The 2024 NFL season is opening with a bang, as the two-time defending champion Chiefs host the Ravens in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game from less than eight months ago.
Unsurprisingly, Kansas City and Baltimore are projected to be among the NFL's top teams again this year, meaning Week 1 is an opportunity for both franchises to make a statement. The fanfare surrounding the game will match the nature of the high-profile matchup, with several well-known entertainers performing ahead of — and during — the game.
Among pregame performers is Grammy Award-winning artist Coco Jones, who has been tabbed to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." Here is everything to know about the anthem singer for Thursday's season opener.
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Who is singing the national anthem at Ravens-Chiefs?
Coco Jones, a singer-songwriter and actress signed to Def Jam Records, will sing the national anthem before Ravens-Chiefs.
Jones, 26, has been in the entertainment business for over a decade, releasing her self-titled debut EP in 2010 and making her major acting debut with a recurring role on Disney's "So Random!" in 2011. In 2012, Jones co-starred in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Let It Shine."
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Her career reached another level in 2022 as she signed with Def Jam and released her first major-label EP, "What I Didn't Tell You." Jones' single "ICU" won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance.
In addition to her musical successes in 2022, Jones was cast as Hilary Banks on Peacock's "Bel-Air," a modern-day reboot of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
Jones comes from a football family. Her father, Mike Jones, was a second-round pick in the 1991 NFL Draft and enjoyed a nine-year career at DE for the Cardinals, Patriots, Rams and Titans, racking up 27.5 sacks and forcing four fumbles. Her brother, Mike Jones Jr., played collegiately at Clemson and LSU and has spent time on NFL practice squads.
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What time does Ravens-Chiefs start?
The Week 1 showdown between the Ravens and Chiefs is set to kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET (7:20 p.m. local time) on Thursday, Sept. 5. The game will be played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
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Gospel musician Tasha Cobbs Leonard will sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and the night's other main performer will be Quinn XCII, who will perform from Baltimore during pregame festivities.
Pregame festivities, the game and postgame coverage will air on NBC.