The Sportsletter - Super Weekend 🏆

BY JEFF YODER

FEB. 10, 2023  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 👋

It's the big one. Phoenix is the center of the sports world this weekend. The desert plays host to Super Bowl LVII on Sunday after the Suns just stole the show at the NBA Trade Deadline. The NFL Honors were held last night in Phoenix, too. Did we mention the Phoenix Open is underway at TPC Scottsdale?

Half of the country is still dealing with winter, but we have to see shots of Arizona all weekend on TV. What a tease. Let’s prime the big game, crown the NFL MVP and recap the NBA trade deadline in today’s Friday frenzy.

Letter Rip!

SUPER BOWL LVII 🏆

The Super Bowl LVII Primer

Photo: Anthony Behar / Getty Images

Everything You Need to Know for Super Bowl 57 Between the Eagles & Chiefs (Sunday, 6:30 pm ET, FOX)

The big game is here, and you’re likely watching in the company of friends and family. You want to know what you're talking about, right? That's why I'm here. The previews are endless and everywhere on the internet. Matchups, trends and stats abound as we indulge in this significant moment in sports. We’ll have a full report on Monday morning, but we’ve done the work to prep you for Super Sunday. If you’ve missed the last week of preview storylines, here’s everything you need to know in about 60 seconds:

Team History

Team Super Bowl History

Eagles: 3rd Appearance, 1 Lombardi Trophy

Chiefs: 5th Appearance, 2 Lombardi Trophies

2022-23 Season Comparisons

Eagles: 16-3 Record | 546 Points Scored | 6 All Pros

Chiefs: 16-3 Record | 546 Points Scored | 6 All Pros

Super Bowl LVII Game Notes

• QB History: Jalen Hurts (24) and Patrick Mahomes (27) will become the first duo of black quarterbacks to go head-to-head in Super Bowl history, but they’re also the youngest combined matchup (51 years) of all-time.
• Andy Reid Bowl: This will forever be remembered as the Andy Reid bowl. The Chiefs head coach goes for his second Lombardi Trophy by facing his former team. Reid coached the Eagles from 1999-2013, and he’s the winningest coach in team history.
• Kelce Brothers: It’s been a focal point all week long, but the brotherly duo of Travis Kelce (Chiefs) and Jason Kelce (Eagles) marks the first head-to-head matchup between brothers in Super Bowl history. It’s even more fun that they have the biggest personalities on the field.
• Mahomes MVP & Multiple Rings: After winning the league MVP award last night (next section), Mahomes has a chance to join two exclusive lists on Sunday. He could become the first player since Kurt Warner (1999) to win the MVP award and the Super Bowl in the same season. He’d also become just the 13th quarterback in league history to win multiple Super Bowls.

Betting Odds

Spread: Eagles (-1.5) | Chiefs (+1.5)

Moneyline: Eagles (-122) | Chiefs (+104)

Over/Under: 50.5 points

Odds to Win SB MVP: P. Mahomes (+130), J. Hurts (+130)

T. Kelce (+1600), A. Brown (+1800), M. Sanders (+2500), H. Reddick (+3400)

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl LVII Preview (Video)

Additional Storylines

The Ringer: Everything You Need to Know About Super Bowl LVII

CBS Sports: 2023 Super Bowl Lookahead: Stream, Odds, Matchups, Predictions

FOX Sports: Behind the Scenes With FOX NFL Crew at Super Bowl LVII

FiveThirtyEight: The Chiefs & Eagles Don’t Look Like Their Previous Super Bowl-Winning Iterations

📊 READER POLL

Super Bowl LVII Picks

Who do you think will win Super Bowl LVII? (Click to vote)

NFL AWARDS

Mahomes Captures 2nd MVP

Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Wins 2nd MVP Award; Jets Sweep Rookie Awards & Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Wins Man of the Year

The NFL celebrated the conclusion of the 2022-23 season last night with the 12th annual NFL Honors show in Phoenix. Kelly Clarkson hosted the show, becoming the first woman to lead the event in its 12-year history, as the Associate Press awards were revealed along with the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class. To no one’s surprise, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes took home his second MVP award after breaking the league’s all-time yardage record in Week 18. Here’s a look at Mahomes’ season and the complete list of winners before Super Bowl Sunday.

MVP: QB Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)

The Chiefs superstar QB led Kansas City to a 14-3 regular season mark and broke the league’s all-time record for yards in a season with 5,614 — 5,250 passing, 358 rushing. He’s just the 10th player in NFL history to win multiple MVP awards.

MVP Voting: 1. Patrick Mahomes (490 pts), 2. Jalen Hurts (193 pts), Josh Allen (151 pts), 4. Joe Burrow (128 pts), 5. Justin Jefferson (55 pts)

All NFL Award Winners

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Justin Jefferson (Vikings)

Defensive Player of the Year: DE Nick Bosa (49ers)

Offensive Rookie of the Year: WR Garrett Wilson (Jets)

Defensive Rookie of the Year: CB Sauce Gardner (Jets)

Comeback Player of the Year: QB Geno Smith (Seahawks)

Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll (Giants)

Moment of the Year: WR Justin Jefferson’s Catch (Vikings)

Off-the-Field Awards

Walter Payton Man of the Year: QB Dak Prescott (Cowboys)

Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award: DE Calais Campbell (Ravens)

2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class

Ronde Barber, Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas, Zach Thomas & DeMarcus Ware

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Adds to Legacy With 2nd MVP Award

Sporting News: Cowboys Fan Kelly Clarkson’s Monologue at NFL Honors Polarizes NFL Twitter

USA Today: Bills Damar Hamlin Makes Surprise Appearance at NFL Honors Show

NBA TRADE DEADLINE

Trade Tracker: Every NBA Deal

Photo: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Images

Kevin Durant Blockbuster Shakes Up West Before Wildest Trade Deadline Ever

Whew, that was wild. The Suns shocked the NBA overnight with the best blockbuster of NBA Trade Deadline Day, but it was only the beginning. Phoenix became overnight NBA title favorites before 15-plus trades in the final 12 hours before the deadline. It would be difficult for us to hit on every deal and provide details of the packages and picks involved in each, so here’s a list of the top players and where they’re heading. You can get a full recap of each deal by clicking the links.

Trade Deadline Tracker

Kevin Durant (Nets) → Suns

Gary Payton II (Blazers) → Warriors

Jae Crowder (Suns) → Nets → Bucks

James Wiseman (Warriors) → Pistons

Bones Hyland (Nuggets) → Clippers

Patrick Beverly (Lakers) → Magic

Mo Bamba (Magic) → Lakers

Matisse Thybulle (76ers) → Blazers

Mason Plumlee (Hornets) → Clippers

Josh Richardson (Spurs) → Pelicans

Eric Gordon (Rockets) → Clippers

John Wall (Clippers) → Rockets

Saddiq Bey (Pistons) → Hawks

Thomas Bryant (Lakers) → Nuggets

Jakob Poetl (Spurs) → Raptors

Darius Bazley (Thunder) → Suns

Full NBA Trade Deadline Tracker (NBA.com)

What team(s) do you think won the trade deadline?

Reply to today’s newsletter and let us know.

Additional Storylines

SI: NBA Trade Deadline Winners & Losers

B/R: Grading Every Deal at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline

The Ringer: Kevin Durant Addition Blows the Ceiling Off the Suns’ System

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

The weekend ahead needs no introduction. A 17-game regular season began back in September. Two teams remain. Kickoff for Super Bowl LVII is just over 48 hours away. Party on, team.

Super Bowl LVII 🏆

Eagles vs. Chiefs (Sunday, 6:30 pm)

NBA

Knicks at 76ers (Fri. 7:00 pm)

Lakers at Warriors (Sat. 8:30 pm)

Grizzlies at Celtics (Sun. 2:00 pm)

Full NBA Schedule

NHL

Lightning at Stars (Sat. 1:00 pm)

Capitals at Bruins (Sat. 3:30 pm)

Rangers at Hurricanes (Sat. 7:00 pm)

Full NHL Schedule

NCAA Basketball

M: #3 Alabama at Auburn (Sat. 2:00 pm)

M: Duke at #8 Virginia (Sat. 4:00 pm)

M: #1 Purdue at Northwestern (Sun. 2:00 pm)

W: #3 LSU at #1 South Carolina (Sun. 2:00 pm)

W: Syracuse at #10 Notre Dame (Sun. 4:00 pm)

PGA Tour

Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale (All Weekend)

UFC 284

I. Makhachev vs. A. Volkanovski (Sat. 10:00 pm)

*All Times ET

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Texas & Oklahoma Officially Reach Agreement With Big 12 to Leave for SEC in 2024 (USA Today)

• 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey Says He Hopes Both Teams Lose in Super Bowl LVII (Yahoo! Sports)

• Padres Extend Pitcher Yu Darvish With 6-Year, $108 Million Deal (CBS Sports)
• Flames Defenseman Rasmus Andersson to Miss Games After Scooter Accident (ESPN)
• NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith Calls for End of Scouting Combine (Reuters)
• Sean Payton Reportedly Didn’t Want to Coach Cardinals QB Kyler Murray (SI)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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