Super Bowl

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The season's best NFL players are recognised by All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections, and Josh Allen was named as this season's Pro Bowl starter for the AFC Conference ahead of Lamar Jackson.

However, All-Pro selections hold more prestige as fewer players are selected, and Jackson was picked ahead of Allen in the All-Pro first team.

Normally, that would be significant in terms of the NFL MVP race.

The panel of 50 broadcasters/journalists that make the All-Pro selection also pick the NFL MVP, and the last time the first-team All-Pro quarterback was not also MVP was 1987.

Votes are cast at the end of the regular season so although Allen's Buffalo beat Jackson's Baltimore in the play-offs - before losing to defending champions Kansas City - it will have no bearing on who is named this season's NFL MVP.

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The leading contenders to be this season's NFL MVP are Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Allen went clear in the MVP race with a superb run at the start of December before the Bills finished the season with a 13-4 record.

Jackson, who was named MVP for a second time last year, finished the season strongly to help the Ravens to 12-5 and close the gap on Allen.

While who had the best season is hard to call, Allen is the favourite and his advocates argue he is more valuable to Buffalo than Jackson is to Baltimore.

The Bills traded their top receiver in the off-season while the Ravens signed one of the league's best running backs in Derrick Henry.

Henry rushed for 1,921 yards - second to Philadelphia's Saquon Barkley - and Baltimore's receiving group is stronger than Buffalo's, putting more onus on Allen to get the job done.

The Ravens also had six All-Pro selections compared with Buffalo's one - Allen.

Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers are the only active players to have won MVP. Is it time for Allen to join them?

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The Super Bowl hype actually takes a back seat on Thursday as the winners of this season's NFL awards are announced.

The awards are decided by the Associated Press (AP), an American news agency, with the ceremony taking place at Saenger Theatre in New Orleans.

A total of 20 awards will be presented, with the big prize being the NFL's Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024 season.

The event is being hosted by Snoop Dogg and will be attended by dozens of current and former players and coaches, including actor Terry Crews. Traditionally, any of the players set to compete in the Super Bowl do not attend.

Here are the main honours that will be announced:

• Most Valuable Player

• Offensive Player of the Year

• Defensive Player of the Year

• Offensive Rookie of the Year

• Defensive Rookie of the Year

• Comeback Player of the Year

• Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025

• Coach of the Year

• Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year

Ben Collins
BBC Sport journalist in New Orleans

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The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles spoke to the media for the final time today before Super Bowl 59.

For three days running they have held media opportunities at their respective hotels, which are both based in the centre of New Orleans.

They had their first practice sessions on Wednesday and you know whenever either team are going to and from their training facilities.

Never mind a team bus, an NFL team requires five coaches to transport its players and staff, and they get a police escort from more than a dozen motorbikes.

The first bikes come past before the first coach is even in sight and it takes a good minute for all of the motorcade to pass through, with sirens blaring all the way through.

It does make you wonder, if this is what it's like when the players are going to and from practice, what will it be like at the weekend when the president is in town?

Nesta McGregor
Sport Reporter

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Kendrick Lamar says he never dreamt he'd ever get the call to perform at the NFL Super Bowl half-time how. On Sunday the rapper will become the first solo Hip-Hop act to perform during American football's showpiece event.

Fresh from winning five Grammy awards last weekend, the musician says he wants to use the platform to remind people that his genre of music should garner the same respect as any other genre of music.

The 37-year-old says he doesn't always feel rap music gets the respect it deserves and promised to remind people of its origins – with the MC battle a pivotal part.

The last year has seen Lamar involved in a musical back-and-forth with Canadian artist Drake.

He also said deciding what songs from his 20 year career to squeeze into a 13 minute performance was tough. He says "storytelling" will be the theme of his performance.

Lamar says he deals with nerves before a performance by running and doing push-ups as well as listening to The Isley Brothers.

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There has been plenty of speculation over whether Kendrick Lamar will perform Not Like Us, his huge hit from last year which has pretty much been the anthem of Super Bowl week here in New Orleans.

Drake has since filed a defamation lawsuit over the song, which won five Grammy awards on Sunday, taking Lamar's overall tally to 22.

If this news conference is anything to go by, Sunday's show will be uncensored. Let's just say that not all of Lamar's comments have been for a family audience.

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There's a big round of applause from the huge number of reporters and cameras at the news conference for the Apple Music Super Bowl half-time show as headliner Kendrick Lamar takes to the stage.

He's started by talking about his history as an artist and going through his favourite tracks from his career so far.

He's looking relaxed but not yet giving away any hints about what tracks will be in his hugely-anticipated set at the Superdome on Sunday.

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As the designated home team, the Philadelphia Eagles chose to wear their home green jerseys for the Super Bowl - so the Kansas City Chiefs will be in their white away shirts

That will not be an issue for Patrick Mahomes and company though, as he has a perfect record in play-off games wearing white, winning all three contests - including the previous Super Bowl victory over the Eagles...

Mahomes has played 20 play-off games now but worn home red in 17 due to usually playing at Arrowhead with the Chiefs so dominant.

The Eagles were also the 'home' side last time and picked their green colours, while the Chiefs were also the away side when losing the Super Bowl to Tampa Bay, when the Bucs opted to wear white.

Mahomes has big play-off wins over the Bills, Ravens and Eagles wearing white, averaging a 76.4% completion rate, 212.7 yards and two touchdowns a game. He also had a QB rating over 100 in all three.

And he's not the only one who enjoys wearing white - as teams in white jerseys have gone 16-4 over the last 20 Super Bowls.

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Fans of 31 other NFL teams are a bit sick and tired of the Kansas City Chiefs winning all the time - but Patrick Mahomes is more than happy being the villain.

"If winning football games makes you a villain, we're going to keep going out there and doing it," said Mahomes.

"We embrace who we are. We believe we play the game the right way, with a lot of heart and passion for the game."

It was a similar story with Tom Brady's New England Patriots when they dominated - something Mahomes knows only too well from his younger days as a Dallas Cowboys fan.

"It's all fun because I was that guy," Mahomes added. "I was a Cowboys fan growing up, and I used to hate the Patriots.

"But I think, more than anything, I appreciate the greatness of the Patriots now when I see how hard it was to do what they did.

"Hopefully we're just giving people a great product to watch, and they can see the love for the game that we have. All the other stuff is kind of outside noise."

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Who do you think will win the Super Bowl? Eagles or Chiefs?

NFL fans, you can have your say on our vote page.

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The Philadelphia Eagles practiced for two hours in New Orleans on Wednesday, with four players participating on a limited basis - defensive tackle Jalen Carter (illness), running back Kenneth Gainwell (concussion, knee), wide receiver DeVonta Smith (hamstring) and defensive end Brandon Graham (elbow).

Speaking to the media, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said several times that the main theme was to "focus and refocus".

"It's not a normal week," he said. "You want to keep it as normal as possible, but the times are different, the obligations are different. The game's not normal either, so just focus and refocus. It's a good prep for the game."

As with the Chiefs, the practice structure was similar to a normal Wednesday during the regular season.

"For a lot of guys, this isn't their first time here, which I think is really important," said Sirianni. "I feel like our guys are locked in to what they need to do and are enjoying some time together."

He added: "It's just constantly coming back to controlling what you can control, which is what we've talked about all year, staying focused on your job."

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After kicking off Super Bowl week with two days of media commitments, both the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles got back on the practice field in New Orleans on Wednesday.

The Chiefs went through a near 90-minute session, which head coach Andy Reid likened to a normal Wednesday session, and had a perfect practice attendance.

Reid said the focus was "assignments", with the players going over their roles for Sunday's game plan.

"You kind of start from scratch when you get out here and go back through everything," said Reid. "And if you've got little tweaks you've got to make here or there, you get them done."

The first song on the practice playlist was Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar, which has been played across the NFL's promo content all week as the American rapper will perform the Super Bowl half-time show.

Drake has filed a defamation lawsuit over the song and Lamar is sure to be asked whether he'll perform the song when he holds his pre-game news conference on Thursday morning in New Orleans.

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Harrison Butker's field goal proved decisive in Super Bowl 57 two years ago, giving the Kansas City Chiefs a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

With Donald Trump confirmed as a guest for the rematch this Sunday, BBC Sport asked the Chiefs kicker what it will be like playing in front of the US president knowing that the game could again come down to one of his kicks.

"It's exciting," said Butker. "I remember the first Super Bowl I played in, I saw all these celebrities - Jay Z and Beyonce on the sideline, David Beckham up in the stands.

"You know all of these celebrities watch the game on TV but - at least to my knowledge - they're not at Arrowhead Stadium watching our game. To see them in person is pretty cool, and to know that President Trump is going to be there is an honour, and I'm looking forward to playing in front of him.

"I try to make practice as pressure-packed as possible. I think that gives me a lot of confidence going into the game, knowing that I've practiced it over and over.

"Even though President Trump and different celebrities will physically be at the game, I know they're watching on TV normally so once the game starts for the Super Bowl, you have to forget about that and focus on what you can control.

"You can't worry about the people that are watching because that's not going to help you have success on the field."

Ben Collins
BBC Sport journalist in New Orleans

Image source, Reuters

The Super Bowl is arguably the world's biggest annual sports event, and it just got even bigger.

It attracts some of the biggest stars in sport and showbusiness and, now, for the very first time, the US president will be joining the party.

It's been confirmed that Donald Trump will be coming to town at the weekend, becoming the first sitting president to attend a Super Bowl.

Media and players were still digesting that news in New Orleans on Wednesday morning, pondering how that will affect Sunday's game.

The first thought is security. That had already been bolstered after the New Year's terror attack on Bourbon Street. Now it will be taken to another level.

There's also the impact on the players. Trump's presence is bound to bring more attention on the game but will that put more pressure on the players or actually take some off?

And what about Taylor Swift? She was hoping to cheer her boyfriend Travis Kelce on to an historic Super Bowl win but having been critical of Trump and backed his election rival, will his presence sour the occasion for her at all? If the Kansas City Chiefs do clinch an unprecedented three-peat, will Trump try to join the celebrations?

It's an added element that makes Super Bowl 59 even more enthralling.