Super Bowl 2024 updates: The commercials, cameos, halftime show and more

The Kansas City Chiefs win the 2024 Super Bowl, 25-22!

The Kansas City Chiefs have won their third Super Bowl title in five years, and are the first back-to-back NFL champions in almost 20 years.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes completed the game-winner on a three-yard toss to Mecole Hardman. Mahomes finished the game with 34 completions on 46 attempts with two touchdowns. More here.

— Greg Echlin, KCUR 10:54 p.m. ET

Everything we know about the Chief's Super Bowl victory parade in Kansas City
When the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year, close to 1 million flooded the streets of downtown for a victory parade and rally. To celebrate their second win in a row, this Wednesday's event could bring even more.

Here's what we know.

— Celisa Calacal, KCUR 10:55 p.m. ET

More highlights from the game

Tied at 19-19 as we head into overtime

— NPR Staff, 10:23 p.m. ET

Beyoncé just released new music during the Super Bowl, teasing more to come

She teased, confirmed and dropped new music in the span of less than an hour. Take a listen.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 9:50 p.m. ET

The story behind Carl Weathers' posthumous Super Bowl ad

The linebacker-turned-actor who died earlier this month at age 76, but tonight he graced us with one more performance; this time coaching on Gronk for his "kick of destiny." The ad underwent a bit of reimagining after Weathers' passing.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 9:38 p.m. ET

The fourth quarter's underway

— NPR Staff, 9:35 p.m. ET

If you get bored of the CBS broadcast...
Whether you're a kid or a nostalgic millennial, the Nickelodeon broadcast of the Super Bowl might just be the perfect version of football. Watch out for DoodleBob graffiti'ing over the screen, Sandy Cheeks reporting from the sideline (she's from Texas just like Mahomes) and SpongeBob in the announcing booth. It's not just the first down line - it's the "best first down ever."

(Nickelodeon and CBS are both part of Paramount Global, helping to explain the partnership.)

— Gabe Rosenberg, KCUR 9:34 p.m. ET

These politicians have declared they're Swifties

Hours ahead of Super Bowl kickoff, as social media buzzed with game predictions and Traylor memes, these politicians have come out as Taylor Swift fans.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 9:18 p.m. ET

And we're back for the third quarter

— NPR Staff, 8:50 p.m. ET

Usher takes the stage for halftime
Yeah! Halftime turned out to be a throwback to middle school for many millennials.

Here are some highlights (Check out our full breakdown, here.)

• Usher was joined on by Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Jermaine Dupri, H.E.R, Lil Jon, and will.i.am.
• We celebrated the 20th anniversary of Confessions.
• There was some pretty impressive rollerblade dancing.

Usher, Keys, H.E.R. have each graced NPR's Tiny Desk if you're looking for more music tonight. Still holding out for Ludacris.

— Emily Alfin Johnson & Rachel Treisman, NPR 8:40 p.m. ET

Travis Kelce appears to have shoved head coach Andy Reid
The shove came after Reid took him out of the game for a play in the second quarter.

It was a designed run so they went with a bigger blocking package. It ended being a critical fumble by Isiah Pacheco.

Kelce shouted and shoved Reid after the fumble and told him not to take him out.

— Arielle Retting, NPR 8:18 pm ET

The first half ended 10-3

The game enters half time with the 49ers in the lead, 10-3. After a scoreless first quarter, Jake Moody's Super Bowl-record 55-yard field goal broke the drought. The 49ers have been controlling the line of scrimmage and pace of play, leaving the Chiefs rattled.

The 49ers have been the better team, moving the ball creatively and causing frustration for the Chiefs, leading to undisciplined and uncharacteristic mistakes. But you can't rule out quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs just yet — the last time these two teams met in a Super Bowl in 2020, the Chiefs were down by 10 in the third quarter and came back to win the Lombardi trophy

— Emma Bowman & Arielle Retting, NPR 8:17 p.m. ET

Kansas City is representing off the field as well as on
Overland Park native Jason Sudeikis and Kansas City's own Heidi Gardner have both made ad appearances. Jason Sudeikis (aka Coach Ted Lasso,) showed up in an ad with Lionel Messi for Michelob Ultra, while Gardner appeared next to Dan Levy in a spot for Homes.com.

— Madeline Fox & Gabe Rosenberg, KCUR 8:12 pm ET

Kaskade is the Super Bowl's first in-game DJ

Before kickoff, Kaskade, a music producer and well-known resident of the EDM genre (Electronic dance music for the uninitiated), hit the turntables as the Super Bowl's first in-game DJ. He's expected to unleash house beats in between game play as well. The seven-time Grammy nominee was tapped for the gig after DJ Tiësto dropped out last week due to family reasons.

— Emma Bowman, NPR 8:09 p.m. ET

This year's Super Bowl honorary captains: Members of the Lahainaluna High School football team
High school football players took part in this year's Super Bowl as honorary captains during the pre-game coin toss, six months after a deadly wildfire destroyed their Maui hometown. More on that here.

— Emma Bowman, NPR 7:47 p.m. ET

The first quarter ended 0-0
There were plenty of celebrity cutaways and star-studded advertisements along the way, though. Within minutes of the second quarter, the 49ers scored a field goal to put their first three points on the board.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 7:27 p.m. ET

Confused by this year's colors? You're not the only one

At a glance, the stadium is looking very red (Taylor's version, some might say). And if you're confused which team is which, you're not alone.

"When both teams are red, it's hard for Elmo to pick which team to root for," the muppet tweeted.

In true sportsmanlike fashion, he added: "Elmo will cheer for both!"

If it helps: The Kansas City Chiefs are wearing red jerseys, knee socks and helmets, while the San Francisco 49ers are wearing white jerseys (with red numbers) and gold helmets and shorts.

Elmo — who went viral late last month for accidentally becoming the Internet's therapist — also sent a good luck hug to "Mr. Usher" ahead of his halftime performance. He shared a video of Usher singing an ABC song with Elmo and several other muppets. Check back here to find out what color he'll be wearing.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 7:17 p.m. ET

"He Gets Us" commercials are back

The ad campaign is back again in this year's Super Bowl. Last year, Bob Smietana, national reporter for Religion News Service, says the advertisements are part of an effort to shift away from a negative public perception of Christians, and towards Jesus, in an interview with NPR.

In 2023, KCUR reported the "He Gets Us" campaign planned to spend $1 billion on the campaign.

— Emily Alfin Johnson, NPR 6:57 pm E.T.

Gronk missed, again.

Rob Gronkowski once again failed to kick a field goal as part of the FanDuel "Kick of Destiny" promotion. Awkward.

— Emily Alfin Johnson, NPR 6:43 pm E.T.

Reba, Post Malone and Andra Day open the game
As usual, the first on-field feats of the night weren't in sports, but in song. Shortly before kickoff, singer Andra Day performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing," which is widely known as the Black national anthem. The R&B singer delivered an emotional performance, accompanied by a chorus of six all-female backup singers.Next up was singer and rapper Post Malone and his guitar, for a pared-down rendition of "America the Beautiful" (at one point, the cameras panned to Taylor Swift and Blake Lively embracing in the audience).

Country icon Reba McEntire belted the National Anthem as the players stood on the field with hands over their hearts, some with tears in their eyes. As she hit the final notes, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flew over the stadium, setting the stage for kickoff.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 6:40 p.m. ET

Steelers' Cam Heyward receives Walter Payton Man of the Year award

Earlier this week, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward received the NFL's Walter Payton Man of the Year award. This was the sixth time the Steelers nominated Heyward for the award; He created the Heyward House Foundation that supports several initiatives in the Pittsburgh area.

— More from WESA

Results are in: Team Ruff wins Puppy Bowl XX

Team Ruff had the upper paw at this year's Puppy Bowl XX, defeating Team Fluff in a 72-69 victory. Moosh, a miniature Australian shepherd (and one of three deaf rescue dogs on the field) won MVP for his outsized contributions.

See the winning play here. And, because we know you're wondering, there was a celebrity couple in the stands: Travis Klawce and Taylor Sniffed.

— Rachel Treisman, NPR 5:35 p.m. ET

Fun facts about this year's game

This year's game is a bit of a rematch: The Chiefs and the 49ers faced off four years ago. That year, Kansas City became champions for the first time in 50 years. San Francisco meanwhile, last won a Super Bowl in 1995 against the San Diego Chargers.

The firsts:

• This is the first time a Super Bowl has been held in Nevada. (It's the Kansas City Chiefs fourth trip to the NFL championship game in the past five years.)
• Tiësto was going to be the first in-game DJ at the Super Bowl, but had to cancel due to a family matter. This year's game may still have an in-house DJ; we'll keep you posted.
• For the first time, one of the referees is a former Super Bowl player: Terry Killens. 

The people:

• 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and head coach Kyle Shanahan have the chance to join their fathers as Super Bowl champions.
• Katie Sower, the first woman to coach in the Super Bowl, has coached both of this year's teams.
• Last year, Todd Pinkston was a high school coach. Now he's coaching Kansas City in the Super Bowl.
• Graduates of historically Black colleges and universities account for an outsized number of NFL Hall of Famers. The Chiefs' backup corner, Josh Williams, has dreams of joining their ranks.

The money:

• Millions of people are able to place legal bets on the Super Bowl — just not in California or Missouri. (They can even bet on how many times Taylor Swift will be shown on TV during the game.)
• A 30-second spot during this year's Super Bowl cost $7 million.
• Here are some of the biggest wagers between the two cities this year.
• When it comes to the impact of inflation on our food consumption during the game: Beer and guacamole are ok, but chips and dip are more expensive.

The weird, wild and wonderful:

• There might be a Chiefs flag buried beneath Allegiant Stadium, where this year's Super Bowl is being played.
• Our Member stations in Kansas City and San Francisco are getting in on the friendly wagering over the results of the game, and not for the first time. KCUR Kansas City already collected a container of It's-It ice cream sandwiches from KQED back in 2020 when the Chiefs beat the 49ers.
• Furry fans at zoos, animal shelters and elsewhere have been making their picks — the San Francisco 49ers or the Kansas City Chiefs — proving that Punxsutawney Phil isn't the animal kingdom's only prognosticator.
• In honor of the game, this Kansas City-area elementary school is exchanging friendship bracelets with a Bay Area class.
• Bay Area Taylor Swift fans are in a bit of a pickle on who to root for this year. KQED spoke to some of her fans who are truly torn going into Sunday's game.

• How to watch/stream the game
• Who is performing
• Fun facts about this year's game

Skip ahead if you know who you're rooting for:

• Kansas City Chiefs
• San Francisco 49ers

Who are you rooting for?

The Kansas City Chiefs!

Head to KCUR Kansas City for all best experience for Chiefs super fans!

• The best places to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs
• 13 songs to get Kansas City Chiefs fans pumped for the Super Bowl
• How the Chiefs' 1970 Super Bowl game helped bring down the Kansas City mob

The San Francisco 49ers!

Head to KQED for all things 49ers!

• Where to watch the Super Bowl in the Bay Area on Sunday
• 49 Things For San Francisco 49ers Fans to Do Before the Super Bowl
• Can the 49ers Get Back to the Promised Lan

How to watch and stream the Super Bowl

Day: Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT

Where to watch: CBS and streaming on Paramount+

Who's performing at the Super Bowl

Before the game: Country music star Reba McEntire will sing the national anthem, Oscar nominee Andra Day will perform "Lift Every Voice and Sing," and Post Malone will sing "America the Beautiful."

Halftime performer: Usher, baby! Following his own Vegas residency, which ran from summer 2022 through last December, his halftime set at this year's Super Bowl will also launch a new album called Coming Home, his first solo record in more than seven years. You can also watch his Tiny Desk concert, home of the "watch this" meme.

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