It is February and that means one thing and one thing only, we can finally say goodbye to the January blues and get excited about one of the biggest sports events of the year – the Superbowl.
On Sunday, the 58th annual Super Bowl will take place, in which the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will battle it out in Las Vegas, Nevada for the Lombardi Trophy.
The Chiefs will return to the big stage as reigning champions after winning last year’s game, but this will be the first time in four years the 49ers will make an appearance in the Super Bowl which, coincidentally, just happens to be when they lost to the Chiefs after quarterback Patrick Mahomes defeated Jimmy Garoppolo for his first Super Bowl victory. As the leading sports betting data provider,TXODDS have you covered for the most accurate, low-latency odds available.
In this article I dive into the factors that could contribute to both teams’ hunt for glory as well as the odds, if you are looking to place a wager.
What are the factors?
The Chiefs are back for their sixth Super Bowl, an astounding fourth in the last five seasons and now have a chance to do something rarely seen in NFL history – become the first back to back champions in nearly two decades – which the New England Patriots last successfully accomplished in 2003-04. The 49ers are coming for their first victory since 1995.
Kansas City Chiefs
Reasons for a victory: A big reason for a Chiefs potential win could be down to quarterback star Patrick Mahomes, who has been dubbed one of the best quarterbacks in recent history. He has the capability of being just as successful as ex New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady. He is the youngest quarterback to start in more than three Super Bowls and a victory on Sunday means he will join Brady (5) and Joe Montana (3) as the only players to win more than two.
Mahomes has been known to play best in the post-season. In his last past six post-season games, he has completed 70% of his passes with a yards-per-attempt average of 7.0 and 11 touchdowns without interceptions.
Mahomes might be the star player on the Chiefs’ roster but we can not take anything away from their incredible defense team. They may have had a tough start to the season, but made a big comeback. despite having the second best defense in the league, they managed to beat the Baltimore Ravens in their last game who were number one. Not to mention Travis Kelce – who plays the position of Tight End, who will definitely play a big part in the teams offense.
Reasons for loss: The Chiefs may have played their last few games fairly well, however their regular season was full of silly mistakes. They led the league in dropped passes, were second in offensive penalties and tied for seventh in turnovers. They suffered three losses in December alone, succumbing to the Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Green Bay.
Mahomes is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL but, unluckily, had the worst regular seasons of his career in 2023, statistically ranking only 19th in QBR on passing plays.
San Francisco 49ers
Reasons for a victory: Despite not winning a Superbowl in almost three decades, the 49ers are currently slightly ahead as favourites to win. This could be for a few reasons, one will certainly be because of their incredible season, in which they earned themselves the number one playoff seed, as well as homefield throughout the NFC playoffs.
Mahomes may of course be a force to be reckoned with, but it is said that the Niners might be the overall better team, NFL Hall Of Famer, J.J Watts, said to ESPN “The Niners have a phenomenal squad, they have playmakers everywhere,” particularly referencing Niners Running Back, Christian Mccaffrey, also known as CMC, who is thought to be one of the best players in his position. Many would also consider CMC as the best non-quarterback offensive player in the league at this moment in time. Watts also name checked Brandon Aiyuk,who consistently delivers an amazing performance, and Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, potentially some of the greatest players in the NFL.
Additionally, despite being the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft (aka Mr. Irrelevant), quarterback Brock Purdy has surprised everyone on the field. During his rookie season (which was only last season) in spite of being a third string quarterback, after both first string and second string quarterbacks got injured- Purdy led the Niners to seven consecutive wins- He became the first 49ers rookie quarterback to start and win a playoff game. Unfortunately he was also injured but returned as a starter in the next season.
Reasons for loss: The Niners historically do not play very well against the Chiefs. Both teams last went head to head in Super Bowl LIV, and have not faced each other since October 2023 but lost by three touchdowns on that day. San Francisco have not beaten Kansas City in a single game with Mahomes as quarterback.
For the Chiefs, their divisional championship game resulted in an easy win making it a smooth ride to the big game, but for the Niners it was a completely different story in their last game against the Detroit Lions, it almost looked like a different team would be facing the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The Lions were proving hard to beat in the NFC Championship game,- their offense were at the top of their game and looked like they had secured their spot in the Superbowl, 49ers were down 24-7 points at halftime but caused havoc in the second half resulting in a 34-31 victory.
The Odds
Spread
Kansas City Chiefs: +2.0 1.980
San Francisco 49ers: -2.0
O/U Total
Over 47.0 1.900
Under 47.0 1.990
Moneyline – To Win
Kansas City Chiefs: 2.180
San Francisco 49ers: 1.763
Whether you’re a fan supporting the Chiefs or 49ers, simply tuning in for Usher’s halftime show or just hoping to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift supporting her beau, Sunday night is set to be an epic showdown and won’t be one to miss.
