Super Bowl: All-time gaffe gifts Swift’s Chiefs late lead

The romance between pop megastar Taylor Swift and the Chiefs’ charismatic Travis Kelce is just one of the storylines of a game that is expected to smash US television viewing records.

Swift dashed back to the United States from the latest leg of her global tour in Tokyo on Saturday and will be among a slew of celebrities and VIPs packed into the 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium to see if Kelce and the Chiefs can win a third Super Bowl crown in five seasons.

1.30PM: FUMBLE GIFTS CHIEFS FIRST LEAD

The 49ers defence came up huge once more, but a special teams botch gifts the ball back to Kansas City in the red zone, and straight away they score a touchdown.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling is wide open and makes an easy catch, and out of nowhere this game has completely flipped on its head,

The 49ers are also battling injuries, with star wide receiver Deebo Samuel suffering a hamstring complaint and offensive lineman Jon Feliciano going down after a heavy collision.

1.20PM: PITCH INVADERS SWARMED AT SUPER BOWL

The Chiefs have cut slightly into the Niners’ lead, with a 57-yard bomb from Harrison Butker making the score 10-6.

Butker has been money for the reigning champion’s all season.

However, the game was momentarily stopped as two pitch invaders hit the field well away from the action.

Thankfully, there were snuffed out before they could have an impact on the play.

1.00PM: CHIEFS OFFENCE CONTINUES TO STRUGGLE

The Chiefs are known for coming out of second halves with great adjustments to their opponents, but have really struggled to start this half.

Patrick Mahomes threw a rare interception on their first possession, but after Kansas City’s defence held up, the Chiefs were stuffed close to their own endzone.

The Chiefs have now gone 16 drives without a touchdown, and will badly need to get going, even if their great defence holds up, but can they?

12.40PM: USHER BRINGS THE HEAT TO VEGAS

Unsurprisingly, there was plenty of smooth moves and gyrating for the superstar Usher in his halftime performance.

Alicia Keys, Ludacris and H. E. R were some of the stars to appear on stage as the RnB star put on an extravaganza of dance, in a Vegas-inspired performance full of pomp and glamour.

The action doesn’t stop in Las Vegas.

12.15PM: 10-3 49ERS AS WE HEAD TO THE HALF

The Chiefs managed to get in the opponent’s redzone, but the 49ers bend their backs to keep the Chiefs from scoring a touchdown, settling for a short field goal.

Kansas City do get the ball to start the second half, so this game remains on serve in a way, but the Niners have totally outplayed their opponents to start this one.

Both the offensive and defensive lines have been superb for San Francisco, with the latter putting a ton of pressure on Patrick Mahomes.

The master quarterback from Kansas City has been in spots like this aplenty, as we head to the half.

11.55AM: TRICK PLAY IGNITES SUPER BOWL

It took a play out the back of Kyle Shanahan’s playbook, but the 49ers have the first touchdown of the Super Bowl, and it’s the superstar Christian McCaffrey who gets the six points.

A double-pass play from the Niners lands in CMC’s hands behind the line of scrimmage, but an open field ahead allows him to walk into the endzone.

The Niners take a well deserved 10-0 lead nearing HT.

However, it’s not all good news for the 49ers, who have lost star linebacker Dre Greenlaw to a freak achilles injury,

Can the Chiefs get on the board before Usher hits the stage?

11.40AM: KELCE EXPLODES AFTER COSTLY PLAY

Superstar tight end Travis Kelce has been susceptible to losing his temper all season, culminating in a tantrum at the feet of coach Andy Reid.

Kelce was taken out of the game on the play the Chiefs fumbled the ball, letting his coach know all about it, even bumping his coach.

Some frustration setting in perhaps?

11.30AM: NINERS MAKE HUGE PLAY

Just when we got a glimpse of the Mahomes magic, the 49ers make a huge play backed up near their own end-zone.

Mahomes launched a 52-yad strike to Mecole Hardman to get the Chiefs down the field, but running back Isaiah Pacheco fumbles on the next play and San Francisco gets the ball right back.

The Chiefs were prone to turnovers in the regular season, but had been clean all post-season so far, allowing them to go on this magical run.

11.25AM: 49ER ROOKIE MAKES SUPER BOWL HISTORY

The 49ers are the first team on the board, thanks to the longest field goal in Super Bowl history.

After yet another promising drive, San Francisco was held up near midfield by the Chiefs, sending in rookie kicker Jake Moody to get them on the board.

Moody has struggled at times this season, including missing a game-winning attempt against Cleveland this season.

However, the kicker from Michigan booms this one, going straight through the uprights and we finally have a score.

11.10AM: DEFENSIVE STALEMATE TAKES OVER

These are two of the fiercest defences in the league, and so far it’s been all that side of the ball in Vegas.

The Chiefs have put next to no offence together so far, after one first down from the run, the 49ers swarm to hand the ball back to Brock Purdy and company.

Could the curse of CBS Super Bowls be taking over already?

The past two games on the American networks have been viewed as duds by the public.

San Francisco has made some plays, but can they avoid self-inflicted wounds to get some points on the board?

10.50AM: CHIEFS MAKE EARLY STATEMENT

Once a high-flying offence, the Chiefs have relied on their defence this season, and straight away they come up huge to kick off this one.

The 49ers used superstar Christian McCaffrey to great effect to get down the field, before the ball was ripped out by a Chiefs defender and recovered by George Karloftis.

Can Patrick Mahomes cash in on the early stumble by San Francisco?

The 49ers hold, and will get the chance to go right back down the field.

A massive stand by their defence who has struggled at times in the playoffs.

10.35AM: KICKOFF IN LAS VEGAS, WHO WINS IT ALL?

The biggest game in American sports is underway!

After all the pageantry and entertainment, now the battle truly begins on the field at Allegiant Stadium.

The Chiefs have won the toss and deferred their choice to the second half, so we will see Brock Purdy on the field to kick off this blockbuster.

PREDICTION: 24-20 CHIEFS

10.10AM: USHER IS IN THE BUILDING

The Super Bowl’s renowned halftime entertainment will be headlined by superstar Usher this year, and the pop legend is in the building in Las Vegas.

The halftime show is always subject to plenty of speculation, with rumours raging that Justin Bieber will be on stage with the man who took him under his wing when he rose to stardom.

For some, this will be the pinnacle of today’s game.

9.30AM: SWIFT CONSPIRACY TAKES OVER SUPER BOWL

– AFP

The NFL has welcomed the new audience Swift has brought to the league, but commissioner Roger Goodell this week found himself dismissing conspiracy theories suggesting the Super Bowl had been rigged in a bid to tip this year’s presidential election in favour of President Joe Biden.

Goodell said the theories were “frankly not even worth talking about” and on Sunday former president Donald Trump, the frontrunner to take on Biden in November, said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that a Swift endorsement of Biden in the 2024 election would be “disloyal”.

Trump, claiming credit for the Music Modernization Act, said the legislation addressing copyright law and streaming rights had benefited Swift.

“Joe Biden didn’t do anything for Taylor, and never will,” Trump wrote, saying there was “no way” the singer would endorse Biden and “be disloyal to the man who made her so much money.” “Besides that, I like her boyfriend, Travis, even though he may be a Liberal, and probably can’t stand me!” Trump added.

9.20AM: THE GAME’S BIGGEST NAME ARRIVES

Perhaps for those not too worried about the game itself, the biggest name attached to this game is in the building.

Just a few days out from her Australian tour, Taylor Swift is in Allegiant Stadium, flanked by celebs Blake Lively and Ice Spice.

Swift’s romance with Travis Kelce has taken the world by storm, so it would be a good bet to suggest we will see plenty of the megastar in the stands today.

8.45AM: WHO WILL WIN? OUR EXPERTS DECIDE

The biggest party in American sport is about to get even bigger on Monday (AEDT) when Las Vegas hosts the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs in what promises to be a Super Bowl blockbuster for the ages.

But who will win? Julian Linden and Jamie Pandaram debate who will claim the crown.

8.00AM: CAN CHIEFS OVERCOME $1.76m ‘DRAKE CURSE’?

The Drake Curse is a real thing. And that could spell disaster for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Canadian rapper is known to splash the cash on big sporting events – and often ends up on the losing side.

He lost $1m when Argentina beat France in the World Cup final in 2022, and famously bet on the Golden State Warriors when they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.

And, for today, he’s bet $US1.15m on the Chiefs – and star tight end Travis Kelce, boyfriend of pop star Taylor Swift – to knock over the favourites San Francisco 49ers.

“I can’t bet against the Swifties,” Drake wrote on Instagram, alongside a screenshot of the monster bet.

6AM: ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SUPER BOWL 58

– Jamie Pandaram

Taylor Swift will be there, Prince Harry won’t, the San Francisco 49ers are complaining of a hijacked preparation, while the Kansas City Chiefs are ruing a major injury blow in a dramatic build-up to Super Bowl LVIII.

Pop star Swift raced from her Tokyo concert to Haneda airport in a convoy of four black SUVs and flew to Los Angeles.

She then shot off to Las Vegas, venue of the biggest sports event on Earth, to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce compete for his third championship.

The Chiefs tight end and Swift have become the dominant storyline of the NFL this year because Swift is the most famous musician on the planet.

Fears she would miss the big game were allayed when her jet, given the name “The Football Era”, landed at LAX on Saturday local time.

The Swift and Kelce families will be together in a private suite at Allegiant Stadium for which the Chiefs star paid $US1.5 million.

Prince Harry shocked onlookers when he turned up in Vegas on Thursday to present the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award to Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward.

However, the royal and his wife Meghan Markle won’t attend the big show because they are heading to Canada for the Invictus Games.

Speaking of games, the 49ers are convinced someone is playing some with them as they fume about their preparations.

Coach Kyle Shanahan was incensed about the softness of the grass on their practice field at UNLV, while the Chiefs got to train at Allegiant Stadium.

(The AFC and NFC teams take it in turns each year to train at the match venue before the Super Bowl).

San Francisco players also believe a prankster set off an alarm at 6am at their team hotel to disrupt their sleep.

“There’s no way it’s random,” star 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey said. “It’s part of it. It’s just more wood thrown on the fire.”

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel said: “A fire alarm going off at six in the morning? For what? I didn’t understand that. That s*** kind of p***** me off.”

However, in news that will lift the hopes of long-suffering Niners fans, who haven’t seen their team lift the Lombardi Trophy in 30 years, the Chiefs’ $US80 million defensive strongman Joe Thuney is a late omission from the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs had already lost star defensive end Charles Omenihu to a knee injury and guard Thuney is now their second starting defensive player to be ruled out.

They have activated running back Jerrick McKinnon from their injured reserve list but a decision on whether he plays will be made before the match.

The Niners were already favourites and all their starting players had been passed fit, so the late injury blow resulted in defending champions the Chiefs drifting in the market.

However, the Chiefs have made four of the past five Super Bowls and thrived on the underdogs tag.

The 49ers’ dominant running game – led by McCaffrey and Samuel – will try to break through the Chiefs wall, while quarterback Brock Purdy hopes to shed his tag as “Mr Irrelevant”, having been picked as the 262nd and final player in the 2022 NFL draft.

Kansas City’s hopes rest with genius quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who has already led the franchise to two titles and in quick time become one of the game’s greats.

Less regular NFL viewers and Swifties will be intrigued to learn the rivalry between the Chiefs and 49ers also runs deep off the field.

Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole, who dated the star from 2017-22, has seemingly switched allegiances by partying in Vegas over the weekend with 49ers WAGs that include Claire Kittle, wife of Kelce’s tight end rival George Kittle.

The halftime show is another feature of the Super Bowl that appeals to non-football fans and this year’s entertainer is R & B star Usher.

Fans are speculating he may bring on stage Alicia Keys to perform their duet My Boo.

The other highly anticipated off-field attraction for US viewers will be the Super Bowl commercials, which each cost $US7 million for a 60-second spot.

This year Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer will reunite for Uber Eats. It will reportedly cost the company more than $US50 million for the total production.

American beer company Bud Light suffered a sales slump following its decision to use transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in a marketing campaign.

Conservative customers, led by musician Kid Rock, boycotted the brand and posted social media clips in which they poured cans of beer on to the ground.

Bud Light is now forking out for an ad that features NFL legend Peyton Manning, rapper Post Malone and UFC boss Dana White to win back customers.

In the end, long after the singing, dancing and acting have dissolved into the memory banks, one team will be immortalised as Super Bowl champion and claim a prize that money can’t buy.

Either Purdy and McCaffrey will end San Francisco’s three-decade hoodoo, or Mahomes and Kelce will notch a third championship in five years to create a new Football Era.