Yardbarker
Yardbarker
x
Watch: Taylor Swift arrives at Super Bowl LVIII
Taylor Swift Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

Watch: Taylor Swift arrives at Super Bowl LVIII

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is ready to root on Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.

Swift arrived with actress Blake Lively and rapper Ice Spice. On Saturday, she landed in Los Angeles after wrapping up the Japan leg of her "Eras Tour" in Tokyo. The 34-year-old drove five hours to Allegiant Stadium, per CBS Sports.  

The 14-time Grammy winner has dated the four-time first-team All-Pro since September 2023. She's attended 12 games this season and has been a good luck charm for the Chiefs. Kansas City is 9-3 when she's in the house, so she's definitely not going to miss the most important game of the year. 

Kelce, meanwhile, has been on a tear in the playoffs, as he's tied for the most receiving TDs (three) and has the second-most receiving yards (262). He also surpassed Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's playoff reception record (156).

The Chiefs need him to keep rolling against the San Francisco 49ers. FanDuel lists them as a 1.5-point favorite. However, if Kelce gets going early, don't be surprised if K.C. pulls off the upset and wins its third Super Bowl in five years. Kickoff is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST

Analyst’s bold take warns Commanders may have made huge offseason blunder
NFL

Analyst’s bold take warns Commanders may have made huge offseason blunder

The Washington Commanders are currently dealing with some wide receiver issues heading into the season. An NFL analyst poured more fuel on the fire by proclaiming that Adam Peters will regret a huge call earlier this offseason. Terry McLaurin is not practicing and hasn't for months as his contract battle with the Commanders goes on. Others lower down the depth chart are coming in for increasing criticism, which leaves general manager Adam Peters with a potential problem on his hands if they cannot turn the tide before Week 1. The Commanders' wideout regeneration began by letting Dyami Brown walk in free agency. Although the former third-round pick displayed much-improved performances down the stretch and into the playoffs, it wasn't enough for Peters to give him an extended stay. NFL analyst believes Commanders could regret letting Dyami Brown walk Brown ended up signing a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars that includes $9.5 million guaranteed. He's made his presence felt over the summer, drawing praise from quarterback Trevor Lawrence and head coach Liam Coen. This is the time of year he always flourished in Washington, but putting it together in a competitive setting was far more challenging. That didn't stop Brock Vereen of CBS Sports from labeling Brown as a sleeping giant ready to take over in 2025. The analyst thought his stock was low right now, but the Commanders could be kicking themselves for letting him go when it's all said and done. Stock right now is low on him because, 'Oh, Washington got rid of him. They replaced him with Deebo Samuel. He only landed a one-year deal.' This is a sleeping giant. Liam Coen knew exactly what he was doing. Dyami Brown is a versatile weapon. He can take handoffs, he can catch the ball, he can line up anywhere on the field. He even has pass attempts over his career. He can do everything and will be probably the most forgotten offensive weapon coming off of the Travis Hunter hype.Brock Vereen via SI Brown always flattered to deceive in Washington. He had every physical tool imaginable to be successful, but consistency never got close to the required standard. Peters takes sentiment out of every equation. The front-office leader didn't think the North Carolina product was worth what Jacksonville was willing to pay. And he pivoted accordingly. There probably won't be much regret around Brown's departure, regardless of whether he performs well with the Jaguars or not. He had countless chances to establish himself as a long-term option and almost always failed to deliver. If he'd done so, the Commanders would have rewarded him with a new deal. That wasn't the case. And there are still more questions than answers around Brown despite his promising start in the Florida sunshine. More Commanders news and analysis

Acuña Return Imminent, Braves Deliver More Bad Riley News
MLB

Acuña Return Imminent, Braves Deliver More Bad Riley News

Ronald Acuña Jr. is closing in on his return to the Atlanta Braves lineup. Manager Brian Snitker siad via MLB.com's Mark Bowman that the All-Star outfielder is expected to be activated in the next couple of days. However, all news wasn't on the positive side for the team. Third baseman Austin Riley still felt discomfort when he was throwing on Tuesday. It's unlikley he'll be activated this week. The bright side of the Riley update is that it's more a when he will return instead of an if. Acuña has been out with a grade 1 calf strain since the last week of July. It initially looked like it might be an achillies injury, but further evaluation of the ailment revealed a better-case scenario. He's looked like he's been at least pain free for the most part for some time. He's been seen before games taking at-bats and field balls in the field. Last week, we was also seen doing running drills. The Braves have been wise to work him back slowly as he works different parts of his game. Even with the playoff picture long gone, it's always good to get a key bat back in the lineup and have him healthy into the offseason. Acuña can have normal workouts and be ready to participate in Spring Training this time around. In 55 games, Acuña is batting .306 with a 1.005 OPS, a 2.6 WAR, a 180 OPS+, 14 home runs and 26 RBIs. Riley is still dealing with the adomen injury that has gotten him placed on the injured list twice this season. Shortly after his return, he re-aggravated the injury on a diving play during the MLB Speedway Classic. Both times when hr hurt his abs, it came on a play in the infield. What should have been celebrated as one of the highlights of the game just added more frustration to this season. They're going to have to patient and wait to see if the pain lessons as he works out. Like Acuña, it's good to get him back before the end of the season regardless of how it's going. In Riley's case, it would be great simply because he didn't return after his injury last season. That being said, because of how this season is going, the Braves can take their time and make sure Riley is good to go as opposed to rushing him back out there. In 102 games, Riley is batting .260 with a .737 OPS, a 1.4 WAR, a 105 OPS+, 16 home runs and 54 RBIs. More From Atlanta Braves on SI

Micah Parsons had four-word comment on his contract standoff
NFL

Micah Parsons had four-word comment on his contract standoff

Micah Parsons is leaving the ball in the Dallas Cowboys’ court when it comes to his ongoing contract standoff. Parsons was once again present for practice in Oxnard, Ca. on Wednesday, but was once again not a participant as he seeks a new contract. When asked for an update on where things stand between himself and the team, Parsons stuck to a simple four-word answer. “My mouth is closed,” Parsons told reporters, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. Presumably, Parsons wants the Cowboys to put up or shut up. He has largely been silent throughout this whole process, aside from a few responses to perceived slights from Jerry Jones. He has publicly lodged a trade request, but there has been very little talk from either side since then. One could take that to mean that the two sides are knuckling down and trying to reach an agreement. However, the pessimistic view is that Parsons and the Cowboys simply are not making progress, and there may be some truth to that. Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie deal and would be in line to make $24 million this season. He wants a new deal, presumably in the $40 million annual range that both Myles Garrett and TJ Watt got earlier this offseason.

King of New York: Pete Alonso breaks major Mets all-time record 
MLB

King of New York: Pete Alonso breaks major Mets all-time record 

Pete Alonso is now the New York Mets' all-time home run king. With his opposite-field, two-run home run in the bottom of the third inning against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday night, Alonso clubbed the 253rd and 254th home runs of his Mets career, moving him into sole possession of first place on the team's all-time list. He moved two home runs ahead of the previous record-holder, Darryl Strawberry, who hit 252 home runs with the team between the 1983 and 1990 seasons. Here is a look at his record-setting home run. Later in the bottom of the sixth inning, Alonso hit his 254th home run: Along with the all-time Mets home run lead, Alonso is also the Mets' single-season home run leader with 53 home runs during the 2019 season. Strawberry congratulated Alonso on breaking his record: His home runs on Tuesday were his 27th and 28th of the season. It is a big deal for Alonso because there was some doubt this past offseason about whether he would have a chance to set this record. Even though he was close, the uncertainty around his future, given his free-agent status, created a lot of questions about where he would play. Ultimately, the Mets re-signed him to a two-year, $54 million contract that includes an opt-out clause following the 2025 season. That opt-out will again create some uncertainty about his future, but it is pretty clear Alonso still has a lot of power left in his bat. Whether he returns to the Mets or goes somewhere else, he will remain the franchise's greatest home run hitter for the foreseeable future. He is now on top of the record books for the single season and career.

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!