How long will “The Star-Spangled Banner” be? Will the coin toss come up heads or tails? Will the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach be lemon-lime, orange or another flavor altogether?
Guessing the outcome of mostly trivial Super Bowl-related events, known as “prop bets” to fans, has long been a party game, whether or not real money is on the line.
We at The Athletic have been publishing our own list of prop bets for the last five years (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021). We’re doing it again in 2026, with a small difference: We’re inviting you to play along with us, live.
Below, you’ll find a collection of 26 prop bets spanning an array of topics. We’ve divided them into three groups: various pregame happenstances or television broadcast ephemera; the halftime performance; and, of course, the game itself. Where possible, we’ve added context to help you make an educated guess.
We’ll update the responses live during the game Sunday, and tabulate your results in real time. And if you prefer to play with pen-and-paper, download a PDF of the questions here.
Submissions are now closed; the broadcast is underway. We’ll update this page live as we learn the answers to each question.
For scoring purposes, we started scoring correct answers with the start of the National Anthem. Any celebrity, reporter or coach shown prior to the anthem did not court for the official scoring.
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How Athletic readers are faring so far with 14 prop bets answered:
correct picksPct. of readers14 13 12 11 10 9 82 76 612 519 420 315 28 18 010 You
Based on responses from 5,756 readers.
The anthem, attendees, attractions and more
Question 1
How long will it take Charlie Puth to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner”?
2 minutes or less More than 2 minutes
Puth started slow, but wrapped up in roughly 1:51, solidly under two minutes.
This is a true toss-up. In the past 10 Super Bowls, five national anthems have been longer than two minutes and five have been shorter. The average performance is almost exactly two minutes.
Correct answer: 2 minutes or less
Question 2
Will one of the head coaches be shown close-up during the national anthem? If so, which one?
Yes, Mike Vrabel Yes, Mike Macdonald No
Mike Macdonald was shown first.
A head coach has been shown in a close-up shot in each of the past three Super Bowls, but in just one of the previous four.
Correct answer: Yes, Mike Macdonald
Question 4
Which clip will be shown on the broadcast first: Malcolm Butler intercepting Russell Wilson in Super Bowl XLIX, or Mike Vrabel catching one of his two Super Bowl touchdowns?
Malcolm Butler Mike Vrabel Neither will be shown
Butler’s interception — with less than 30 seconds left in the game and the Seahawks at the Patriots’ 1-yard line — likely cost the Seahawks a Super Bowl victory. Vrabel’s NFL career was as a defensive player, but he was brought in for goal-line packages in his Super Bowls with the Patriots, catching a touchdown pass in two.
Question 5
Which celebrity Patriots fan will be shown on camera first?
Mark Wahlberg Ben Affleck Matt Damon John Cena John Krasinski None will be shown
BetOnline lists Mark Wahlberg as the odds-on-favorite (+300), followed closely by Ben Affleck (+400) and Matt Damon (+450), with John Cena (+550) and John Krasinski (+600) also firmly in the running.
Question 6
Will NBC show any of these Bay Area landmarks — the Winchester Mystery House, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, the Coit Tower or the Monterey Bay Aquarium?
Yes No
In the second quarter, NBC showed what was primarily a shot of Lombard Street, but Coit Tower was clearly visible in the background.
They may not be as iconic as the Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco skyline or the Marin Headlands, but producers do need B-roll.
Question 7
Will the coin flip to begin the game be heads or tails?
Heads Tails
Seattle chose tails, but heads was the winner.
Obviously, every coin flip is an independent event. But in the Super Bowl’s long history, tails is winning, with a 31 to 28 advantage over heads.
Question 8
Which NBC sideline reporter will be shown first after opening kickoff?
Melissa Stark Kaylee Hartung
Kaylee Hartung spoke, but was not shown in the middle of the second quarter. Similarly, Melissa Stark was off-camera later in the quarter. The first on-camera hit for either was Stark as the teams went to the locker rooms at the end of the first half.
This will be Melissa Stark’s second Super Bowl assignment, and Kaylee Hartung’s Super Bowl debut.
Correct answer: Melissa Stark
Question 9
Will NBC show a live shot of an Olympic cauldron?
Yes No
NBC is the host of the 2026 Winter Olympics and is sure to be promoting their coverage during the Super Bowl. Two Olympic cauldrons were lit simultaneously in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo during the Opening Ceremony Friday.
Question 10
Which movie will be previewed first after kickoff: “Minions 3” or “Toy Story 5”?
Minions 3 Toy Story 5
The Minions 3 teaser aired after the end of the first quarter.
“Minions 3” has a scheduled release date of July 1, while “Toy Story 5” is slated to hit theaters June 19. Both movies are expected to have previews during the game.
Correct answer: Minions 3
The halftime show
Question 11
How many songs will Bad Bunny perform during the halftime show? (A song must include lyrics to be counted.)
11 or fewer 12 or more
There is some debate over the number of songs. We’ve seen numbers ranging from 12-15, but regardless, it’s the over.
Past performances have averaged about 12 songs per set. (Rihanna did 13 in 2023; Usher 11 in 2024; Kendrick Lamar 12 last year.) In 2020, Bad Bunny was a guest performer on Shakira and Jennifer Lopez’s set, which featured 18 songs.
Correct answer: 12 or more
Question 12
Will Bad Bunny perform “I Like It,” his US Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit?
Yes, first Yes, last Yes, mid-set No
Many thought Bad Bunny might perform “I Like It,” a song on which he collaborated with Cardi B and J Balvin. But instead, he opted to do something more groundbreaking and focus on his Spanish songs, highlighting his Puerto Rican roots.
Halftime performers often save their best songs for later in the set. Last year Kendrick Lamar performed “Not Like Us” — arguably his most popular song — second-to-last.
Question 13
Which of these songs will Bad Bunny play first?
ALAMBRE PuA La MuDANZA Titi Me Pregunto NUEVAYoL DTmF MONACO Me Porto Bonito BAILE INoLVIDABLE Something else
Opening with Tití Me Preguntó, one of the biggest hits from his Grammy-winning album, was a smart choice for first song as one of the most recognizable Bad Bunny hits.
If you are unfamiliar with these songs, we have a playlist with all 8 on Spotify.
Correct answer: Titi Me Pregunto
Question 14
Which of these guest stars will perform first with Bad Bunny?
Cardi B Marc Anthony Jennifer Lopez Ricky Martin Karol G None
Cardi B and Karol G made brief appearances, but did not perform. Lady Gaga was a surprise first guest, but Ricky Martin was the first from our list to sing.
In 2020, Bad Bunny joined Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, who co-headlined the Super Bowl 54 halftime show in Miami.
Correct answer: Ricky Martin
Question 15
Will Bad Bunny wear a pava (a Puerto Rican straw hat) at any time during his performance?
Yes No
Pavas made a prominent appearance among the dancers in the crowd at the start of the performance, but Bad Bunny never wore one.
A proud Puerto Rican, Bad Bunny wore the hat to the 2025 Met Gala.
Question 16
Will Bad Bunny play an instrument during his performance?
Yes No
Bad Bunny did not play an instrument during the show.
While he is probably best known for his vocals, Bad Bunny has also played piano and hand drums in some concert performances.
The game
Question 17
Which team will score the first touchdown?
Patriots Seahawks No touchdowns
Including the postseason, the Patriots have scored first in nine of 20 games, while the Seahawks have been first to the end zone in 14 of 19 games.
Question 18
What will the first penalty flag of the game be called for (be it accepted or declined)?
Offensive holding False start Defensive pass interference or holding Something else
It took until 3:09 left in the second quarter, but a false start by New England’s Will Campbell finally drew the first penalty flag.
False starts, offensive holding and defensive pass interference or holding accounted for more than half of all penalties in 2025.
Correct answer: False start
Question 19
How old will the oldest player to score a touchdown be?
Age 31 or younger Age 32 or older
Patriots and Seahawks players over the age of 31.5 (Stefon Diggs, Cooper Kupp, Mack Hollins and DeMarcus Lawrence) have combined for 12 touchdowns this season, including the postseason
Question 20
Which quarterback will throw for more passing yards?
Drake Maye Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold’s Super Bowl passing yards prop sits just shy of 230 yards, while a reported shoulder issue has seen Drake Maye’s dip slightly under 220.
Question 21
Which head coach will throw a challenge flag during the game?
Mike Vrabel Mike Macdonald Both coaches will throw a challenge flag Neither will throw a challenge flag
In a combined 39 games this season, including the playoffs, the two coaches have thrown a total of just 10 challenge flags, with Mike Vrabel challenging seven times compared to just three for Mike Macdonald.
Question 22
How long will the longest made field goal be?
49 yards or fewer 50 yards or more
Counting the postseason, Seattle’s Jason Myers and New England’s Andres Borregales have combined for 16 attempted field goals of 50+ yards. Myers has accounted for 12.
Question 23
What will the last turnover of the game be?
Interception Fumble or no turnovers
Interceptions hold a 143-74 all-time advantage over fumbles lost in Super Bowl history.
Question 24
How many total points will be scored?
45 points or fewer 46 points or more
Including the postseason, New England games have resulted in more than 45 total points in 10 of 20 contests, while Seattle games have surpassed 45 points in 11 of 19 contests.
Question 25
Which team will win the game?
Patriots Seahawks
While both teams finished the regular season with a 14-3 mark, Seattle is favored to win by 4-5 points.
Question 26
What color of Gatorade will be poured on the winning coach?
Green/Yellow/Lime Orange Blue Purple Red/Pink Clear None
The “Gatorade shower” is a mainstay of Super Bowl celebration. In the past 25 years, orange has been poured on the winning coach most often (five times). Red (or pink) has no appearances in that span, and every other listed option — including “none” — has four occurences.
Additional work by Mike Hume, Oskar Garcia and Junghye Kim
