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| Monday, February 1, 2021 |
| LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S SUPER BOWL WEEK! |
| Normally, I wouldn't start with all caps, but let's be honest here, five months ago I didn't even think the NFL was going to make it through Week 4, so the fact that we made it all the way to the Super Bowl is a minor miracle. I thought for sure the Titans outbreak was going to close down the season and that the Bengals would be declared the Super Bowl champs, but that's not what happened. Instead, the Super Bowl winner is going to be decided on the field. |
| Of course, the Super Bowl won't be the only thing we talk about this week and that's because I wouldn't be a good newsletter writer if I didn't bring up the fact that the Lions and Rams decided to pull off one of the most shocking trades in recent NFL history. Speaking of that trade, there's a lot to get to today, so let's get to the rundown. |
| This is usually the part where I ask you to sign up all your friends to the newsletter, but instead, I'm doing something different today. First, we're doing a Super Bowl giveaway here at CBSSports.com. It's free to enter and if you win, you'll take home more than $3,600 in electronic equipment from Westinghouse, including a 75-inch TV. To enter the contest, be sure to click here. |
| Also, if you're wondering whether or not you'll be able to stream the Super Bowl for free this year, the answer is YES. All you have to do is bookmark this link. That will take you to the CBS Sports App, where you'll be able to watch the game and get the app at no cost. There is nothing better than free. |
| Finally, if you want to see me in video form this week, the higher-ups decided to give me an hour each day to talk about the Super Bowl with Ryan Wilson and Will Brinson. That will be coming to you at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and if you want to watch for free on CBS Sports HQ, be sure to click here. |
| 1. Today's Show: Betting guide for Super Bowl LV |
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| The Monday podcast is usually a recap show, but there's nothing to recap this week since there weren't any games played on Sunday. Well, there was a virtual Pro Bowl game, but I'm not going to count that. |
| Anyway, with no games to recap, Will Brinson had to come up with another idea for today's podcast, so he invited R.J. White to the show and they recorded a monstrous betting guide for Super Bowl LV props. If you're going to bet on the Super Bowl this year, then you're going to want to listen to the podcast. If you're not going to bet, you should still listen, because you'll be able to impress your friends with all your gambling knowledge. |
| For this podcast, White, who is our NFL betting guru, supplied all the stats and trends you'll need to know so that you feel comfortable and confident betting on all sorts of game props. Brinson and White discussed everything from player props to early-game props to late-game props to full-game props and of course, Super Bowl MVP. |
| One prop they talked about was the largest lead in the game, which has an over/under of 14.5 (R.J. likes the under because he thinks the game will be close). If you're looking for a long-shot prop, R.J. likes Anthony Sherman to score the final TD of the game, which has odds of 100-to-1. You could bet $1 and win $100 if Sherman scores. |
| If you want to listen -- and you definitely should so you can hear about all the props -- you can click here. |
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| 2. Five things to know about the Lions-Rams trade |
| Unless you got taken hostage over the weekend, I'm guessing that you heard about the trade between the Lions and the Rams. In one of the wildest offseason deals of all-time, the Lions sent Matthew Stafford to Los Angeles in exchange for Jared Goff, two first-round picks and a third-round pick. |
| As crazy as it sounds, I actually love this deal for both teams. Although giving up two firsts might seem like a lot to land Stafford, I look at it like this: The Rams gave up one first to land Stafford and a second first to get that insane Goff contract off their books. Before the weekend, Goff's contract seemed untradeable, but as it turns out, it was tradeable, but only if you bribe the other team with a first-round pick. |
| Anyway, here are five quick things about the trade that you may have missed: |
| Before trading for Stafford, the Rams actually tried to acquire Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay, but the Packers immediately shot that down. For more details on that story, be sure to click here. There were multiple teams interested in acquiring Stafford with the 49ers, Bears, Colts, Panthers, Broncos and Washington at the top of the list. The Bears, Broncos and Panthers all reportedly offered at least one first-round pick, which is notable, especially in Carolina's situation, because it means they were willing to part with the eighth overall pick in the draft. In the most hilarious development of the weekend, it sounds like Matthew Stafford only had one request and that request was DON'T TRADE ME TO NEW ENGLAND. It's not clear if Stafford didn't want to be in Tom Brady's shadow or if he just didn't want to reunite with Matt Patricia, but one thing is clear, he wanted nothing to do with the Patriots. Being forced to move from Los Angeles to Detroit might sound like a downgrade to most people, but it sounds like Jared Goff is going to try and make the most of it. The former Rams quarterback told NFL Network that he's "just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me." The Rams Super Bowl odds took a huge jump. After the trade was announced, L.A. went from 18-to-1 to win Super Bowl LVI to 13-to-1. As for the Lions, the oddsmakers were indifferent to the fact that they added Goff. The Lions were 100-to-1 to win it all before making the trade and they were 100-to-1 after the trade. The Lions have never been to a Super Bowl and the oddsmakers clearly aren't expecting that to change. You can also check out our trade winners and losers and grades. |
| Finally, you're going to to want to check out this piece from CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora, who explains why the Rams and Lions were the perfect partners to pull off this blockbuster trade. You can read JLC's story by clicking here. |
| 3. Ranking all the starters in the Super Bowl |
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| I have to admit, I was under the impression that Pete Prisco was taking two weeks off between the conference title games and the Super Bowl, but apparently, it turns out I was wrong. The reason we haven't heard from Pete in a while is because Prisco has been busy ranking EVERY SINGLE STARTER on both teams for the Super Bowl. |
| There are 11 starters on offense for both teams and 11 starters on defense for both teams, which means there are 44 starters in the game. Pete looked at each player individually and then ranked them from from 1 to 44. |
| Here's a look at his top five and his bottom five: |
1. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs QB)
2. Travis Kelce (Chiefs TE)
3. Tom Brady (Buccaneers QB)
4. Tyreek Hill (Chiefs WR)
5. Chris Jones (Chiefs DT)
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40. Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Buccaneers DT)
41. Scotty Miller (Buccaneers WR)
42. Tanoh Kpassagnon (Chiefs DE)
43. Byron Pringle (Chiefs WR)
44. Aaron Stinnie (Buccaneers OG) |
| Based on the top five, I'm guessing you already know who Prisco is going to pick to win the Super Bowl. If you want to see Prisco's explanation for why his rankings fall the way they do and if you want to know who falls in the 6 through 39 slots, be sure to click here. Most importantly, if you want to argue with Prisco about his list on Twitter, be sure to click here. |
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| 4. Tom Brady and Antonio Brown will be getting big bonuses if the Bucs win Super Bowl LV |
| When you sit out of football for nearly a year due to legal problems, you don't really have much leverage when it comes to negotiating your contract and Antonio Brown found that out the hard way this season when he signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers that paid him just $750,000 in base salary. |
| However, Brown did land one big incentive in his deal and that's a bonus for winning the Super Bowl. If the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl, Brown will actually make more money than Tom Brady for the game. |
| According to Pro Football Talk, Brown will get a bonus check for $750,000 if Tampa Bay beats the Chiefs on Sunday. You almost never see a player get a bonus that would double his salary for the season, but that's what Brown will receive with a Buccaneers victory. |
| As for Brady, his contract included $2.25 million in postseason bonuses, but not all of that comes from winning the Super Bowl. Brady earned $500,000 in bonus money for making the playoffs and then he made $250,000 more when he won his first playoff game with Tampa Bay. Brady then earned $500,000 for making the NFC Championship Game and another $500,000 for reaching the Super Bowl for a total of $1.75 million. If the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl, Brady will get another $500,000 bonus for winning the game. So although Brady's postseason bonus is higher, Brown will be getting more bonus money ($750,000 to $500,000) for the actual Super Bowl win itself. |
| 5. Kyler Murray wins Pro Bowl MVP after NFC wins virtual game |
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| I watched exactly five minutes of the Pro Bowl on Sunday and based on that math, I'm guessing that 99 percent of you watched exactly zero minutes of the game, which wasn't actually a game because it was just eight guys facing each other in "Madden NFL 21" using the 2021 Pro Bowl rosters. |
| After four crazy quarters, Kyler Murray was named MVP of the virtual game after leading the NFC to a 32-12 win over the AFC. The NFC team was led by Murray, Jamal Adams, Bubba Wallace and Marshawn Lynch while the AFC team was led by Deshaun Watson, Derrick Henry, Snoop Dogg and Keyshawn Johnson. Each of the four guys got to play one five-minute quarter of the Pro Bowl and let's just say Keyshawn ended up costing the AFC the game. |
| Here are a few things to know from the game: |
| Kyler Murray faced Deshaun Watson in the first quarter and ended the period with a 7-6 lead. The highlight during Murray's time on the field definitely came when he converted a fourth-and-13. Punters are not welcome in virtual Pro Bowls (You can see the fourth down conversion here). I'm not sure who was in charge of handing out the MVP award, but they should be fired, because the real MVP of the game was NASCAR's Bubba Wallace. During the second quarter, Wallace faced Keyshawn Johnson and outscored him 19-0, which put the NFC ahead 26-6. There were seven touchdowns scored in the entire game and Wallace accounted for three of them. You can click here for more details on Wallace's performance. The funniest part of the game came in the fourth quarter and of course, it involved Marshawn Lynch. Beast Mode was facing off against Snoop Dogg and at one point, Marshawn picked off a pass and during his celebration, things got so crazy that he broke his chair. You can see that clip by clicking here. |
| If for some reason you are clamoring for more details about his game, you can check out our recap by clicking here. |
| 6. Super Bowl Opening Night AKA Media Day is tonight |
| If there's one event at the Super Bowl that seems like a horrible idea to try and pull off during a pandemic, it's definitely Super Bowl Opening Night. In a normal year, Opening Night is an event where the NFL crams thousands of people into a confined space to give us something that usually ends up feeling like a circus. |
| In a pandemic year, cramming thousands of people into a confined space is frowned upon, so the NFL will be making everything virtual for tonight's event. As a matter of fact, Super Bowl Opening Night isn't even going to be at night this year and that's because everything is going to take place during the day. By the time you read this, most of the interviews will already be over. |
| The Buccaneers coaches and players will be virtually meeting with the media from 11 a.m. until 12:45 p.m. on Monday. Since those interviews will have already taken place by the time you read this, you can fill yourself in on what you missed by clicking here and reading our live blog. The Chiefs coaches and players will be virtually meeting with the media from 4 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. on Monday (The Chiefs have a shorter session because they crammed everyone together while the Buccaneers created two separate time slots for their assistant coaches and a third time slot for their players). |
| To keep the spirit of Opening Night alive, NFL Network will be airing the best of all the interviews on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET. You can also get full coverage by streaming things live on CBS Sports HQ (Click here). We'll also have a podcast for Tuesday morning where we rehash the best of the interviews from Monday. |
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| 7. The Kicker! |
| I should have renamed this section "The Extra Point" for today, because I'm going to talk about everyone's favorite topic: EXTRA POINTS! |
| The extra point is usually one of the most boring plays in football, but there could be some drama in the Super Bowl and that's because both kickers have struggled with extra points this year. There were only three kickers in the NFL this year who missed five or more extra points and two of those three kickers will be playing in this game (The other one was Vikings kicker Dan Bailey). |
| For the season, Tampa Bay's Ryan Succop hit 52 of 57 extra points (91.2%) while Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker connected on 48 of 54 (88.9%). Those two percentages ranked at the bottom of the NFL with Butker's ranking as the third-worst in the league this year. Also, it's probably worth noting that Succop and Butker combined to miss of two of the three total extra points that were missed during the playoffs this year. |
| The odds on a missed extra point in the Super Bowl are currently sitting at +220 and I'm starting to feel like that's something I'll probably be betting on. As for you guys, one thing you can bet on is me returning tomorrow! |
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