I Can’t Contain Myself

Maybe the worst part of the special counsel Biden story is that it forced me to lead with politics on the Friday before my 49ers are playing in the Super Bowl. Their week in Vegas has already included a remarkably bad practice field and a hotel fire alarm. I pretend to be an expert on the news, but I’m actually an expert on the 49ers. The key to the game will be the Niners ability to stop the run. Drilling down, there is one key thing to watch. Can the Niners maintain their contain? For non-obsessives, contain means keeping runners from getting around the edge and forcing them back to the middle of the field. It’s been the 49ers’ biggest weakness in recent weeks and the Chiefs will test it early. The key for the Chiefs? Same as it ever was: Mahomes. I could list a few hundred other keys to the game, but I’m already late to my tailgate party.

+ The Yahoo Sports newsletter has a good preview of the game. Flipboard has a nice collection of pregame articles. In case you want a commercial preview (though that’s like watching a trailer for a movie you know you’re going to see), here’s what you can expect from Super Bowl ads this Sunday. Axios takes a bite out of a major controversy. America’s divide: Boneless vs. bone-in chicken wings on Super Bowl Sunday. I’m a lifelong vegetarian, but anytime I hear the phrase bone-in, I’m for it. Speaking of which, the Super Bowl winning team has been offered a free ‘Orgiastic Blowout‘ from a Nevada brothel. (In this case, I’d settle for Disneyland. Although, it would give new meaning to Bang Bang Niner Gang.)