Super Bowl LVII Preview: Mark Gunnels
Ahead of Super Bowl 57, set to take place on February 12, Mark Gunnels gives us his expert insights for how he thinks the game will go down. Be sure to follow him on Twitter, @MarkAGunnels.
The stage is set. After 22 weeks of football, there were two.
Of course, I’m talking about none other than the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s not often you get the top two teams in the league going at it in February, but I think it’s safe to say we got that this time around.
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The Teams…
At 14-3, the Chiefs earned the number one seed in the AFC led by soon-to-be MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. While the Eagles are the top seed from the NFC with a 14-3 record as well.
It may sound cliché, but this matchup will come down to the trenches. You can make a strong case that the Eagles have the best offensive line and defensive line in football. Their offensive line features two All-Pros in Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson along with a Pro Bowler in Landon Dickerson.
Then, when you look at the other side of the ball, they’re led by Haason Reddick, who finished the regular season with 16 sacks. In the two playoff games thus far, Reddick already has 3.5 sacks. As a team, the Eagles led the league in sacks with 70.
Ironically, the Chiefs finished second in sacks with 55 led by All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who finished the regular season with 15.5 sacks. In the AFC Championship Game, Jones took down Joe Burrow twice.
You always hear how games are won and lost in the trenches and I believe that saying is fitting for this contest.
Now, let’s get to the fun stuff.
The Super Bowl is always about storylines and this matchup isn’t short of storylines at all. We have head coach Andy Reid going against his old team, the Kelce bowl, and two black starting quarterbacks for the first time in Super Bowl history.
The people of Glendale are in for a treat.
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The Numbers…
Without further ado, let’s dive into the numbers – all markets can be found by heading over to Bovada’s Super Bowl odds page:
- Spread: The Philadelphia Eagles are the favorites with a -1.5 spread.
- Moneyline: You can currently get the Eagles to win at -125 or the Chiefs to win at +105.
- Total: As it stands the totals for this game are Over 50.5 (-110) and Under 50.5 (-110).
- Props: Team to score first, first offensive play of the game, will the game go to overtime, and etc.
- Live Betting: Bet on Eagles vs Chiefs live, whilst the game is in-play.
*Odds subject to change.
The two plays I’m looking at right now is Chiefs money line and the over on the total points. Look, on paper the Eagles have arguably the best roster in football. However, the best quarterback they’ve faced all season was Trevor Lawrence. No knock to the rising young start in Duval, but he just entered top 10 talks this season.
So, while the Eagles defense ranks amongst the best in the league, they haven’t seen anything close to what this Chiefs offense will present. It’s not only Patrick Mahomes, but you have to deal with Travis Kelce and Andy Reid’s offensive scheme.
The key to the game will be red zone efficiency because both teams should be able to move the ball, but who will end up getting touchdowns versus settling for field goals.
Which leads me to my second play on the over at 50.5. Both teams finished tied for first in points per game at 28.7, which is why I love the over here. The Eagles should be able to run the ball at a high clip, while Mahomes should be able to throw the ball around State Farm Stadium.
There will be fireworks all night long!
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