Super Bowl LVIII is finally here, and bettors are enthusiastic about diving into wagers for the huge showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
The Chiefs — led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid — are currently 2-point underdogs to the Niners. However, this has become a somewhat familiar spot for Kansas City & Co., as this makes the third consecutive game that books have the Chiefs as ‘dogs in the fight.
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San Francisco, on the other hand, was favored in its two previous matchups against Green Bay and Detroit. The Niners eked out wins in both while failing to cover. So bettors eyeing the 2-point spread in this contest might want to keep that in mind.
Now that the Big Game is here, bettors are focused on the best ways to bet the matchup.
Our experts — Chris “The Bear” Fallica, Sam “Sammy P” Panayotovich, Geoff Schwartz, Jason McIntyre and Will Hill — are here to help.
Let’s dive into their picks.
Chris “The Bear” Fallica
San Francisco 49ers Moneyline
Most people have settled on “Patrick Mahomes as a ‘dog” as a popular narrative. Folks have also been all about “K.C. has been the better team in the playoffs” narrative.
I get it. The Niners could easily have been beaten by both the Packers or Lions. But I just have a hard time forgetting what we saw over the course of the entire season when S.F. was power-rated as one of the top two teams all season long.
What if Kansas City’s offensive line struggles against the Niners’ front? We saw that when the Chiefs were routed by Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV, and the top-end talent edge belongs to S.F.
The Niners could have won multiple Super Bowls since 2020 but they just haven’t gotten the breaks. They will make their own luck and head home as Super Bowl champions.
PICK: 49ers (-115 moneyline) to win outright
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Sammy P
San Francisco 49ers Moneyline
This is a rather cheap moneyline price for a 2-point favorite thanks to the appetite for millions of Americans to bet the Chiefs moneyline.
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but you can’t bet against Patrick Mahomes! San Francisco’s defense gets an extra week to prepare for the least efficient offense of Mahomes’ career and I believe Kyle Shanahan will pound the rock with Christian McCaffrey on offense. Baltimore didn’t try to establish the line of scrimmage in the AFC title game, but this physical Niners team will.
PICK: 49ers (-115 moneyline) to win outright
Geoff Schwartz
Kansas City Chiefs Moneyline
Patrick Mahomes or Brock Purdy? It’s simple for me. I’m taking the better quarterback with a coach who has shown himself capable of winning these big games.
The Chiefs are playing better football, and they beat the Bills and Ravens on the road while the 49ers struggled at home to win both of their games on the path to Vegas.
PICK: Chiefs (+106 moneyline) to win outright
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Will Hill
Chiefs-49ers Spread
This is a very tricky game considering the 49ers were the better team all season, while the Chiefs have been the superior team since the start of postseason play.
I will go with the hotter team, as well as the team with the better quarterback and better defense. Plus, I’m getting a couple of points, to boot. The AFC’s best teams have done well against the best of the NFC this year, including three 49ers losses to the AFC. This should be a hell of a game.
I’m happy to have the best quarterback in the league with a 2-point head start.
PICK: Chiefs (+2) to lose by fewer than 2 points (or win outright)
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