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Chiefs beat the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII

By Matt Meyer, Maureen Chowdhury and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 0500 GMT (1300 HKT) February 13, 2023

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5:03 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

Rihanna says motherhood made her feel like she can "take on the world" ahead of Super Bowl halftime show

From CNN's David Close

Rihanna speaks during a press conference on February 9, in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Superstar singer Rihanna, who will perform in the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, said she has been so focused on her impending performance that she forgot about her upcoming birthday later this month.

She called the task “incredible” but “almost impossible."

"I've been so focused on the Super Bowl, I totally forgot my birthday is coming up. I totally forgot about Valentine's Day. I am just like, 'Super Bowl, Super Bowl, Super Bowl.' So, it's a lot of preparation, a lot of moving parts and this week, this is the week that it really is being tested," Rihanna said Thursday.

The singer said everyone involved in the production is in the final tune-up stage. It's a massive undertaking, with as many as three to 400 people setting up and breaking down the stage, all in about eight minutes, Rihanna said.

"It's incredible. It's almost impossible," she said of the feat.

“When you become a mom there is something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world," said the icon and entrepreneur, who recently had a baby. "You can do anything."

"The Super Bowl is one of the big stages in the world, so as scary as that was, because I haven’t been on stage in 7 years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all," said Rihanna, who last toured in 2016. "It’s important for me to do this this year. It’s important for representation. It’s important for my son to see that.”

4:56 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

Report: Super Bowl parties aren’t breaking your budget this year — but watch out for beer prices

From CNN's Parija Kavilanz

While overall food price inflation is up 11.8% over last year, prices on some popular snack items are down just in time for game day, according to the 2023 Wells Fargo Super Bowl Food Report.

But with beverages, brace for sticker shock on at least one must-have for many people: beer. Beer prices this year have jumped 11% from 2022, while wine and spirits are up 4% and 2% respectively, according to the report.

With that out of the way, here's the good news —

Wing-lovers rejoice: A pound of chicken wings is down 22% from January 2022 because of reinforced supply. This time last year, the retail price for whole chicken wings was $3.38 per pound, according to the US Department of Agriculture. That price tumbled all the way down to $2.65 per pound by January 2023, according to the Wells Fargo report.
Grilling? Sirloin steak prices have dropped almost $1 per pound from 2022 Super Bowl prices. So has the price of shrimp, as lower demand helped push down prices by 17% since last year, landing at $3.78 a pound. Adding bacon to your burgers? Good news — those prices are down, too.
Go crazy with the guac: Avocados are at a bargain. The average retail price for an avocado is down 20% since last year, after a significant supply glut of the buttery fruit triggered a drop in wholesale prices. That’s a welcome reversal from 2022, when avocado prices surged in the first half of the year after a brief stoppage of imports from Mexico roiled the supply chain and inflated prices.

4:42 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

This year's Super Bowl is the first to ever feature two Black starting quarterbacks

From CNN's Ben Morse

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, left, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes speak to the media during the NFL football Super Bowl LVII opening night Monday in Phoenix. (David J. Philip/AP)

In media appearances leading up to the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts have recognized the significance of being the first two Black quarterbacks to start in the same Super Bowl.

The matchup comes 35 years after Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to start and win in the big game.

For 27-year-old Chiefs quarterback Mahomes — who is looking for his second Super Bowl ring when the two teams face off in Arizona Sunday — the moment of history is “special.”

“I’ve learned more and more about the history of the Black quarterback since I’ve been in this league,” he told reporters.

“The guys that came before me and Jalen set the stage for this, and now I’m just glad we can set the stage for kids that are coming up now," Mahomes said.

Eagles quarterback Hurts — in just his second full season as a starter — is just the eighth Black quarterback to start in the Super Bowl. The short list includes a fellow Philadelphia player: Donovan McNabb, who started Super Bowl XXXIX.

“I think it’s something that’s worthy of being noted and it is history," Hurts said. "It’s come a long way."

Super Bowl snacks: How to make the perfect party roll

From CNN's Elise Hammond

Ingredients

1 can pizza crust
1 chicken breast
1 8oz block mozzarella cheese
1/4 pound deli pepperoni
1/2 cup spinach
1/4 red onion
1/2 red bell pepper
Buffalo sauce

Get ready:

Season your chicken breast and cook it in the oven at 400° F for 25-30 minutes. (Leave the oven on at 400° F for the rolls).
Let the chicken rest for a few minutes and then cut it into small pieces. Set aside.
Next, cut your block of mozzarella cheese into about 25 slices. Set aside.
Chop and prep the rest of your veggies — cut the red onion and bell pepper into small, thin slices.
Drizzle olive oil on an 18x26 baking sheet and evenly coat the pan.
Take your dough out of the tin and stretch it out to fill the baking sheet. Use your fingers to work the sides.
Cut the dough into about 20 squares — five squares by four squares across, each side roughly an inch in length.

Making the rolls:

Start by stretching a square of the dough out with your fingers.
For the buffalo chicken roll, add cheese in the middle of the square of dough. Then put a splash of buffalo sauce, chicken and red onions on top. For the spinach roll, layer cheese, chicken, spinach and red bell pepper. Layer pepperoni, folded in half, and cheese for the pepperoni roll.
For each individual roll, stretch the sides of your dough and fold them inward. Then stretch the bottom of the square out and fold up, making sure all of your chicken and cheese is wrapped inside. Flip the entire roll away from you, rolling everything in.
Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes.
Take out when they are a golden brown color and serve!

4:08 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

Prop bets: If it happens on Super Bowl Sunday, you can probably wager on it

From CNN's Andy Scholes

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is dunked with Gatorade by his players Jordan Lucas (24) and Cameron Erving (75) in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV in 2020. (Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports/Reuters)

Nearly every year, more people watch the Super Bowl than any other televised event — and many like to watch with some (pig)skin in the game.

Adults in the US are expected to bet a total of roughly $16 billion on the Super Bowl this year, according to a survey from the American Gaming Association.

Of course, you can wager on the actual scoring and outcome. But when it comes to the Super Bowl, you can also bet on almost anything that has to do with the game, including some truly silly stuff. These are called "proposition bets" or "prop" bets for short.

Here are some of the zaniest prop bets available for Super Bowl LVII:

Length of the national anthem
Outcome of the coin toss
Color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach
Will Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid say "burger" during his postgame interview? (This is a callback to his remarks after the Chiefs' 2020 win.)
Whose ad will run first: Doritos or M&Ms?
Color of Rihanna's first outfit during the halftime show
Will Tom Cruise parachute into the stadium and hand-deliver the game ball to the referees? (Yes, seriously.)

Read more about wagering on the Super Bowl, including odds on these silly bets, here.

3:46 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

It's time for football's shiniest showcase. But the NFL has had a rocky season

From CNN's Leah Asmelash

Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins is carted off on a stretcher after an injury in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 29, 2022. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

No one questions the NFL's status as the US' most powerful professional sports league, and the Super Bowl is its grand finale — its biggest celebration.

But the league also faces its share of criticism, and a series of events from the last five months has magnified those concerns.

Here’s a look back at some of the most controversial storylines of the season – the ones that might not make an NFL highlight reel:

Deshaun Watson returned after more than two dozen sexual assault accusations: Over 20 women came forward last year alleging sexual misconduct against Deshaun Watson from his time as the quarterback of the Houston Texans. Watson has apologized for “any pain this situation has caused” but has repeatedly denied the allegations. He served an 11-game suspension, paid a $5 million fine and then returned to play under a new five-year, $230 million deal with the Cleveland Browns — the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history.
Tua Tagovailoa’s injuries brought new scrutiny to the NFL concussion protocols: Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa faced multiple health scares, including trips in and out of the league's concussion protocols and questions about whether he should have been allowed to return to play when he did.
Lovie Smith's firing highlighted claims of discrimination against Black coaches: When Lovie Smith was hired as the new head coach of the Houston Texans in February 2022, he became one of two Black head coaches in the NFL. He only lasted a year. For critics concerned with the league's history on race, Smith’s firing was just another example of Black coaches not being given a fair shot.
Damar Hamlin’s sudden collapse renewed questions about player safety: When Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed mid-game last month against the Cincinnati Bengals, the nation held its collective breath. At the time, many feared Hamlin had died. The Bills later said his heartbeat was restored on the field by team medical staff before he was taken to a hospital. The episode renewed assertions that the league – whose players are bigger, stronger and faster than ever – has simply become too dangerous.

You can read full details and analysis on each of these controversies here.

3:32 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

The federal government has hundreds of personnel helping monitor for Super Bowl security threats

From CNN's Holmes Lybrand

Security patrols outside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona ahead of the Super Bowl. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Department of Homeland Security has more than 600 personnel making threat and security assessments, looking out for counterfeit merchandise and providing other security support as thousands of fans descend on Glendale, Arizona, for the Super Bowl.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas traveled to Arizona earlier this week to meet with law enforcement in the community, just outside of Phoenix.

DHS personnel are providing “extensive air security resources; venue, cyber, and infrastructure security assessments; chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives detection technologies; intelligence analysis and threat assessments; intellectual property enforcement; and real-time situational awareness reporting for our partners," according to a press release from Mayorkas' agency Tuesday.

Why "intellectual property enforcement"? Super Bowls can be a boon for bogus merchandise sellers. Crackdowns on the counterfeits market have turned up huge seizures for feds in the past.

3:14 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

Hurts vs Mahomes: Meet the quarterbacks

From CNN's Ben Church and Ben Morse

There are stars all over the field in this year's Super Bowl, but it's hard to ignore the historic faceoff between the starting quarterbacks on the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.

It's dynamic newcomer Jalen Hurts against NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes, now an established veteran.

Jalen Hurts: From viral powerlifting sensation to Super Bowl quarterback

The immense pressure heaped on athletes in Philadelphia has proven too much for many sporting stars. Sometimes, the city of brotherly love isn’t so friendly.

But for Jalen Hurts, the pressure that comes with being the starting quarterback for the city’s NFL team has been like water off a duck’s back.

Decked out in the green of the Eagles, the 24-year-old has oozed calm and composure as he’s ascended to the top of his field in just his second full season as a starter, becoming the driving force behind the team’s run to the Super Bowl.

And from his all-women support team to his love of singer Anita Baker and the viral videos of his powerlifting achievements, Hurts is more than just an NFL quarterback.

Read CNN's full profile on Hurts here.

Patrick Mahomes: The promising baseball pitcher who became the face of the NFL

He may be on the cusp of a second Super Bowl title and widely regarded as one of the most talented quarterbacks in NFL history, but a career in football wasn’t always in the cards for Patrick Mahomes.

Instead, it was baseball, the sport his father played professionally for 11 years, that was his first love. Unsurprisingly, he was pretty good at it.

Old video footage shows a young Mahomes running around stadiums with a baseball glued to his hand, dressed head-to-toe in whichever team’s gear his dad was playing for at the time – from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Mets.

That rare access to the world of elite sport was the foundation for Mahomes to develop into a phenomenal athlete and the ‘Showtime’ superstar he is today.

Read CNN's full profile on Mahomes here.

3:08 p.m. ET, February 12, 2023

Rihanna says she is "trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes" for halftime show

From CNN's David Close

Rihanna told the media Thursday that one of the biggest challenges of headlining the Super Bowl LVII halftime show is narrowing her expansive catalog into such a brief period of time.

“The set list was the biggest challenge. That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate. That's what the show is going to be, it's going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could have put it together,” she said.

“You only have 13 minutes. That's the challenge. You are trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes. So it's, it's difficult. Some songs we had to lose because of that, and that's going to be OK. But I think we did a pretty good job of narrowing it down.”