Claude Humphrey, Pillar of N.F.L. Falcons’ ‘Grits Blitz,’ Dies at 77

By BY RICHARD GOLDSTEIN from NYT Sports He was belatedly inducted into the Hall of Fame, having played before sacks were an official statistic. He ended his career with a Super Bowl team, the Eagles.https://nyti.ms/3Du6v4W

Curley Culp, Defensive Anchor of Two Football Teams, Dies at 75

By BY RICHARD SANDOMIR from NYT Sports A bruising Hall of Famer, Culp helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs to an upset victory in Super Bowl IV. With the Houston Oilers, he revolutionized the role of nose tackle.https://nyti.ms/2ZMtR80

Is There a Way to Stop a Tom Brady-Bill Belichick Super Bowl?

By BY MIKE TANIER from NYT Sports Thanks to the New England Patriots’ six-game win streak and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ light schedule, the pair seem to be on a collision course.https://nyti.ms/3d8Ytns

What to Know About the N.F.L.’s Longest Season

By BY BEN SHPIGEL from NYT Sports With 18 weeks in the regular season and fewer teams earning byes in the playoffs, it’s a long journey to the Super Bowl.https://nyti.ms/3Fp8dpC

Super Bowl Viewership Drop in Line With Wider Decrease for N.F.L. and Sports

By BY KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports The game that pitted two marquee quarterbacks was not competitive. Still, the Super Bowl is expected to be the most watched television program this year.https://nyti.ms/3tG423J

Amanda Gorman is the first poet to perform for the Super Bowl.

By BY ALEXANDRA ALTER from NYT Sports https://nyti.ms/3oX3fHZ

How the Chiefs and Buccaneers Got to the Super Bowl

By Unknown Author from NYT Sports Nearly everyone expected Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to be back in the Super Bowl. Far fewer people thought Tom Brady, at 43, could take Tampa Bay this far.https://nyti.ms/2N4gJ7H

Through Genetics, Luck or ‘Prehab,’ Tom Brady Endures at 43

By BY JOHN BRANCH from NYT Sports The mother of the opposing Super Bowl LV quarterback was a year old when Brady was born. What’s he still doing here?https://nyti.ms/3cPLl7t

Britt Reid, a Chiefs Assistant Coach, Is Involved in a Car Crash

By BY KEN BELSON AND KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports The team released a statement confirming that Reid, the son of Kansas City’s head coach, Andy Reid, had been in an accident but provided no other details.https://nyti.ms/3aFN9NW

Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes: A Battle of the Ages

By BY BEN SHPIGEL from NYT Sports Much has been made about the nearly 20-year age difference between the two quarterbacks. But Super Bowl LV will come down to other numbers.https://nyti.ms/3rnspBh

Don’t Be Fooled by the Playful, Merry-Making Travis Kelce

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports The Kansas City Chiefs tight end spent his formative football years playing quarterback. In his mind’s eye, he can both throw the ball and catch it.https://nyti.ms/39T3tvi

Staging the Big Game During a Big Crisis

By BY JOHN BRANCH from NYT Sports With the whole world watching, the N.F.L. and CBS face the challenge of presenting a uniquely American spectacle in a time of misery.https://nyti.ms/2LilidQ

Super Bowl LV by the Numbers

By BY BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports Inside the statistical matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneershttps://https://nyti.ms/3cFRtiT

Will the Super Bowl Be Decided by Penalties?

By BY MIKE TANIER from NYT Sports Statistics from the regular season indicate that the Buccaneers benefited more from officiating calls than the Chiefs did.https://nyti.ms/2MQw7V9

These Women Were N.F.L. ‘Firsts.’ They’re Eager for Company.

By BY GILLIAN R. BRASSIL AND KEVIN DRAPER from NYT Sports Two women will coach the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this year’s Super Bowl, a milestone in the N.F.L.’s gender diversity efforts. Women in football hope their presence quickly stops being noteworthy.https://nyti.ms/3rd5YhY

Len Dawson Is Better Than Patrick Mahomes: A Sentimental Dad’s Argument

By BY JOE DRAPE from NYT Sports Sure, Mahomes has more impressive numbers, a boundless future and the chance on Sunday to win his second Super Bowl. But sometimes, nostalgia beats reason by a touchdown.https://nyti.ms/3oLeYJq

Madonna? Harry Potter? Churchill? Tom Brady May Be Beyond Compare

By BY BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports Tom Brady rose from obscurity to become a standard-bearing quarterback hero, jousting with many characters along the way. We asked experts in various fields if they could cite similar sagas through history.https://nyti.ms/2YHIJAC

What to Know About Covid-19 and the Super Bowl

By BY KEN BELSON from NYT Sports Players from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs are being tested for the coronavirus more often, and just 25,000 fans will attend the game.https://nyti.ms/3oCuRlv

Could Tampa Bay Be the New Titletown?

By BY VICTOR MATHER from NYT Sports The success of the Buccaneers, Lightning and Rays — pro sports punch lines turned finals contestants — is a run that rivals past glory years in Boston, New York or Los Angeles.https://nyti.ms/3sVLSKN

What We Learned from the N.F.L.’s Conference Championships

By BY BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports The Chiefs will try to defend their Super Bowl title against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers — who are playing at home.https://nyti.ms/2YcXLOg