ESPN Daily

There were two big questions about the Kansas City Chiefs throughout much of the 2023 NFL season. What was wrong with their offense? And was 2023 going to be a lost year?Now, with Super Bowl LVIII less than a week away, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and company, are poised to face the San Francisco 49ers, in what will be the Chiefs fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years.ESPN’s Adam Teicher has been covering the Chiefs from inside the locker room for more than a decade, and he’s seen how the season has played out in-person. Today he tells us: how a second round wide receiver stabilized the passing game, how this could be the best coaching job of Andy Reid’s career, and what the game means for the legacy of Andy Reid. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 2003, a team of marketers for the city of Las Vegas were ready to debut their soon-to-be iconic “What Happens Here, Stays Here” advertising campaign. And they turned to a natural platform for the launch — the Super Bowl. But the NFL, seeking to distance itself from the capital of and only legal outlet for sports betting, said no way. Fast forward 21 years and sports betting is legal in 38 states, the NFL has countless partnerships with sports books, and the Super Bowl is coming to Vegas. So how did we get here? ESPN’s John Barr has been working with his colleagues at Outside the Lines to gauge the state of American sports betting in 2024. And today, as billions of dollars in Super Bowl bets roll in, he tracks how sports books have become a bigger and bigger part of the fan experience and whether or not we truly understand the costs.Note: ESPN launched ESPN Bet in partnership with Penn Entertainment in November 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN NHL reporter Kristen Shilton explains how in the summer of 2018, members of Canada’s gold medal winning Junior Hockey team were in London Ontario, being celebrated as heroes for winning that year’s World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.But after a night of heavy drinking by some, then, underaged players on the team, sexual assault allegations emerged, allegations that would quickly be dismissed by the London Police Service.Over the last week, more than five years after the night in question, five former players, now professionals, took leaves of absence from their respective teams after being told to surrender to that same London police department.So today, Shilton: takes us through the timeline as first reported by The Athletic, explains the latest developments, describes the fallout for Hockey Canada – the governing body for amateur hockey in the country, and tells us why it has taken so long to arrive at this moment.https://theathletic.com/3441414/2022/07/22/hockey-canada-2018-sexual-assault/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ESPN NBA writer Jamal Collier has been following the Milwaukee Bucks all season long. Today he explains to us how Adrian Griffin’s tenure with the team ended after only 43-games. With transcendent stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard on their roster, the Bucks entered the season with sky-high expectations. A 30-13 record had them near the top of the Eastern Conference. But cracks were forming both on and off the court. Collier takes us inside the Bucks organization to pinpoint the moment the first-year head coach lost his grip on the locker room, and gauges whether new head coach Doc Rivers can right the ship and get this team back in the Finals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s one phrase in the NBA that reflects as crying wolf; The Knicks are back. Different shades of mediocrity have inhabited Madison Square Garden over the last 20-plus years, but this time it may actually be different. Led by emerging NBA superstar point guard Jalen Brunson, the Knicks are the team that no one wants to play. Following the addition of OG Anunoby, the Knicks look as good as they have in years, but will the shoulder injury of Julius Randle put their playoff hopes in jeopardy?Chris Herring joins the show today to talk about how this team came together and why fans in New York have their sights set on a deep playoff run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All that’s left is Super Bowl LVIII. The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs will meet in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 11th.The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes proved that they were not, in fact, dead - as much of the media tried to pronounce them throughout the season. As they went into Baltimore and bottled up Lamar Jackson and the Ravens all afternoon.Meanwhile, in the NFC Championship, the 49ers were down 17 to the Lions at halftime, before they came roaring back to life in the second half, on the shoulders of a quarterback, in Brock Purdy, who looked to do more than manage the game.But before we turn our sights on whether or not Patrick Mahomes can win four titles in five years, or if this third try at adding a sixth Lombardi Trophy to the case will work in San Francisco, Jason Reid tells us how these two teams got it done on Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Detroit Lions are usually considered one of the most hapless franchises in the NFL. They have never been to a Super Bowl, and are preparing to make just their second trip to the NFC Championship in the Super Bowl era.But most of that history predates their current head coach, Dan Campbell. He’s led an overhaul over his first three seasons that have the Lions on the cusp of their first Super Bowl appearance, and it’s safe to say that he’s got everyone in the Lions’ wake fired up. Televised tears of joy, fans dying their hair blue, even General Motors and the Ford Motor Company have joined in - issuing Lions themed logos in a show of support.Tim Keown took a trip to Detroit to witness firsthand just how much the culture has evolved under Campbell. And reports on a team, a fanbase, and a city ready to usher in a new era in Detroit Lions football. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time to get ready for championship Sunday in the NFL.In Baltimore, the Ravens host the Kansas City Chiefs, in the first playoff ever matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, with a trip to Super Bowl LVIII on the line. Charm City hasn’t hosted the AFC Championship game since the Baltimore Colts beat the Oakland Raiders in 1971, the first season of the NFL/AFL merger!Meanwhile out west at Levi’s Stadium, the San Francisco 49ers have to be feeling all the pressure as they host a Detroit Lions team coming into town playing with house money, and carrying all of Motor City behind them.Today, Kevin Clark, host of the This is Football podcast, tells us how each of these teams can punch their ticket to Las Vegas for a chance to lift the Lombardi Trophy as NFL champion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NBA fans have had Wednesday’s matchup between the Spurs and Thunder circled on the calendar for months. Because when rookies Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren face off in San Antonio, it will be the latest battle of what is expected to be a long and historic rivalry. And thanks to the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Karl Anthony Towns, it’s all happening in an era where the big man has been reinvigorated. So today, ESPN’s Brian Windorst takes us from Holmgren’s Minnehaha High School all the way to an epic battle against Wembanyama in the Under 19 FIBA World Cup to where we are now – the courts of the NBA where these two unicorns are battling it out for Rookie of the Year and where the future of the NBA looks brighter than ever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s been a season of scrutiny for the LSU women’s basketball team.First, the NCAA Division I reigning champions lost their season opener to the Colorado Buffaloes. Then, their most famous player, Angel Reese, mysteriously didn’t play for four games in November, igniting much speculation among fans and media. But under Kim Mulkey’s leadership, they’ve come back strong, earning an 18-2 record and a No. 9 ranking. Now comes their biggest test versus undefeated, number-one-ranked South Carolina on Thursday night.So today, ESPN Feature Writer Katie Barnes previews one of the most-anticipated games of the season and considers whether the Tigers’ rocky start is truly in the rear-view mirror.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices