Super Bowl LIII will be held Sunday at 6:30 p.m. (we’re guessing you might have heard something about it already).
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
THE TEAMS: The AFC Champion New England Patriots (11-5) will face the NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams (13-3) Sunday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
KICKOFF: 6:30 p.m.
HOW TO WATCH: The game will be televised on CBS, and will also be streamed live on CBSSports.com, the CBS app, or on CBS All Access
ANNOUNCERS: Jim Nantz will handle play-by-play duties (go with “yes” on the prop bet wager of whether or not he’ll open with “hello, friends), while former Cowboys quarterback and apparent playcalling psychic Tony Romo will be the analyst
NATIONAL ANTHEM: Legendary singer Gladys Knight will sign “The Star-Spangled Banner”
HALFTIME SHOW: Maroon 5, for reasons known only to the game’s producers
ODDS: Despite their insistence that they are the plucky underdogs that no one believes in, the Patriots are 2.5-point favorites over the Rams, according to Oddsshark.com. The over-under for the game is 57.
There are also numerous prop bets available for the game; if you’re feeling lucky, you can wager on everything from the result of the coin toss to the length of Gladys Knight’s rendition of the National Anthem.
Actionnetwork.com has a printable list of 10 prop bets right here.
ABOUT THE PATRIOTS: New England is in the Super Bowl for the third straight season and the fourth time in five years. The Patriots have won two championships over that span, beating the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 in 2015 and the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 (in overtime) in 2017. Last year, they fell 41-33 to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Pats have won five Super Bowl titles with quarterback Tom Brady under center, beginning in 2002. Brady is 5-3 in eight Super Bowl appearances with New England. Brady has won the game’s Most Valuable Player award four times, which is an NFL record. If Brady wins this year, he’ll become the oldest quarterback ever to win a Super Bowl title, eclipsing Peyton Manning (who was 39 when the Denver Broncos won Super Bowl 50).
This year, the Patriots captured their 10th consecutive AFC East division title, going 11-5 in the regular season. They then defeated the San Diego Chargers 41-28 in the Divisional Round of the AFC playoffs and knocked off the Kansas City Chiefs 37-31 in overtime in the AFC Championship Game.
ABOUT THE RAMS: Los Angeles is seeking its second Super Bowl title in franchise history; the Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV in the year 2000, when they were based in St. Louis. The Rams fell 20-17 to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI (2002), and were defeated 31-19 by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XV (1980).
Los Angeles quarterback Jared Goff was seven years old in 2002, when the Rams last faced Tom Brady and the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Coach Sean McVay was 14 years old that season.
This year, the Rams captured the NFC West division title for the second straight season, going 13-3 after an 8-0 start. Los Angeles then defeated the Dallas Cowboys 30-22 in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs and edged the New Orleans Saints 26-23 in overtime to capture the NFC Championship.
