On Sunday night, as Super Bowl LVII odds started to populate, FOX Bet opened the Philadelphia Eagles as 1-point favorites against the Kansas City Chiefs.
While there is still a long way to go from now until the Super Bowl, we wanted to get you some early best bets to make now before the lines move.
Now everybody, it seems, is an expert when it comes to making wagers on the Super Bowl. But FOX Sports really does have betting experts – Geoff Schwartz and Jason McIntyre – so we asked them for their thoughts on the Big Game taking place on Feb. 12 in Arizona (FOX and the FOX Sports App).
Let’s dive into a couple of wagers to hit now, with odds via FOX Bet.
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Pick via FOX Sports NFL Analyst Geoff Schwartz:
Super Bowl LVII is set between the two best teams in the NFL, with the Philadelphia Eagles facing the Kansas City Chiefs. Since it’s never too early to get some money down on the big game, here are my early best bets.
My early view of this contest is simple, put your money on the Eagles, a team that can dominate anyone in the trenches. The Eagles offensive line manhandled the excellent 49ers defensive line, and while the Chiefs did eat against the Bengals mostly backup offensive line, this will be much tougher.
Can the Kansas City pass rushers make Jalen Hurts uncomfortable in the pocket? Can they force errors? I’d give the edge to the Eagles offensive line right now.
The Chiefs have the best quarterback in football, so they always have a chance in every game. However, who will Patrick Mahomes be throwing to is the question, as three Chiefs wide receivers left the game on Sunday with injuries.
Kansas City ended the game with Marcus Kemp, who has eight targets in his career, on the field as the second receiver. Not ideal. On the flip side, I worry about the Chiefs being able to block Haason Riddick and Javon Hargrave. If the Eagles get pressure on Mahomes early in the game, it could be a rough outing for the star signal-caller. Think Kansas City vs. Tampa Bay two seasons ago.
As a Chiefs fan, it saddens me to say this, but take the Eagles in this game.
PICK: Eagles (-1.5 points at FOX Bet) to win by more than 1.5 points
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Pick via FOX Sports Betting Analyst Jason McIntyre:
Please don’t put much stock in an October 2021 meeting when the Chiefs thumped the Eagles 42-30. It was an absurd offensive performance by the Chiefs, who rung up 31 first downs, 7.5 yards per play, went 5-for-5 in the red zone and didn’t punt once.
Their two best offensive skill position players were Clyde Edwards-Helaire (14 carries, 102 yards) and Tyreek Hill (11 catches, 186 yards, three touchdowns). C-E-H is on the injured reserve, and Hill now plays for the Dolphins. This Chiefs offense, while still electric – they shredded San Francisco worse than anyone in the league – will have some problems in the trenches with the Eagles, who led the NFL in sacks and can rotate in six players to keep peppering Pat Mahomes with pressure.
This feels reminiscent of the 2020 Super Bowl when Mahomes struggled with the 49ers defense until uncorking a bomb to Tyreek Hill in the fourth quarter that totally changed the game with eight minutes left.
Just how good is this Eagles defense? We don’t really know. How can you tell when they haven’t faced a top-10 QB in two months, that is assuming you think Aaron Rodgers played at a top-10 level this season. Dak Prescott threw for 347 yards against the Eagles at home, and that might have been the best QB Philly has faced this season (honorable mention: Kirk Cousins, Jared Goff). The blowout of a 49ers team on a fourth-string QB – who then got concussed (Josh Johnson) – and Purdy, who was unable to throw the ball beyond five yards of the line of scrimmage in the second half, didn’t really tell us anything.
Can we expect Kansas City’s defense to play as well as it did against Cincinnati, which was down three offensive linemen? Chris Jones and Frank Clark will have it much tougher against the best OL in the NFL. Jalen Hurts didn’t play well against the 49ers (121 yards passing, 4.8 yards per attempt), and who knows if he’s going to be 100 percent. Same with Mahomes and his receivers.
This is a tough game to call, but ultimately, the Eagles have the superior OL and DL. Take Philly to fly.
PICK: Eagles (-1.5 at FOX Bet) to win by more than 1.5 points
LEAN: Under 49.5 points scored by both teams combined at FOX Bet
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