The ultimate Patriots fan’s guide to Super Bowl Sunday
There's a lot more to know than just the kickoff time. But you can find that here, too.
For the seventh time in 16 years, New England Patriots fans once again get to enjoy — or, depending on your sports watching anxiety levels, languish through — watching their team play on Super Bowl Sunday, a truly red-blooded American tradition perhaps only matched by Thanksgiving, with the football-to-food focus ratio slightly adjusted.
After a 14-2 regular season and a virtual cakewalk through the AFC playoffs, the Patriots are set to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a spectacle of constant sports and entertainment. Come for the most-watched TV broadcast of the year; stay for the commercial starring Tom Brady and pancakes.
Here’s everything you need to know to get the most out of Sunday:
Logistics
What time does the Super Bowl actually start?
On that question, the internet has you covered. Kickoff — precipitated by hours, if not days, of pregame coverage — is scheduled for precisely 6:30 p.m. ET (or 5:30 p.m. local time).
Where is it?
This year’s Super Bowl is being played at NRG Stadium in Houston. Since 2002, it’s been the home stadium of the Houston Texans, who the Patriots knocked out of the playoffs in the divisional round. Hopefully, the locals don’t hold too much of a grudge against visiting Patriots fans.
This is the second time the Super Bowl has been hosted at NRG Stadium, formerly known as Reliant Stadium. Patriots will remember the first time: Super Bowl XXXVIII, in 2004, when Adam Vinatieri hit a last-second field goal to beat the Panthers, 32-29.
Next years’s game, Super Bowl LII, will be played at the Minnesota Viking’s brand-new home, U.S. Bank Stadium, in Minneapolis.
But back to this year’s Super Bowl. So how can I watch it?
Super Bowl LI will be nationally televised on FOX, called by the network’s lead NFL commentators, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
For those without access to a television, the game will be streamed on FOX Sports GO, which is available to those with an authentic cable provider sign-in. Verizon subscribers can also stream the game on their smartphones or tablets via the NFL Mobile app.
For fans outside the United States, check the NFL website to see what channel the game will be broadcast on.
What is there to watch during the day on TV before to the game?
FOX kicks off it’s Super Bowl-related coverage at 11 a.m. with a number of programs focused on the big game. The network’s official pregame show — hosted by Terry Bradshaw, Curt Menefee, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson — begins at 2 p.m. and runs straight up until kickoff.
The pregame coverage also features a taped interview between Bill O’Reilly and President Donald Trump, parts of which will be shown around 4 p.m. on FOX. The Super Bowl Sunday presidential interview is a tradition that started with President Barack Obama in 2009.
If you don’t want your day to be filled entirely with football, there are other sports on the TV prior to Sunday night’s game.
Perhaps of particular interest to Patriots fan, the Boston Celtics are hosting the Los Angeles Clippers in a 2 p.m. game to be shown on ABC.
There’ll also be college basketball and golf on CBS, as well as NHL hockey, snowboarding, and skiing on NBC. The morning will also feature English Premier League soccer on NBC Sports.
Lastly, and most importantly, in other Sunday sporting news: The Puppy Bowl. Animal Planet plans to broadcast the 13th annual edition at 3 p.m.
What if I don’t want to watch it at home?
Conveniently, there are a number of Boston-area establishments that have anticipated this desire. From Southie to Cambridge to the many locations of Wahlburgers, there’s a number of local restaurants offering special Super Bowl Sunday deals or menus.
What if I DO want to watch it at home?
Make some food.
From buffalo chicken dip to steak-and-cheese burritos to — wait for it — a bucket of fried chicken drumsticks, Boston.com had a number of local chefs volunteer their best game-day recipes, which seem especially handy if you’re entertaining a crowd. For some reason, Bay Staters appear to be really interested in buffalo chicken dip.
Alternatively, for the less ambitious among us, you could make Bill Belichick’s acclaimed peanut butter and jelly recipe.
Or order out.
The obvious choice, especially if you want to honor Gronk, is chicken wings, a Super Bowl Sunday classic. And it just so happens that this website has a comprehensive guide to the best wing-delivering restaurants in the Boston area. Just make sure to order early. Seriously though, depending on the popularity of your favorite wing spot, consider ordering a few days ahead.
Of course, there’s more to Super Bowl Sunday — or the world, for that matter — than just wings. There are also local pizza, Mexican, and barbecue delivery options well worth consideration. And for vegetarians/vegans, make chili or something.
The game itself
Who’s favored?
Not that New England fans would ever think differently, but the Patriots head into their seventh Super Bowl in 16 years with a slight edge.
The opening line put the Patriots as three-point favorites against the Falcons. The matchup between the two potent offenses has produced an over-under line of 58.5, which was reportedly the highest in Super Bowl history. It has since risen to 61 points.
As far as gambling goes, the Patriots in the playoffs have been as close as they come to a sure bet. The team is now 14-3 against the spread this season and have a 16-2 overall record. That said, as SB Nation recently noted, the last five teams favored to win the Super Bowl are 0-5 — both against the spread and straight up.
Any other notable Patriots bets to watch for?
For starters, there are a slew of crazy prop bets — from the length of Chris Hogan’s first reception to whether the Patriots outscore Russell Westbrook on Sunday. Looking for a surefire wager? Bet on the Patriots to call heads in the opening coin toss.
What’s at stake?
Beyond the 2017 Vince Lombardi Trophy — which honestly should be enough — there’s much legacy bolstering to play for, particularly on the Patriots sidelines.
A win Sunday would give the Patriots franchise five Super Bowl titles, tied with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers for the second-most all-time. The Pittsburgh Steelers, with six Super Bowl wins, have the most Lombardi trophies of any NFL team.
However, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady stand to become the all-time winningest coach-quarterback duo in NFL history in they defeat the Falcons. While Belichick and Brady have already secured a record number of Super Bowl appearances, they’re tied with the Steelers’ Chuck Noll and quarterback Terry Bradshaw for the most wins. The classic 1970s Steelers duo notched four Super Bowl wins in four appearances. But Belichick and Brady could make it five wins in seven appearances Sunday.
What should Patriots fans know about the Falcons?
Locals might recognize quarterback Matt Ryan from his Boston College days, but there are a few lesser-known facts to discern about the Patriots’ opponents.
The Falcons were the No. 2 seed in the NFC and made it to the Super Bowl by beating the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, both at home in the soon-to-be-demolished Georgia Dome. The team is coached by former Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who is now just in his second year.
But unlike Quinn’s historically formidable Seahawks defenses, his new birds have a near-historically bad defense for a season finalist. Per ESPN Stats & Info, only the 2008 Arizona Cardinals (who lost) made it to the Super Bowl allowing more points per game (26.6) than this year’s Falcons (25.4).
And yet, the Falcons make up for their relatively weak defense with a high-powered offense than operates with Belichickian stinginess. Atlanta’s offense has put up a jaw-dropping 33.8 points per game in the regular season and 40 points per game in the playoffs. And since Week 14, they’ve only given away one turnover.
The result Sunday could ride on whether the Falcons are able to get close to their season average; as Boston.com has previously noted, they’re 1-5 this year when scoring 30 points or less.
What are the best on-the-field matchups?
When that high-powered Atlanta offense is on the field, keep an eye on how Patriots cornerbacks covers the Falcons’ stud receiver Julio Jones. In just two playoff games, Jones has caught 15 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s a matchup that corner Malcolm Butler has long awaited.
But reports this week indicate that little-used cornerback Eric Rowe — who earlier this season shut down Bengals receiver A.J. Green for a half — might be the one to cover the 6-foot-3 Jones. Standing at 6-foot-1 (compared to the 5-foot-10 Butler), Rowe might match up better against the Atlanta’s go-to wideout.
Alternatively, the Patriots could play Jones like they played Houston Texans deep threat Deandre Hopkins — using Rowe or Logan Ryan and safety help, while Butler goes one-on-one with the team’s second-best receiver (in this case, the Falcons’ Mohamed Sanu).
On the other end of the ball, look for the Patriots offense to try to utilize their relatively large offensive linemen and bulldozing running back LeGarrette Blount against the Falcons’ “fast but undersized” linebackers. As NFL.com recently noted, the Falcons had the 25th ranked run defense in the league. While Brady is inarguably the leader of the Patriots’ offense, the real MVP on Sunday could be the guy he hands off the ball to — whether its Blount or the impossibly-agile Dion Lewis.
What to watch for off-the-field
Who’s singing the national anthem?
Country music singer Luke Bryan, known for hits such as “Play It Again,” is set to sing this year’s national anthem.
As CBS Sports reports, the oddsmakers are putting the length of his anthem somewhere between 2 minutes 7 seconds and 2 minutes 15 seconds. Please seek help for anyone at your Super Bowl party who places money on this bet.
What about the the halftime show?
After singing the national anthem before last year’s game, Lady Gaga is returning to the Super Bowl to perform at its hallowed halftime show.
“I’ve been planning this since I was 4 so I know exactly what I’m going to do,” the pop star said in an interview last October teasing the performance.
Whether or not the politically outspoken singer uses the performance to make a statement about Trump remains to be seen; the NFL has denied reports that the league asked her not to. In a press conference Thursday, Gaga said they hopes the performance celebrates “inclusion” and the “spirit of equality” in the midst of a divisive time for the country.
And the commercials?
There will be commercials — many, in fact! And they’re as expensive as ever. According to Variety, FOX is fetching more than $5 million for a single 30-second ad during the Super Bowl.
Spoiler alert: A number of Super Bowl commercials have already been released online, including one that features Tom Brady eating a pancake off the floor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTw7eten1no
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