Cincinnati Bengals

Move over Bengals and Rams fans ... Drake now might be the most nervous person on the continent watching the Super Bowl this weekend -- 'cause he revealed he's betting more than $1 MILLION on the Big Game.

The "Hotline Bling" singer disclosed his bets on his social media page Thursday evening ... showing he's laying down serious cash on the Rams and Odell Beckham Jr.

In screenshots of his wagers -- which appear to be placed in Bitcoin -- Drake showed he's got nearly $500K on the Rams to beat Cincy outright.

Drake also revealed he's betting nearly $800K on Odell catching a touchdown and logging more than 62.5 receiving yards.

In total, if Drake hits all three bets, he stands to make over $2 MILLION.

Of course, the bets aren't too surprising -- Drake's rich after all, but he's also good buds with Beckham. In fact, along with his betting slips, Drake showed a photo of what appeared to be gloves given to him by OBJ.

Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the Super Bowl halftime show will be penis-free ... 'cause Dr. Dre says he convinced Eminem and Snoop Dogg to NOT whip out their junk during the performance.

Yes, he really said that!! 😂

The legendary rapper made the revelation while speaking at a press conference on Thursday ... and it's safe to say you can cross "dong exposure" off your list of prop bets for the show.

Dre says there WILL be a few surprises ... but no sort of wardrobe malfunctions will be happening on his watch.

"I had to talk Snoop and Eminem out of pulling their penises out," Dre said. "It's just actually Eminem."

Snoop -- who will be performing alongside Em, Dre, Kendrick Lamar and Mary J. Blige -- says he might still show a lil' somethin' somethin' ... but calm down, he's only talking about taking his shirt off.

Of course, SB halftime shows have had their history of racy moments ... from Janet Jackson's wardrobe mishap in 2004 to J Lo and Shakira's dancing routine that ramped up 1,300 FCC complaints in 2020.

Cincinnati's Super Bowl practice definitely hit different on Wednesday -- 'cause the Bengals took the field to prepare for the game right in the middle of SoCal's rare wintertime heat wave.

Mother Nature is bringing the heat with 80 to 90-degree temperatures with the Super Bowl just days away -- prompting a heat advisory until Sunday evening.

By the way, it's damn near freezing in Ohio ... but you can see Joe Burrow, C.J. Uzomah and the rest of the Bengals squad appear to be handling the higher L.A. temps well as they hit the field for the first time in Cali.

They better get used to it -- this Super Bowl might be the hottest EVER ... as forecasts predict temps close to 90. Sheesh!!

Worth noting -- SB VII in 1973 holds the record at 84 degrees ... and coincidentally, that game was held at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.

Thankfully for the players and fans, SoFi Stadium has roof panels that can be unlatched to let the heat out.

Ed Orgeron is like a proud dad leading up to the Super Bowl ... telling TMZ Sports he's pulling for Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase to win it all on Sunday.

"Proud of Joe," Ed said outside an S.B. party at Academy in L.A. "But, you know what, Joe meant a lot to LSU. Him and Ja’Marr and all those players, we're very proud of them."

Orgeron coached both Joe and Ja'Marr on the 2019 undefeated LSU Tigers team that beat the Clemson Tigers in the championship game ... so he's very familiar with what the dynamic duo can do on the biggest stage.

Despite all the success, Joe and the Bengals are not favored to win against the Rams ... but O says that's how the QB likes it.

"He's been an underdog all his life," Orgeron said. "Just like I’ve been and fought. He likes being an underdog."

As for whether Burrow can add a Lombardi trophy to his collection, O is pretty confident.

"He’s eventually gone do it," said Ed. "He may do it this Sunday. I hope he does. He’s got all the talent in the world."

He added ... "I think this is only the beginning for him, I think he’s going to have a great career in Cincinnati."

It's going to be a long afternoon in Los Angeles for Joe Burrow on Sunday ... so says Warren Sapp, who tells TMZ Sports he thinks the QB is going to have a rough Super Bowl.

The Hall of Fame defensive lineman made the prediction to us outside of a S.B. party at Academy in Hollywood on Wednesday night ... saying he believes the Bengals will not be able to block up the Rams' pass rush during the Big Game.

"I'll tell you what," Sapp said. "I love that kid Joe Burrow, but if he can stand up from this rush of Von Miller and Aaron Donald, he'd be the greatest quarterback ever in the history of the league."

"But, I don't see it. I don't see it," Sapp added. "They'll be all over him all game long."

Most pundits believe Burrow is good enough to withstand the numerous sacks that are no doubt coming on Sunday -- because, after all, he won a playoff game against the Titans last month despite being taken down NINE times.

But, Sapp made it clear, he doesn't foresee the same outcome this weekend.

Forget jinxes -- the mayor of Cincinnati is so confident the Bengals will beat the Rams in the Super Bowl this Sunday, he already started planning their championship parade!!

Aftab Pureval joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" before the city's big matchup against Los Angeles ... and he said he's been in constant communication with fellow mayor Eric Garcetti and having some friendly fun ahead of the matchup.

"We talked about maybe changing the name of Los Angeles to L-O-S-S Angeles," Pureval joked ... adding they even discussed putting a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame if Cincy pulls off the upset.

FYI -- Aftab has been successful in his bets with other mayors throughout the playoffs ... the Bengals defeated the Titans and Chiefs on their way to the Super Bowl, so he's already stacked up some bragging rights so far.

With all that success, it's no wonder Pureval is already figuring out all the details for the city's celebration ... and he ain't worried about potentially cursing the Bengals in the process.

Super Bowl party season is right around the corner ... and one of the most hyped events of the weekend is looking to one-up itself -- with a nearly $3 million budget!!

TMZ Sports spoke with David Spencer of Talent Resources Sports, which helps put on the annual Sports Illustrated bash during Super Bowl Weekend ... and he tells us the S.I. bash will live up to its reputation this year -- especially after COVID-19 prevented the party from happening in 2021.

"We've been known to throw some premiere events in our 15-year history, and super honored to be back in L.A. and doing something bigger than ever," Spencer tells us.

This season, the event is slated to have names like Kygo, Jack Harlow, Frank Walker and more on board to get the vibes going ... and the crowd will be filled with the biggest celebs, athletes and models like years past.

With all that being said, tables for the party come with quite the price tag -- we're talking 5 figures -- but it's for good reason.

"It's an expensive event to produce," Spencer adds. "We're almost up to the $3 million mark for that event alone, so it's a tough ticket."

On top of the S.I. party, Spencer tells us about the Super Bowl viewing party at Jimmy Goldstein's iconic L.A. mansion ... and he says the event (which comes with a $1,500-$2,000 ticket) will be super COVID-19 safe ... and catered by local hotspot Craig's!!

The man whose right foot sent the Bengals to the Super Bowl on Sunday tells TMZ Sports he told his holder just before the game-winning kick over the Chiefs, "Let's just be legendary."

Evan McPherson broke down the conversation with us on Monday ... saying it happened just seconds before he booted the 31-yard field goal to give Cincinnati the 27-24 win in the AFC Championship game.

"Before I took my steps back, I was just like, 'All right, man. Let's just be legendary,'" McPherson said he told holder Kevin Huber. "I said this is where legends are made."

"And so I was like, 'Let's just be legendary. Let's put this ball through and let's go to the Super Bowl.'"

Huber got the hold down clean and McPherson launched the ball through the uprights -- and McPherson tells us the party was on afterward.

The 22-year-old kicker says he and his teammates had a blast on the plane ride back to Cincy ... and then the guys celebrated through the night at local bars.

The NFL, the Cincinnati Bengals and the L.A. Rams are all suing potential Super Bowl ticket and merchandise counterfeiters ahead of the big game ... hoping to stop any such activity in its tracks.

The league and its two teams filed the lawsuit on Monday, TMZ Sports has learned, suing to get a court order authorizing them to seize any counterfeit merch it finds in the leadup to the matchup on Feb. 13.

In the docs, the plaintiffs say counterfeiting is a huge problem at the Super Bowl ... calling it a "multi-billion dollar" business that hurts both the NFL and its consumers.

The league, Rams and Bengals said in the suit they're anticipating "widespread" counterfeiting in Los Angeles the next two weeks ... and want the court order to help protect their brands and their fans from ending up with bootleg tickets and merch.

The league made it clear in the docs, though, that it does not know the names of the counterfeiters at this time ... but they'll amend their complaint to add the names as soon they find any culprits.

It's been an incredible 24 hours for Joe Burrow -- after defeating the Chiefs to advance to the Super Bowl, the Bengals star QB says his childhood idol, Kid Cudi, hit him up to congratulate him on the victory.

"One of my idols growing up, Kid Cudi, reached out to me yesterday," Burrow told reporters after the huge win.

"You’ve got LeBron [James] tweeting at me or whatever you said it was ... That part is surreal. The football part, not so much. That stuff is crazy."

Cudi -- who was celebrating his 38th birthday on Sunday -- tweeted at Burrow saying, "Man this has to be the illest s*** ✌🏽❤️😭 beautiful f***in' game today brother!!"

BTW -- Joe says he listens to "New York City Rage Fest" -- one of Cudi's Songs -- to get himself ready mentally every game day. But, Burrow likes too many of Cudi's songs to pick a favorite.

Of course, Cudi is a native of Ohio (shoutout Shaker Heights) ... so it's not hard to see why he's so fond of the former LSU standout and #1 overall draft pick in 2020.

Speaking of the NFL draft ... the seeds for the bromance between Burrow and Cudi were planted when the Bengals selected Joe with their first-round pick.

"Congratulations on being the number 1 draft pick," Cudi said at the time. "That's wild. That's crazy. You on your way. You just gettin started brother."

Joe Cool even said Lakers star LeBron James tweeted about him, calling him a "generational talent" and saying we all knew and saw that he'd be special.

High praises coming from one of the greatest players in NBA history ... and a figure familiar with the sports landscape in Ohio. After all, Joe did just beat Patrick Mahomes when he erased an 18-pt deficit on the road.

Bengals star Joe Mixon went all out for his first playoff game ... ordering more than $400k worth of jewelry to commemorate the big day!!!

TMZ Sports is told ... the Pro Bowl running back wanted to do something extra special for his first postseason appearance, so he hit up his go-to guy Gabriel The Jeweler last week to whip something together.

We're told the order -- a special made Cuban link chain, iced-out Audemars Piguet, and diamond ring -- would usually take about a month to complete ... but Gabriel's team worked late for 8 straight days to come through for Mixon.

The finished product is incredible -- the chain has 170 carats of VVS diamonds (including emerald cuts), and the rose gold AP has 36 carats of diamonds with emerald cuts on the band.

And, check out how the diamonds dance on the ring!!!

We're told the order was finished early Saturday morning and was flown to Cincinnati just in time for the game. No word on how much Mixon shelled out for the bling, but we're told the 3 pieces are worth a total $400k!!

Gabriel tells us he'd do anything for his guy, Joe ... and he definitely proved that with the speedy delivery.

Cincinnati Bengals star running back Joe Mixon is giving kids an awesome surprise for the holidays ... by handing out brand new bicycles!!!

Mixon partnered with Strikes for Kids for the special event ... hooking up 28 youngins at the local Boys & Girls Club with some wheels just in time for Christmas.

TMZ Sports is told ... the kids were taken to Main Event Entertainment Center in West Chester, where they enjoyed two hours of unlimited games, pizza and Icees.

As they had tons of fun, they were surprised with new bikes and helmets ... as the 25-year-old posed for pics with them.

Of course, the kids couldn't wait to try out their new wheels ... moving around inside the event space to get in a quick ride.

Mixon spoke about his decision to help out ... saying, "This community has embraced me and become a second home for me, so to be able to give back and inspire these children is the least I can do."

Mixon's kind gesture comes on the heels of notching yet another 1,000 yard rushing season -- the third time the RB has done so in his career.

It's clear he's a difference maker for the Bengals -- on and off the field.

Rey Maualuga -- the ex-NFL star accused of driving drunk and crashing his car through a neighborhood earlier this year -- officially has a trial date set for April, TMZ Sports has learned.

The ex-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker is facing two felony charges as well as one misdemeanor ... and, according to a spokesperson for Kenton County, Kentucky prosecutors, he could be locked behind bars for up to 10 years if he's convicted on all counts.

We broke the story, Maualuga was arrested on Aug. 11 in Villa Hills, Kentucky after cops say he drunkenly drove his vehicle through mailboxes and front yards before ultimately crushing into a parked car and a tree.

In police documents, cops say when they questioned the former USC star at the scene, he was "sweating profusely" and admitted to drinking "a few" alcoholic beverages before driving.

Maualuga was ultimately charged with felony first degree wanton endangerment, felony first degree criminal mischief, and misdemeanor DUI -- third offense. His trial has been officially scheduled for April 6, 2022.

Of course, this is far from the first time Maualuga has faced time behind bars -- the 34-year-old has been arrested for DUI two times previously.

He was also arrested in 2017 for allegedly attacking an employee at a Miami nightclub while he was a member of the Dolphins.

Chad Johnson did his best Santa Claus impression last weekend ... gifting a $1,000 tip to a single mother waitress -- and the gesture was awesome.

TMZ Sports has learned the ex-NFL star was dining at Bar Louie in Tampa, Fla. back on Nov. 26 -- and after piling up a $102 bill, he decided to get super generous.

The former Cincinnati Bengals wideout added a $1,000 tip to his total ... and when his waitress, Kayla Ashby, went back to him to make sure it wasn't a mistake, we're told he revealed to her it was no joke.

Ashby, we're told, thanked Chad ... and said afterward that she and her son, Zaith, are going to have a wonderful Christmas thanks in part to Johnson's generosity.

Of course, Chad's done this many times in the past ... the 43-year-old is known for leaving big tips every now and then.

As for the message he left to Ashby, Johnson wrote alongside the big tip, "Merry X-mas early. You can catch the Black Friday sales."

Johnson added, "'I love you.'"

Sorry, Chase Claypool ... there will be NO dancing at practice anytime soon ... so says teammate Cam Heyward, who's adamant music is the last thing Pittsburgh needs to get back to their winning ways.

CC made the interesting suggestion after the Steelers got blown out by the Cincinnati Bengals, 41-10 ... telling reporters having tunes blaring would help Pittsburgh practice better.

"We have music in the warm-ups and that, so it's fun," Claypool said Monday. "People are dancing, having fun. So, I think maybe music would make practice more fun and a little more up-tempo."

And, what's Heyward think of that idea??

"I hope he was kidding," he told Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on Tuesday, "Because as soon as he said it, I was literally about to rip the speaker out."

"That is not what we need right now. It’s Xs and Os and it’s execution."

Of course, it's bad news for currently injured receiver and TikTok star JuJu Smith-Schuster, who absolutely LOVES to dance.

Heyward says he hopes Claypool was joking ... and when the guys on the show made it clear the guy was serious, the All-Pro defensive end brought the young star back to reality.

Ja'Marr Chase's early NFL success is no fluke ... so says Michael Irvin, who tells TMZ Sports he believes the new Bengals star is a "more talented" wideout than The Playmaker ever was.

"Ja'Marr Chase is off the chain, man," Irvin said of the Cincinnati rookie.

Michael told us out in NYC on Monday that he's been particularly impressed by Chase's ability to respond from a terrible preseason, one in which he dropped so many passes that people wondered if he'd be a 2021 bust.

"To make the switch to playing like one of the best receivers in the NFL right now, it's incredible," Irvin said.

The Cowboys legend added that Chase, who put up 201 receiving yards and a touchdown on 8 catches in a win over the Ravens on Sunday, is "way more talented than I ever will be."

"Now," Irvin continued, "let's see if he can get more rings than I ever had."

As for Michael's former team ... we asked Irvin about what Dallas should do in the offseason if offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, gets a head coaching offer from another team.