Super Bowl LVI will be played in the very new, state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium that opened in September 2020 serves as the shared home of the Los Angeles Chargers and Rams. The venue should create an electrifying atmosphere and hopefully feature more fans present as the world returns to relative normalcy once the NFL playoffs roll around again.
Could the Chargers or Rams serve as true hosts for the NFL’s grand finale? Well, with two teams in the running, the odds are certainly better than in most years. Super Bowl LV marked the first time ever that a participating team was playing a home game, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took full advantage, crushing the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Kansas City came up short in its quest for back-to-back championships, as the defense swarmed Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes for 29 pressures, and Tom Brady took home his seventh Lombardi Trophy and fifth Super Bowl MVP award in the Bucs’ victory.
Now that the latest champion has been decided, it’s time to look ahead to next year’s Big Game. Despite the loss, Kansas City is still favored in the initial Super Bowl 2022 odds, ahead of No. 2 co-favorites Tampa Bay and Green Bay.
Let’s take a closer look at the finer details for Super Bowl LVI, including the Super Bowl start time, where to watch the epic showdown and more information surrounding the next battle for the Lombardi Trophy.
Related: We’ve already got our 2022 Super Bowl pick, along with next year’s NFL playoff teams.
Super Bowl start time, TV info
- Date: Sunday, February 6, 2022
- Time: The Super Bowl start time is approximately 6:30 PM EST
- Station: NBC
- Location: Inglewood, California (SoFi Stadium)
- Announcers: Al Michaels/Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth
The 6:30 PM EST Super Bowl LV start time is somewhat misleading, as games usually start about 20 minutes after that. Typically, broadcasts switch off between the three main networks (CBS, NBC and Fox). Last season saw CBS air Super Bowl LV with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo getting the call.
Super Bowl LVI will feature the duo of either Al Michaels or Mike Tirico as the host and the well-respected Cris Collinsworth providing cutting-edge analysis in real time. It remains to be seen whether Michaels or Tirico will have main announcing duties. Michaels, 76, scaled back his involvement in NFL on NBC telecasts this past season due to COVID-19 protocols. Either man is more than capable of doing a phenomenal job.
As to whether the Rams or Chargers can wind up hosting Super Bowl LVI, well, it’s a tall order. However, the former LA club made a blockbuster trade to kick off its offseason, upgrading from Jared Goff to Matthew Stafford at quarterback.
Interestingly, the Bolts stole away brilliant Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley as their new head coach, and with a rising star in Justin Herbert under center and a talented roster returning, the Chargers should be a force in the AFC next season.
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Read More: Winners, losers from blockbuster Matthew Stafford trade to Los Angeles Rams
Super Bowl history
This will be the 56th iteration of the modern Super Bowl. The first game took place back in January of 1967 with the Green Bay Packers taking out the Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay ultimately won Super Bowl II, too, with a victory over the then-Oakland Raiders.
It was only back in 2002 that the Super Bowl moved to February. That was due to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 on the United States the previous fall. The NFL decided to keep the big game in February after it had been played the month prior throughout its history.
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Here’s a look at the past five Super Bowls
- LV: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31, Kansas City Chiefs 9
- LIV: Kansas City Chiefs 31, San Francisco 49ers 20
- LIII: New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3
- LII: Philadelphia Eagles 41, New England Patriots 33
- LI: New England Patriots 34, Atlanta Falcons 28
Super Bowl records
Most Super Bowl appearances: New England Patriots (11)
Most Super Bowl wins: Tom Brady (7), New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers (6)
Super Bowl losses: Denver Broncos, New England Patriots (5)
Read More: Joe Thuney boosts Kansas City Chiefs’ odds as Super Bowl LVI favorites
Will there be fans in attendance at the Super Bowl?
Yes. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, 7,500 healthcare workers were granted admission to Super Bowl LV for free, and a total of 24,835 fans were said to be in attendance at Raymond James Stadium for the epic Chiefs-Buccaneers clash.
At the lowest possible level, ticket revenue for an individual Super Bowl comes in at $65 million. That’s dependent on demand and attendance. With that comes tens of millions in concessions revenue and hundreds of millions in local revenue.
Although the NFL and host city may need to contend with at least some health and safety protocols as uncertainty around the COVID-19 persists, the good news is that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has opened up all the league’s stadiums as sites for vaccinations to help combat and ultimately halt the pandemic.
Read More: Roger Goodell tells President Biden all NFL stadiums will be COVID-19 vaccine sites
Those efforts are only to going to help the NFL’s mission to ensure that Super Bowl LVI will feature a full-fledged fan experience — at least as much as public safety will allow by the time February 2022 rolls around.
Who performs at the Super Bowl Halftime Show?
Roc Nation, led by Jay-Z, has been in charge of assembling the Super Bowl Halftime Show in recent years. After Jennifer Lopez and Shakira performed in Miami, Super Bowl LV saw The Weeknd as the main headliner. Not much else is known about the upcoming performance, but here’s a look at some of the other most recent performers.
LIII: Maroon 5 and Travis Scott
LII: Justin Timberlake
LI: Lady Gaga
50: Coldplay, Beyonce and Bruno Mars
This is only speculation right now as to who the Super Bowl LVI performers could be in 2022, but based on the marquee names that have landed the gig of late, we could be looking at someone like Rihanna, Drake, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles or even Ariana Grande.
There’s really no limit to the imagination as to who could land the rocking stadium gig, and the massive, multi-billion-dollar venue would be quite the extraordinary mass concert to score for any of these world-class musical artists.
Super Bowl national anthems of the past
We have seen some absolutely tremendous renditions of the national anthem over the past half century or so. Whitney Houston’s performance of the song ahead of Super Bowl XXV back in 1991 stands above the rest. It came at a time when the United States found itself at war for the first time since Vietnam decades earlier, and captivated the nation.
Mariah Carey’s performance ahead of Super Bowl XXXVI between the then-St. Louis Rams and New England Patriots months after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks also gave us goosebumps.
Super Bowl LV offered a fascinating mashup of genres from its dual performers who sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
R&B artist Jazmine Sullivan is teaming up with country music star Eric Church for a dynamic duet featuring some truly unique musical interplay. The arrangement itself, though, was admittedly a little too flashy, and unlike in the instances of the late, great Houston and Carey, the national anthem seems to be most effective oftentimes when it’s performed in straightforward fashion, as opposed to being too ornamental in its execution.
In any event, it certainly was an extraordinary 2020 NFL season as everyone dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was great to see the entertainment side of Super Bowl Sunday proceedings intact while adhering to safety protocols first and foremost.
Despite obvious bumps along the way, there was, in fact, a Super Bowl champion crowned amid an unprecedented time when it looked like the season itself could’ve been in jeopardy.
Whichever teams and performers take to the field at SoFi Stadium on February 6, 2022, the venue itself and the massive Los Angeles-area market should provide a larger-than-life, Hollywood-style backdrop for Super Bowl LVI. After three straight Super Bowls in which the final score wound up being decided by double digits, the next Big Game is due to be an instant classic that comes down to the final possession.
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