The stage is set for Super Bowl LVII with recent champions the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles getting through their respective conferences to collide on the big stage. In the time leading up to the big game every sports talk show will have something to say about which team is going to win and why. And on the betting front we’ll likely see the spread and total fluctuate up until kickoff. With the Super Bowl the most wagered on sporting event there will be ebbs and flows in the betting markets.
Super Bowl LVII is set for Sunday, February 12, 2023 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ with kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on FOX.
The Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl for the third time in four seasons denying the Cincinnati Bengals a return trip with a dramatic 23-20 win in a rematch of last year’s AFC Championship. The Chiefs opened as a slight favorite in that matchup before the line turned in favor of Cincy with news of Patrick Mahomes dealing with a high ankle sprain and his status in question. That caused a ripple effect in the line with the public swinging back to Cincinnati.
In the end, though, Mahomes played and did well throwing two touchdown passes to help the Chiefs earn a 23-20 win ending a three-game losing streak to the Bengals and getting a payout as an eventual 2-point favorite. With Mahomes noticeably hobbled by the injury the Bengals did little to make things tough on him while the Chiefs’ defense limited Joe Burrow and the explosive Bengals offense.
The one concern surrounding KC all season was its defense. The group didn’t have to be great with Mahomes directing the NFL’s highest scoring offense during the regular season yet they were above average and a big reason why they matched a franchise record with 14 victories. Winning during the regular season is commonplace for Mahomes and Andy Reid. Since Mahomes became the full-time starter in 2018 the Chiefs have compiled at least 12 regular season victories every year with the QB winning nearly 80 percent of his starts. And Mahomes improved his postseason record to 10-3 by beating the Bengals on Sunday.
Playing for the Lombardi Trophy is motivation enough, but if Mahomes and the Chiefs need an added push they can look back to their loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV. Playing the worst game of his career, Mahomes completed just 53 percent of his passes with a pair of interceptions and no touchdowns, the Chiefs lost 31-9 scoring fewer than 10 points for only the second time in the QB’s 93 overall starts.
It’s actually rare that the two best teams in the NFL collide in the Super Bowl. Last season the Bengals and Rams combined for 22 wins with each seeded No. 4 in their conference. The Chiefs and Eagles both went 14-3 this season and were seeded No. 1. Though the records were identical, many view the Eagles as being the best all-around club in the NFL. They were the last team to lose a game and went 13-1 before Jalen Hurts was sidelined with an injury. Two late season losses made things interesting, but Hurts returned in time to claim the No. 1 seed and Philly dominated its two playoff games beating the Giants and Niners by a combined 69-14.
The Eagles ranked among the top-3 in total offense and total defense during the regular season outscoring opponents by an average of eight points. Hurts put together an MVP-type season throwing for over 3,700 yards and 22 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He also led the team with 13 rushing touchdowns and was second with 760 rushing yards.
On defense the Eagles can get after the opposing quarterback posting a NFL best 70 sacks during the regular season, the third highest total in league history. And the pass rush was a big reason for their crushing victory over San Francisco in the NFC Championship. Hassan Reddick, who posted 17.5 sacks during the season, essentially knocked Brock Purdy out of the game helping the Eagles get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since their upset of Tom Brady and New England in SBLII.
With the game hitting the board as a tossup, oddsmakers allowed the public to determine the odds at the outset. And there was some volatility with the line initially before settling with the Eagles as a 2-point favorite. Sharp bettors tend to wait before making wagers and with two weeks between Championship Sunday and Super Sunday a lot can happen. We’ll continue to see the numbers change up until kickoff.
