co-eds, all dancing in the aisles to a combination of recorded pop music blasted by the Game Ops to the sound of the BC Band belting out Led Zep’s “Kashmir.” There might’ve been 250 BU fans in the building.

It had to be intimidating, but maybe not as intimidating as 7,200 fans at a sold out Agganis Arena all rooting for the Terriers on January 27 (Boston College took the second game 4-3). It’s not a long run between 28 and 925 Commonwealth Ave but it’s a continent away for fans dressed in Red hockey sweaters emblazoned with BOSTON as compared to Maroon and Gold uniforms with either BOSTON COLLEGE or EAGLES across the front. The tickets must be guarded like the very goals they will defend.

It’s ONLY happening this weekend, at least unto February 5th in the nightcap of the semis to the annual Beanpot when they meet again. BC will be ranked No. 1 in the USA when the Beanpot begins.

TIDBITS: If I ever owned a thoroughbred race horse, I think I’d name it “Rivalry Week,” just to drive racetrack announcers around the country a little WILD. … Go ahead, say Rivalry Week three times – FAST. … Maybe I’d spell the horse’s name “Wivalry Week?” … There was a warm welcome back to Boston to Coach Don Casey this weekend as he traveled east from his San Diego digs to visit Boston and take in the Los Angeles Clippers at Boston Celtics game Saturday night. The Clippers and Celtics, along with the New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets were the NBA clubs Casey spent the most time with on the bench as an assistant and head coach (for LAC and NJN). A defensive (read: zone) specialist who coached Temple University from 1973 to 1982 spent seven seasons at the (Boston Garden, Fleet Center, TD Garden) as an assistant coach under (the late) Chris Ford and popular franchise man, M.L. Carr. And, yes Case and his son, Michael, stopped into West End Johnnies for a bite before Saturday’s game.

THINGS I THINK ABOUT: Why don’t dogs get poked in the eye more often, if ever? … And, what ever happened to the “original” National Floors Direct actress, Adrienne LaValley, and why was she replaced by Worcester native and current Boston North End resident, Samantha Valletta. If you have no idea what this is about, you haven’t watch a morning news show in Greater Boston. … Wouldn’t you just like to ask Chicago’s Robert Lamm what Question 66 was? And, speaking of Chicago, if you haven’t watched “The Terry Kath Experience,” you’re missing out on a vital story on the evolution of Rock ‘n Roll in these United States. As the cover says, “The Terry Kath Experience” is a documentary about a daughter discovering the legacy of her father – the late Terry Kath. Kath was one of the founding members of the band Chicago whose powerful guitar playing and husky, melodic voice has been praised by such icons as Jimi Hendrix, Joe Walsh and Eric Clapton. … Everyone forgets, Chicago – first known as Chicago Transit Authority – played a brand of rock that had never been played before (or since). Ass-kicking guitars blended with a horn section played by classically trained musicians became the headline band for the early to mid-70s. … That said, I find it bothersome that the band is still touring under the name, “Chicago.” Maybe they should play under the name “Sheboygan.” … It amazes me how all decent content on NFL.com is now only available if you pay for NFL+ at $6.99 a month. For that rate, they’d have to send a car to pick-up at home and drive back-and-forth to Gillette Stadium every Sunday. … While on the tangent, the same goes true of dishwasher soap. Cascade Platinium gets all the dishes cleaner than clean. Why didn;t they make regular Cascade that way to start? … SF QB Brock Purdy “don’t get no respect.” Look for a big day from Purdy. … And, one more item on the AFC Championship game and beyond: Can’t we all leave pop star Taylor Swift and Chiefs All Pro TE Travis Kelce alone for a while (like a year or more)? Maybe limit it to one cut-away a game?