The Daily Briefing Monday, February 14, 2022

Hail to the Rams – a worthy champion.

Although, we feel compelled to point out that the 2021 playoffs revealed the closest level of differentiation between the best and the also rans that we can remember.

None of the final seven games had a margin of more than 3 points at the end of regulation.

After beating the Cardinals, 34-11, in the first round, each of the next three Rams victories were by exactly 3 points – 30-27 at Tampa Bay, 20-17 vs. San Francisco, 23-20 vs. Cincinnati.

John Breech of CBSSports.com with a good recap of what went on:

Bengals coaching staff didn’t have a great game. One of Cincinnati’s best players in this game was Joe Mixon, but for some reason, Zac Taylor seemed to forget about Mixon’s existence on big plays. Overall, the Bengals faced third-and-1 or fourth-and-1 a total of FOUR times against the Rams and Mixon wasn’t on the field FOR ANY OF THEM. The Bengals running back averaged 4.8 yards per carry (15 rushes for 72 yards) and to not have him on the field for those key plays was simply inexcusable. The Bengals’ inability to convert a fourth-and-1 at the beginning of the game and a fourth-and-1 at the end was essentially what cost them the game. The failed fourth-and-1 in the first quarter set the Rams up with great field position and led to a quick L.A. touchdown.

Not a great game for the officials. During the conference title games, we didn’t hear a lot about the officiating, but that definitely wasn’t the case on Sunday night. On the NFL’s biggest stage, the officials stole the show in a bad way and the ugly calls went both ways. On Tee Higgins’ 75-yard TD in the third quarter, the officials probably could have thrown a flag on Higgins for an offensive pass interference against Jalen Ramsey. On the other hand, Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson got called for defensive holding against Cooper Kupp on the Rams’ game-winning TD drive and it was a penalty that probably should not have been called because Wilson didn’t seem to do anything illegal. The Wilson penalty also probably shouldn’t have been called at all because the Rams clearly jumped offsides on the play (which you can see here). As a Bengals homer, I basically felt like both teams got a free touchdown that they probably shouldn’t have gotten and if you take those away, we’re right back where we started: The Bengals trailing by three with 1:25 left needing a TD to win or a FG to tie.

2. Cooper Kupp takes home MVP

With the Rams winning such a close game, there was definitely some debate about who the MVP was going to be, and in the end, the award ended up going to Kupp, who finished with eight catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. Kupp got the award over Donald, who finished with two sacks.

Here’s a look at how Kupp won the award:

Kupp comes up in the clutch. The Rams receiver basically clinched the award with his play on his team’s game-winning TD drive. With the Rams in need of some big plays, Kupp came through big time, touching the ball five times for 46 yards. Not only did he catch the game-winning touchdown, but he also had a huge 7-yard run on fourth-and-1. If Kupp had failed on the run, the Bengals likely win the game. Besides the run, Kupp had four catches for 39 yards on the final drive, including a 22-yard reception that moved the Rams from Cincinnati’s 46 down to the Bengals’ 24.

Kupp joins elite company. Kupp becomes the eighth receiver in NFL history to take home the Super Bowl MVP while also becoming the second one to do it against the Bengals (Jerry Rice won the award in Super Bowl XXIII). The last receiver to take home the award was Julian Edelman, who won it in Super Bowl LIII against the Rams.

Kupp finishes one of the greatest postseasons in NFL history. During the Rams’ run to the Super Bowl, Kupp caught 33 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns to put an exclamation point on one of the most remarkable postseasons by any receiver in NFL history. Kupp’s receptions total was the most in NFL history for a single season, his yardage total was the second most and his touchdown total was tied for the second most. Kupp’s entire postseason was a performance for the ages.

To put Kupp’s overall season in perspective, he became just the second receiver to win the receiving triple crown, the Offensive Player of the Year and the Super Bowl MVP. The key difference here is that Rice won all three of those things over the course of his career while Kupp did it all in a single season.

Kupp’s MVP performance wouldn’t have been possible without Stafford, who threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns.

3. Rams roundup: Super Bowl win followed by marriage proposal and birth of baby; Aaron Donald might be mulling retirement

The Rams weren’t just celebrating their Super Bowl win on Sunday, several players also had some other big things to celebrate after the team’s 23-20 win over the Bengals.

Here’s a look at some of the things that went down for the Rams after the game:

Van Jefferson’s wife has a baby. Jefferson’s wife, Samaria, didn’t want to miss the Super Bowl so she went even though she knew the baby might show up. The baby couldn’t wait for the game to end and about midway through, Samaria had to be taken to the hospital after going into labor. The good news is that not only did the baby came out healthy, but Jefferson quickly made it to the hospital after the game to meet his newborn. You can see a picture of Jefferson holding his new baby by clicking here.

Taylor Rapp proposes. The Rams safety won’t be the only one in his family getting a ring. After earning a Super Bowl ring with a win over the Bengals, Rapp had an engagement ring waiting for his fiancée. Rapp popped the question on the field during the Rams’ postgame celebration and you can see the proposal by clicking here. 

4. 13 crazy facts about Super Bowl LVI

Every Sunday night, I get an email from our research department here at CBS Sports, and every Sunday, that email always includes some amazingly wild facts.

With that in mind, here are 13 crazy facts about Super Bowl LVI:

Comeback kids. This was the fifth time in Super Bowl history that a team was trailing before scoring a TD to take a lead in the final two minutes. Two of those five wins have come against the Bengals (Super Bowl LVI and Super Bowl XXIII).

Super Cooper. Kupp joins Joe Montana (1989) as the only two players in NFL history to earn Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in the same season. Kupp is also one of only three players ever to hit 2,000 scrimmage yards and score at least 20 total touchdowns in a season, including playoffs.

Wisdom comes with age, even young age. With the win, Sean McVay became the youngest coach in NFL history to earn a Super Bowl victory. McVay (36 years and 20 days old) broke a record that was held by Mike Tomlin, who was 36 years and 323 days old when the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII.

Home sweet home. The Rams are just the second team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium, joining last year’s Buccaneers team. Before 2020, no team had ever pulled off that feat in NFL history.

Sack king. Miller had two sacks in the game and now has multiple sacks in two different Super Bowls, joining former Giants player Justin Tuck as the only players in NFL history to pull off that feat.

Sack party. Burrow got sacked seven times in the game, which is tied for the most ever in a Super Bowl. Teams are 0-4 in Super Bowl history when their quarterback gets sacked six or more times. Burrow got sacked a total of 19 times in the postseason, which is the single-season playoff record (The previous record was 14, which really puts into perspective how many times Burrow has been sacked over the past few weeks).

Bengals connect on a long bomb. Burrow’s 75-yard TD pass to Higgins was the longest scoring throw the Super Bowl has seen in nearly 20 years. The last pass that was longer was an 85-yarder by Jake Delhomme to Muhsin Muhammad for the Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Joe Mixon with rare play. The Bengals running back became just the fifth non-quarterback in Super Bowl history to throw a TD pass. The last time it happened came when Trey Burton connected with Nick Foles on the “Philly Special” in Super Bowl LII.

Rushing touchdowns go out the window. This game was just the fourth Super Bowl ever to feature exactly ZERO rushing touchdowns. In a twist, the last time it happened was the last time the Bengals were in the Super Bowl (Super Bowl XXIII).

Rams rushing futility. With just 1.9 yards per rush, the Rams became the first winning team in Super Bowl history to average under 2 yards per rush. Before this year, four other teams had averaged under 2 yards per carry, but they all lost the game.

Bengals rare scoring drought. After going up 20-13 on an Evan McPherson field goal in the third quarter, the Bengals went five straight possessions without scoring. That’s notable because they didn’t go five straight possessions without scoring a single time during the regular season (not including kneel downs).

Turnovers didn’t lead to a win. The Bengals’ loss marked just the third time in Super Bowl history that a team won the turnover battle by at least two turnovers and DIDN’T win the game. The only other times it happened came in Super Bowl V (Colts over Cowboys) and Super Bowl XIV (Steelers over Rams).

Bengals join sad losers list. With the loss, the Bengals are now one of just three teams in NFL history to lose three or more Super Bowls without a win (Vikings and Bills are the others). The Bengals’ three Super Bowl losses have come by a total of 12 points.

The DB has some notes to add.

QB MATTHEW STAFFORD is the first Florida-born QB to start and win a Super Bowl.  Although he spent most of his life in Highland Park, Texas, Stafford was born in Tampa, close to his mother’s childhood home in St. Petersburg.

Stafford wasn’t the only winner from Highland Park on Sunday.  Scottie Scheffler who won the PGA TOUR’s Waste Management Phoenix open in a playoff with Patrick Cantlay is also from that enclave near Dallas.

The Rams have joined the Colts (Baltimore and Indianapolis) and Raiders (Oakland and Los Angeles) as teams that have won the SB representing different cities.

The first time the Bengals were in the Super Bowl, they lost by five points (26-21).  Then they lost by four (20-16, the score they aspired to win by on Sunday).  And now, they have a three-point loss.

More on COOPER KUPP’s extended season – 178 catches (22 more than anyone else), 2,425 yards (448 more than anyone else), 20 TDs (record is 24 by Randy Moss, Kupp one of seven with 20+).

MATTHEW STAFFORD finished with 50 TD passes in his extended season.  It’s the most for a SB-winning QB, tying the mark set by Tom Brady last season.

How about this from Christian Arcand –

@ChristianArcand

Tom Brady’s entire career took place in between Rams Super Bowl wins

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

Some comings and goings on the Panthers staff.  Myles Simmons ofProFootballTalk.com:

The Panthers announced a few coaching moves to complete the team’s 2022 staff on Monday.

Carolina has hired Joe Dailey to be its receivers coach. Dailey has previously coached at the collegiate level, with his most recent stop being the receivers coach at Boston College for the past two seasons. He was at Liberty from 2012-2018, first as the quarterbacks coach before he was promoted to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks in 2014.

He was New Mexico’s offensive coordinator/quarterbacks in 2019.

The Panthers have moved Kevin M. Gilbride — the son of the former Chargers’ head coach and longtime Giants offensive coordinator — to tight ends coach. He was a defensive analyst for Carolina in 2021. Gilbride is replacing Brian Angelichio, who is another assistant coach to leave the organization recently for a separate opportunity.

Finally, Carolina announced Robert Kugler has been hired as an assistant offensive line coach. He was most recently with the Texans in 2021.

TAMPA BAY

More rumors over the weekend that QB TOM BRADY’s retirement announcement, issued for whatever reason, was written in pencil.  Tom Pelissaro and Ian Rapoport ofNFL.com:

The Buccaneers are leaving the door open for Tom Brady in case the legendary quarterback changes his mind on retirement, and sources say they would do whatever is necessary for him to return — a possibility Brady himself isn’t completely ruling out.

Should he remain retired, the Bucs have shifted their focus to other veteran QBs who could be available via trade. Sources say they’re doing extensive homework on Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and are one of multiple teams expected to explore a potential trade for Russell Wilson, though the Seahawks have given no indication they’ll deal him.

Brady, 44, announced his retirement on Feb. 1, but said Monday on his SiriusXM podcast that he would “never say never” on the possibility of playing again. While people close to Brady consider the chances of that happening to be remote, the Bucs have made clear to Brady they’d be willing to do what it takes, as they have since they originally recruited him to Tampa two years ago.

The Bucs paid Brady over $44 million in 2021 as part of a contract that was renegotiated after their Super Bowl win last February. He’s on the books for about $10.4 million in 2022, but that was always a placeholder that would be redone once Brady committed for another year.

Just wondering, would Bruce Arians retiring be “whatever it takes”?

NFC WEST

ARIZONA

ESPN.com has this to report on the dispute between QB KYLER MURRAY and the Cardinals:

The Arizona Cardinals and franchise quarterback Kyler Murray are at odds after a season that began with promise ended with a thud in the first round of the playoffs.

Murray, who scrubbed any reference of the Cardinals from his Instagram account recently, is frustrated with the franchise, was embarrassed by the team’s 34-11 playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams and thinks he has been made the scapegoat, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

The Cardinals have their own concerns about Murray, with sources describing the 2019 No. 1 overall pick as self-centered, immature and someone who points fingers.

Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury is said to be self-scouting where he can provide better alternatives to help Murray, according to sources. Meanwhile, select veterans on the team hope to reach out to Murray on how the 24-year-old can better handle adversity, sources said.

Former Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who played two years with Murray, wasn’t sure what to make of the quarterback’s social media move, but said Tuesday he hopes the two sides get whatever it is they both want.

“I haven’t talked to Kyler in a while but he looked good in the Pro Bowl, looked like he was having a great time, throwing touchdowns out there,” Fitzgerald said Tuesday. “I just hope everything works out the way both sides want it to work out. That’s really what it’s all about for me. I love Kyler, I love the Cardinals and I want the best for everybody.”

Despite the acrimony, the Cardinals expect things to calm down and for Murray to be their quarterback of the present and future.

Murray is heading into the final year of his rookie contract, but Arizona has until May 2 to pick up his fifth-year option. However, Murray is also eligible to negotiate a new deal now that he has completed his third season.

He’s currently scheduled to earn a base salary of $965,000 in 2022, but with a $4.5 million roster bonus that’s fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year, Murray will take home about $5.4 million.

If Murray wants a new deal before his fourth NFL season, he’ll have recent precedent to refer to. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received a six-year contract worth $258 million in early August, before he started his fourth season.

In his three seasons in the NFL, Murray has been named Rookie of the Year and to two Pro Bowls.

LOS ANGELES RAMS

NBC told the world that DT AARON DONALD was contemplating retirement.  On Monday, Donald did not deny the report:

Aaron Donald capped off a dominant performance by the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive front when he pressured Joe Burrow into an errant thrown on fourth down, shutting the door on the Cincinnati Bengals’ hopes of a last-minute comeback in Super Bowl LVI.

And after the Rams’ 23-20 win, Donald didn’t shut the door on the possibility that he could retire at age 30 now that he’s finally a world champion.

There had been no public indications that Donald was considering that until Rodney Harrison said on NBC’s pregame broadcast that the All-Pro defensive lineman told him “there’s a strong possibility” he could retire if the Rams win the Super Bowl.

Donald was surrounded by his family, including 8-year-old daughter Jaeda, as he answered questions at the podium postgame. He offered neither confirmation nor denial when asked about the possibility of retiring.

“I’m just in the moment right now,” he said. “I’m enjoying this with my family. I promised my daughter this when she was 5 years old, to play in the confetti … so I’m just in the moment right now. I’m going to enjoy this with my teammates, my family and I’m just going to be in the moment and enjoy this today, for a couple days, how about that? It’s a blessing.”

Donald has three years and $55 million — none of which is guaranteed — remaining on the six-year, $135 million extension he signed in 2018, according to Over The Cap. He has made the Pro Bowl in every season since the Rams drafted him in the first round in 2014, was named a First-Team All-Pro for the seventh straight year and had another typically dominant season that put him in the running for what would have been a record fourth Defensive Player of the Year award.

After the Rams won the NFC title game to reach their second Super Bowl in Donald’s eight-year career, he said the only accomplishment he was lacking was a world championship. The Rams lost Super Bowl LIII 13-3 to the New England Patriots, which meant Donald still had his promise to keep to daughter Jaeda.

“I don’t know, man,” outside linebacker Von Miller, who also won Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, said when asked about Donald’s future. “He’s done everything you could possibly do. But this feeling right here, there’s nothing like it. It’s addictive, once you feel this. Coming to the Super Bowl is one thing, but winning it is different.

“We’ll just have to see. He’s done so much, but I tell you, this feeling is great. It just makes you want it more and more and more. But he’s definitely capped off a great career if he chooses to do that. But this is an addictive feeling, man, and I just can’t see him walking away from this.”

Safety Eric Weddle left no doubt about his own future, confirming postgame that he’s heading back into retirement. The Rams coaxed the 37-year-old Weddle back from a two-year absence when they lost both of their starting safeties to injuries in the regular-season finale. He went from a part-time role as an extra defensive back to a starter in the final two games. He recorded five tackles in the Super Bowl and played through a torn pec he suffered in the first half.

“It was pretty much set in stone, so yeah, I’ll go back to my daily life pretty banged up right now,” Weddle said. “But hey, it’s well worth it, well worth the moment.”

While thanking all the teams he played for during his 13-year career, the six-time Pro Bowler Weddle mentioned Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, revisiting the disrespect he felt when the team didn’t re-sign him after the 2015 season.

“I want to thank the Chargers for drafting me and I also want to thank old Tom Telesco for the way things ended there, and showing me the light, and giving me that motivation and that fire,” Weddle said. “The way things ended there, I appreciated that and I always said that Eric Weddle will get the last laugh, and I’m a world champion right now.”

Left tackle Andrew Andrew Whitworth was not among the Rams players who spoke to reporters at the podium postgame, but he reiterated on Friday that retirement is a possibility. Earlier this season, Whitworth became only the fifth offensive lineman since the 1970 merger to play in an NFL game at 40 years old.

If Donald is considering walking away himself, he’d be doing so while still at the top of his game. He had 12.5 sacks in the regular season, ranked first by a wide margin in ESPN’s pass rush win rate as an interior defender and was second among all defenders in PRWR regardless of alignment. That was despite facing the most double teams in the NFL by a wide margin.

Donald continued that dominance in the playoffs with another 3.5 sacks in four games. He and Miller each finished the 2021 postseason with 18 pressures, with no other Ram recording more than five, according to ESPN Stats & Information rsearch. Opposing quarterbacks combined to post a 2.7 Total QBR this postseason when either generated the pressure. Donald’s pressure of Jimmy Garoppolo forced the interception that sealed the Rams’ win in the NFC Championship Game.

Neither did the Super Bowl winning coach:

– – –

Ted Nguyen of The Athletic fetes the astute adjustments of DC Raheem Morris:

The biggest storyline coming into the Super Bowl was the mismatch between the Rams’ talented pass rushers and the Bengals’ porous pass blockers. In the first half, the Bengals were mostly able to control the rush with an efficient run game, Joe Burrow quickly getting rid of the ball and a commitment to turning their protection toward Aaron Donald as much as possible. In the first half, the Rams had seven pressures, but Burrow was sacked only once. Then Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris adjusted and the much-talked-about mismatch materialized. In the second half, the Rams had 11 pressures and six sacks.

Morris’ adjustment was simple: He started blitzing as he had throughout the playoffs. Bringing five rushers created one-on-ones for the Rams’ pass rushers and clogged up running lanes for Burrow, who won previous playoff games with his ability to get away from pressure.

In the wild-card round, the Rams had a lot of success with bringing five rushers to pressure and containing Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Morris was likely reluctant to blitz in the first half of the Super Bowl because Burrow had been excellent against it in the regular season — he was fifth in Expected Points Added per play against the blitz — and he wanted to see whether the Rams could consistently pressure with their front four. However, with the protection turning toward Donald, the Rams’ other pass rushers couldn’t get to Burrow quick enough.

(numerous photographic examples are provided in the original version at The Athletic)

There was clever defensive play calling in the second half, but Morris’ halftime adjustment wasn’t some ingenious strategy. His strategy was simply to get his best players one-on-one opportunities by rushing five. It took some guts because the Bengals had opportunities downfield if the rush didn’t get home. On the last play of the game, Ramsey tripped and Ja’Marr Chase was wide open down the sideline. But Morris trusted Donald — the best defensive player in the league — and the rest of his pass rushers to win in dominating fashion, and they did over and over again in the second half to win the biggest game of their lives.

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI

Andrew Brandt on why the Bengals sit in a sweet spot with a wide open window for domination:

@AndrewBrandt·2hThe frugal Bengals can now hide behind the CBA in getting extraordinary value for their two superstars.   Per CBA they cannot renegotiate with Burrow until 2023; they cannot renegotiate with Chase until 2024. They now become two of the best value players in recent NFL history.

And these thoughts:

@geoffschwartz·

Doing a mock draft for the Bengals will be easy.

Whoever is the best guard at 31, best center at 63, best OT at 95.1919323Show this threadNBC Olympics@NBCOlympics”I was proud to be able to show everyone what I was worth.”

@FO_ASchatz·

The Bengals’ postseason run was a lot of fun. They clearly know where they need to improve for next year. But I think they will improve in those places and still disappoint people who are overrating their regular-season performance from this season.

Caution from Trey Wingo:

@wingoz·

The phrase is always “ we’ll be back” after a Super Bowl loss. The @RamsNFL proved you can, but it’s not that simple. Dolphins had a generational QB in Dan Marino, went to SB 19 in year two of his career and never saw the Sumer Bowl stage again. These chances are precious

The DB remembers a similar feeling when the 1979 Buccaneers lost in the NFC Championship Game with a second-year QB and dominating defense.  Didn’t get close again for 20 years.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

It really has become apparent that Brian Flores considers himself such a brilliant coach that only racism can explain why he interviews for any job and does not get it.  Even when the coach who is chosen ahead of him is also black and went to a Super Bowl as a head coach.  Greg Joyce of the New York Post:

Brian Flores has another claim to add to his lawsuit against the NFL.

The former Dolphins coach, suing the league for discrimination against black coaches and executives in its hiring process, is amending the lawsuit to add a retaliation claim against the Texans, Pro Football Talk reported Sunday.

Flores was one of the reported finalists for the Texans’ head coaching job, but filed his lawsuit against the league while the interview process was ongoing. The team ultimately hired Lovie Smith, the veteran black head coach who had served as Houston’s defensive coordinator last season.

During Smith’s introductory press conference, Texans GM Nick Caserio insisted that Flores’ pending lawsuit did not affect his chances of getting the job.

“Speaking specific to Brian, I’ve known Brian a long time personally and professionally. I have a lot of respect for Brian as a coach and a person. He was a part of this process,” Caserio told media. “He’s been a good coach in this league for a number of years. Part of my responsibility was to spend time with as many quality candidates as possible and Brian was one of those.”

After Smith was hired, Flores and his lawyers issued a statement in part foreshadowing the retaliation claim.

“Mr. Flores is happy to hear that the Texans have hired a Black head coach, Lovie Smith, as Mr. Flores’ goal in bringing his case is to provide real opportunities for Black and minority candidates to be considered for coaching and executive positions within the NFL,” the statement said.

“However, we would be remiss not to mention that Mr. Flores was one of three finalists for the Texans’ head coach position and, after a great interview and mutual interest, it is obvious that the only reason Mr. Flores was not selected was his decision to stand up against racial inequality across the NFL.”

Flores’ lawsuit also accused the Giants and Broncos of having him in for “sham” interviews to satisfy the Rooney Rule, and alleged Dolphins owner Stephen Ross offered him $100,000 for every loss so the team could tank for a better draft position during his tenure as head coach.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

Mike McDaniel has decided to hire Frank Smith off the Chargers staff to be his OC.  Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com:

The Dolphins’ offensive staff under head coach Mike McDaniel continues to come together, as the team will hire Frank Smith as its offensive coordinator, a league source confirmed Monday.

Smith will work in conjunction with McDaniel, who will call plays, and wide receivers coach Wes Welker, who will help develop Miami’s passing game plan. He is the fourth new hire on McDaniel’s offensive staff, joining Welker, tight ends coach Jon Embree and offensive line coach Matt Applebaum.

NFL Network was the first to report the news of Smith’s hiring.

Smith, 40, joins McDaniel’s staff after a season as the Los Angeles Chargers’ run game coordinator and offensive line coach. Under Smith, the Chargers finished 11th in pass block win rate in 2021, and 20th in run block win rate — improved from 19th and 32nd in 2020, respectively.

He takes over a Dolphins offense that ranked 25th in the NFL in yards per game last season, including 17th in passing yards and 30th in rushing. Miami’s offensive line also ranked last in pass block win rate, but was a far better run-blocking unit, finishing ninth in run block win rate.

Before his stint in Los Angeles, Smith worked as the tight ends coach for the Raiders from 2018-2020, the tight ends coach for the Bears from 2015-2017 and assistant offensive line coach for the Saints from 2010-2014.

THIS AND THAT

SUPER BOWL 57 ODDS

One Super Bowl door closes, and another one opens.  Here are the opening odds for victory in Super Bowl 57:

Last updated Monday, Feb. 14

Team                              Odds

Kansas City Chiefs          +610

Buffalo Bills                      +665

Los Angeles Rams         +1000

Cincinnati Bengals         +1100

San Francisco 49ers      +1400

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +1500

Green Bay Packers        +1600

Dallas Cowboys              +1700

Denver Broncos              +2000

Tennessee Titans          +2000

Los Angeles Chargers    +2100

Baltimore Ravens          +2200

New England Patriots     +2400

Arizona Cardinals           +2600

Indianapolis Colts          +2700

Cleveland Browns          +3600

New Orleans Saints       +3800

Philadelphia Eagles        +4000

Seattle Seahawks          +4000

Las Vegas Raiders         +4200

Miami Dolphins               +4200

Minnesota Vikings         +4800

Pittsburgh Steelers        +4900

Washington Commanders    +5300

Carolina Panthers          +6300

Atlanta Falcons              +6400

Chicago Bears                +6900

New York Giants            +8200

Jacksonville Jaguars      +10600

Detroit Lions                   +12900

New York Jets                +13100

Houston Texans +13400

Looking at the Packers and Broncos odds, there seems to be some thoughts about QB AARON RODGERS factored in there.

The Dolphins and Eagles odds seem a little high considering all the draft capital they have.

MVP VOTING

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com rightly calls out the NFL’s antiquated MVP voting system:

Rams receiver Cooper Kupp won the Super Bowl LVI MVP award. It’s hard to argue that he didn’t deserve it. However, it’s fair to wonder whether Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald deserved it more.

This post isn’t about debating Kupp vs. Donald or Donald vs. Kupp. It’s about a voting process that needs to be overhauled, dramatically.

The NFL currently hand-picks 16 media members to vote on the Super Bowl MVP awards, with each voter casting a single all-or-nothing ballot. Fan voting through NFL.com ultimately counts as four additional votes, with first place counting as 2.5 votes, second-place counting as one vote, and third-place getting 0.5 votes. The fans therefore consist of 20 percent of the total voting, more than enough to decide the outcome in a close contest.

The league won’t disclose the names of the 16 media voters. That’s the first spot where change needs to come. There’s no reason for no transparency. And if someone in the media doesn’t want to have his or her vote scrutinized publicly, he or she should decline to vote.

Another problem arises from the relatively small number of voters. There are far more than 16 media members qualified to cast a ballot. The more the votes, the less likely a bad outcome will happen.

The biggest problem relates to the timing of the vote. The NFL doesn’t wait until the game is over to ask for ballots.

As one source with knowledge of the procedures tells PFT, the NFL wants the votes before the two-minute warning, if possible. Obviously, after Kupp’s second touchdown catch of the night (which came after the two-minute warning), he became the logical choice.

But then Donald saved the game, twice. First, he stopped Bengals running back Samaje Perine on a third-and-one running attempt. Next, Donald harassed Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow into throwing an incomplete pass on fourth down, securing the win.

“We are in touch with the panel during the fourth quarter, and often with the game in the balance, media will wait until the winner of the game is clear before giving us the final vote,” the NFL told PFT in response to an inquiry about the voting process. “There is not a hard deadline. If voters want to wait until immediately after the game concludes, that is fine.”

But the league wants to get the votes tabulated as quickly as possible, so that the MVP award can be announced quickly after the game ends. With only 16 voters, however, how long would it take?

And while we’ve got no problem with the fans having a voice, how meaningful is it to let fans vote before the game has been decided? The voting will be skewed by how things are going at different stages of voting. And then, if the game becomes extremely compelling in the final minute, clickingNFL.com to cast a ballot for the true MVP potentially becomes an afterthought. It seems like too much randomness for one fifth of the total votes.

So here’s our suggestion. Expand the panel. Accept no ballots before the game has ended. Then, minimize the relevance of fan voting, or harvest fan votes immediately after the game ends, maybe for 10 or 15 minutes.

Who cares if it takes 30 minutes or so for the MVP to be named? It’s a legacy-defining honor. It shouldn’t be rushed. And it shouldn’t be determined by a select handful of secret voters who are hand picked by the NFL.

There should be full transparency. Names. Votes. Everything. These aren’t state secrets. And the secrecy the league employs opens the door for criticism and suspicion. What does the league really gain from that?

Actually, there was a time when the MVP vote was more like the middle of the fourth quarter, before texting, before the writers (and the voters were almost all writers) headed down to the field.