America’s unofficial national holiday arrives on Sunday (February 3rd), when Super Bowl 53 will pit the New England Patriots against the Los Angeles Rams.
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the home of the NFL’s Falcons. This is this stadium’s first Super Bowl, but the third overall played in Atlanta.
WHEN AND HOW TO WATCH: CBS will be airing the big game, and their broadcast will include hours of pre-game coverage, including part of a pre-taped interview with President Trump, before getting to the main event at 6:30 p.m. E.T. The game will also be streamed on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app.
THE TEAMS:
Patriots: This is the third straight Super Bowl for the Patriots and their ninth with Bill Belichick as head coach and Tom Brady at quarterback. It’s the franchise’s 11th Super Bowl appearance overall, the most in NFL history, and they’ve won five of them, all in the Belichick-Brady era, most recently in February 2017. Adding a twist, the Pats’ first Super Bowl win in February 2002 was also against the Rams, when then first-year starting quarterback Brady led them to an upset win against the 14-point favorites. Now 41, Brady will be the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl, beating his own mark from last year, when he started the Super Bowl at age 40.
Rams: This is the fourth time the Rams have been in the Super Bowl, and their first appearance since 2002. Their only win was in 2000, against the Tennessee Titans. This is also their first Super Bowl since moving back to L.A. at the start of the 2016 season after two decades in St. Louis. Leading the Rams on Sunday will be 24-year-old quarterback Jared Goff, who’s in his third NFL season after being chosen by the Rams with the first overall pick of the 2016 draft.
ENTERTAINMENT: Pop rock band Maroon 5 will headline the halftime show, and be joined by rappers Travis Scott and Big Boi as special guests. Legendary singer Gladys Knight will perform the National Anthem, and “America the Beautiful” will be sung by R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle.
FUN FACTS:
Which team has won the most Super Bowls?
- The Pittsburgh Steelers with six: 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2005 and 2008. If the Patriots win Sunday, they will tie the record.
Which player has the most Super Bowl wins?
- It’s a tie at five between Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and linebacker/defensive end Charles Haley, who won with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys between 1989 and 1996. If the Patriots win Sunday, Brady will hold the record alone at six. However, if the Pats lose, Brady will tie for most Super Bowl losses by a starting quarterback at four with former Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly.
How many teams have never played in the Super Bowl?
- Four: Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns
How much did tickets to the first Super Bowl cost?
- $12
COMMERCIALS:
The commercials have become part of the Super Bowl experience, with advertisers ramping up their creativity for the game’s huge national audience. This year they’ll be paying more than $5 million for a 30-second spot. Here’s a look at a few of the ads that have already been released: