The NFL has announced that 9x diamond-certified GRAMMY Award-nominated global superstar Post Malone will feature as the headline performer for the Super Bowl LIX YouTube Tailgate Concert. This is the league’s pregame party, exclusively live streamed on YouTube.  The concert will be held a few steps away from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025, before the championship game starts. This year signifies YouTube’s first time as the official sponsor of the Super Bowl Tailgate. YouTube wants to give people from across the globe  a front-seat row to an unforgettable concert powered by one of the biggest stars in music.  The Super Bowl LIX YouTube Tailgate Concert will bring New Orleans’ ultimate pre-game party straight into the home of fans, bringing all the excitement and action live from Caesars Superdome. Now for the first time, fans can tune into the NFL’s YouTube channel at 3.pm. CT to watch a high-energy performance from Post Malone.  Post Malone has become a global phenomenon with his sound that defies genre. Malone has numerous videos in YouTube’s “Billion-View Club’’ and almost 18 billion total views on his YouTube channel. He recently released his record-breaking album, F-1 Trillion which made #1 on the Billboard 200.  Malone’s album, and 2024 collaborations earned him 8 2025 GRAMMY nominations. This spring he will headline Coachella before hitting the road for his The Big Ass Stadium Tour. With a series of record-breaking achievements, Post Malone keeps pushing boundaries and dominating the music world. 

Grammy-winning singer SZA will be joining Kendrick Lamar on the Super Bowl LIX halftime stage.  The iconic music duo teased their collaboration with a trailer. Lamar and Apple Music released a trailer on Thursday of him walking on a football field before SZA walked up from behind and playfully splashed him. Lamar and SZA would lead the halftime festivities from the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feburary 9.  Sza was formerly in Kendrick’s Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate. She was in his recent album “GNX” and was featured a few songs including “Gloria” and “Luther,’’ which also featured sampled vocals from Luther Vandross and Cherly Lynn through “If This World Were Mine.’’ Previous hits from the duo include the Oscar-nominated “All the Stars’’ and “Doves in the Wind.’’ Lamar and Sza will co-headline too at a 19-city North American tour this spring and summer. The Grand National Tour will begin on April 19 in Minneapolis and end June 18 in Washington, D.C.  Sza enters the Feburary 2nd Grammys with two nominations for the single “Saturn’’ in the best R&B song and R&B performance categories. She won a total of four Grammys.  Meanwhile, Lamar enters the upcoming Grammys with seven nominations, including for “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin, and “Not Like Us,’’ which is up for song and record of the year. Kendrick won a total of 17 Grammys.  Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will act as co-executive producers of the halftime show. PgLang will provide the creative direction for Lamar’s performance, it is a creative company founded by Lamar and Dave Free, who has directed Lamar’s music videos in the past. 

Amidst the disastrous wildfires raging in their city, the Los Angeles Rams still defeated the Minnesota Vikings last Monday to advance to the second round of the NFL play-offs. The NFC wildcard game that the Rams were supposed to host was instead moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale. There, the Rams paid homage to first responders who fought to get the fires under control.   The colours and logos of the Rams adorned the State Farm Stadium. The Rams hired a convoy of buses to bring fans from Los Angeles, with people visiting SoFi Stadium before dawn to begin the six-hour trip.  Fans waved flags and signs thanking the firefighters, while Rachel Platten performed “Fight Song” in a pre-game ceremony.  Up to 24 people have died and thousands rendered homeless. Last Monday, over 90,000 people were displaced as authorities geared up for another round of intense winds in Los Angeles.  When the match started the NFC West Champion Rams were locked in, delivering a symbolic performance against a Vikings club that won a spectacular 14 regular-season matches.  “We knew what we were playing for today,” said Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who completed 19 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. “It’s a tough time to be back (in Los Angeles). We’re just happy that we came out and played like this tonight to get something to be happy about.” Los Angeles’ defense was astonishing. They sacked Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold a play-off record of nine times and returned one ensuing fumble for a touchdown. 

If Jalen Hurts runs during the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, the Washington Commanders plan to make him pay.  Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt while speaking to reporters on Thursday said his players intend to treat the QB like a running back when he uses his legs.  “We’ve had a number of these guys that we’ve had to prepare for,” Whitt said. “The one thing is, is if he’s going to run the ball, and if the coordinator makes the decision for him to run the ball, we’re going to treat him like a running back, and we’re going to hit him that way. So that’s their decision if they want to get him hit the way he gets hit. If they don’t, they’ll keep him in the pocket. So, that’s what we’re going to do.” In the Eagles Week 11 victory over the Commanders, Hurts rushed 10 times for 39 yards and a TD. He delivered 18 of 28 passing for 221 yards. In the Week 16 meeting, he suffered a concussion on a scramble and was absent for a while.  Whitt’s statement didn’t upset Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, who said that’s how every NFL team treats Hurts.  “Every team is going to try to tackle Jalen like a running back,” Sirianni said on Thursday. “He’s running with the football. They’ll try to tackle him. We ultimately are cautious with how we use him and how we think about each play because we know how important it is to have him out there. I wouldn’t expect anything else. Jalen knows how to take care of himself. We know how to help him do that as well as far as the scheme goes.” Hurts running on Sunday could depend on the knee injury he suffered in the Divisional Round victory over Los Angeles Rams. He took an injury on a third-quarter sack. On the 18 play, after he attempted only three passes, completing all three of them for 19 yards, and took one kneel down.  The quarterback was listed as limited on Wednesday during a walkthrough.