Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles (-2)

Super Bowl Sunday is less than a week away. The greatest sporting event this side of the Kentucky Derby will be watched all over the world. The game will be broadcast in over 130 countries and in approximately 30 languages. The NFL Championship is consistently one of the most watched annual sporting events. And rightfully so. Although there have been some contests that have not lived up to expectations, the hype surrounding the game is warranted.

A Long Road

The league has a grueling 17 game regular season and three weeks of playoff games. The newly created “super” wild card weekend, followed by the divisional round and finally the conference championships. This year the number one seed from each conference has advanced, marking only the thirteenth time this has occurred. The last being in SB LII in 2017. These same Philadelphia Eagles outgunned Tom Brady and the New England Patriots 41-33 in the second highest scoring title game ever. The most points ever scored in the Super Bowl was in San Francisco’s 49-26 victory over the then San Diego Chargers (Now the Los Angeles Chargers).

The Most Deserving Super Bowl Team

The Eagles were unquestionably the best team in the league all year. They started 8-0 before losing to their division rival Washington Commanders 32-21. They had handled the Commanders 24-8 on the road in week 3. After that loss to Washington they went on a five game win streak.
The last game of that streak could have been very costly as starting quarterback Jalen Hurts went down with a sprained shoulder. Late in the third quarter, Hurts was driven into the ground by Bears defensive end Trevis Gipson. All 263 pounds of Gipson landed on top of Hurts and drove his right throwing shoulder into the ground.
Hurts recovered but they were forced to rest him in their next two games, both losses. The obvious importance of Hurts was proven even more vital. Fortunately he was able to return in the season finale to lock up the number one seed and provide another week of rest for his still ailing shoulder.

Three of the Last Four Super Bowls

The Chiefs are making their third trip to the Super Bowl in four years. They defeated the 49ers in SB LIV 31-20 and lost the following year to Brady and the Bucs 31-9. They avenged last years AFC Championship game loss to Cincinnati by flipping the score, this time the Chiefs being on the winning end of a 23-20 victory. The win however, in my opinion as was in many others, a game that was marred by poor officiating. The zebras seemed to have it in for the Bengals throughout the second half. There were numerous questionable calls enabling Kansas City the opportunity to get their second title in the last four years. Make no mistake, The Chiefs are a great team. Led by superstar QB Patrick Mahomes and coached by former Eagle head coach Andy Reid, KC shared the best record in the league with the Eagles at 14-3.
They beat the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 in the divisional round, then were able to get the win over Cincy. Kansas City returns to the site of their first game of the year, a 44-21 win over the Cardinals in Glendale. The Eagles also played in Glendale this year, besting the disappointing Arizona team 20-17 to go to 5-0.

Gimme Some Props

The gambling taking place on the Super Bowl year after year has become more ludicrous than the wagering on any other sporting event. There is even an over under on the length of the National Anthem. Country music star Chris Stapleton will perform this years Anthem and the total is currently 125 seconds or 2 minutes and 5 seconds. With his southern drawl likely leading to some longer holding of notes, the number has gone up close to 6 seconds after opening at 119.5 seconds. It’s hard to believe I am actually discussing this as a wager.

My Three Bets for Super Bowl LVII

Ok let’s get to some of the betting that actually involves the game. There are many options to wager on for the big game. Looking at statistics and past performances can be helpful in making your decisions. I am selecting three wagers for Super Bowl LVII.

My best prop wager is to take Philadelphia over the 24.5. The Eagles scored 38 against the New York Giants and 31 against the San Francisco 49ers in their two playoff games. The 31 scored against the 49ers defense, ranked the #1 overall defense in the league, was impressive. And had they not had such a big lead, I believe they could have scored more. The Chiefs gave up 20 points in both playoff games at home. With the weather likely perfect for the game I think the Eagles go over 30 points again.

As for a player prop, I like Travis Kelce over the 6.5 receptions. Kelce had 21 catches in the 2 playoff games, tying the playoff record with 14 vs Jacksonville. Against Cincinnati Kelce had 7 catches with only 8 targets. If KC is to have any chance, I think they will have to maximize the usage of their top playmaker.

My final wager is to go with Philadelphia minus the 2 pts. They have been the most dominant team in the league all season and I believe that dominance will continue on Sunday. Fly Eagles Fly.

PREDICTION – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 34 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 24