Regardless of their standing as defending champions, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are slight underdogs once they face the San Francisco 49ers within the 2024 Tremendous Bowl in Las Vegas Sunday.
The Niners first opened as 1.5-point favorites, in accordance with most sportsbooks. The road has since shifted much more of their favor, with San Francisco settling in as consensus 2-point favorites by Saturday afternoon.
Oddsmakers have the consensus over/underneath at 47.5 factors. Nevertheless, in accordance with Professional Soccer Reference, the Chiefs had the No. 2 ranked protection within the NFL this season, with the Niners proper behind them at No. 3, so a low-scoring affair might be so as.
Patrick Mahomes snug because the underdog
Enjoying as an underdog seems to go well with Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes simply wonderful. This final month noticed the Chiefs face arguably their hardest problem but within the Mahomes period, because the two-time MVP remarkably discovered himself taking part in street playoff video games for the primary time ever in his NFL profession.
As street underdogs, the Chiefs first edged the Buffalo Payments in frigid circumstances within the divisional spherical, after which once more once they bested the Baltimore Ravens within the AFC title recreation, with Mahomes throwing two touchdowns to tight finish Travis Kelce.
In his profession, Mahomes has a stellar 10-1-1 file towards the unfold as an underdog, in accordance with ESPN.
San Francisco 49ers look to silence doubters
The Niners, nonetheless, arrive at Tremendous Bowl LVIII on a lot shakier floor. Regardless of incomes a No. 1 seed and residential area benefit, they struggled mightily towards seemingly inferior NFC competitors.
They entered their divisional matchup with the seven-seeded Inexperienced Bay Packers as 10.5-point favorites. However the Packers took a 21-14 lead into the fourth quarter, and appeared poised to drag the upset, earlier than the Niners rattled off 10 unanswered factors to clinch a 24-21 comeback win because of a Christian McCaffrey landing with simply over a minute to go.
The narrative going into the NFC title recreation adopted an identical script, with the Niners as 7.5-point favorites over the Detroit Lions. However the Lions dominated early, taking a 24-7 lead into halftime earlier than they collapsed and the Niners rallied with 28 unanswered factors to earn a 34-31 win.
If Mahomes embodies expertise, San Francisco represents uncertainty. When the Chiefs defeated the Niners 31-20 in Tremendous Bowl LIV 4 years in the past, the Niners have been led by quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s gone, changed by Brock Purdy — ”Mr. Irrelevant,” the final choose of the 2022 draft. Purdy has had an up-and-down playoffs, throwing simply two touchdowns towards one interception.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan could have essentially the most to show Sunday. Since taking the reins in San Francisco, he’s 0-3 towards Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, with the most recent loss coming in a 44-23 drubbing by the Chiefs in 2022.
Reid and the Chiefs are searching for their third Tremendous Bowl in simply 5 years and their fourth as a franchise. San Francisco is trying to win its first Tremendous Bowl since 1995 and its sixth general.
How correct have Tremendous Bowl predictions been previously?
In Vegas, the moniker is the home at all times wins, and that additionally applies to the Tremendous Bowl. In keeping with the betting knowledge website Covers, since 1991, Nevada sportsbooks have solely misplaced cash on the Tremendous Bowl twice. The primary occasion occurred in 1995, when the Niners crushed the then-San Diego Chargers 49-26. The second famously occurred in 2008, when Eli Manning’s New York Giants upset Tom Brady’s heavily-favored New England Patriots, thwarting their efforts to finish an ideal 19-0 season.
Yearly, EA Sports activities runs a simulation of the Tremendous Bowl on its in style Madden online game. In final yr’s simulation, the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chiefs 31-17, however that was far off the precise consequence, during which the Chiefs received a 38-35 nailbiter.
In keeping with Sports activities Illustrated, since 2004, the EA Sports activities Madden Tremendous Bowl simulation has precisely predicted the winner 55% of the time. In Tremendous Bowl XLIX in 2015, the simulation was excellent, not solely predicting that the Patriots would defeat the Seattle Seahawks, but in addition getting the rating precisely proper, 28-24.
Within the EA Sports activities Madden simulation for Sunday’s recreation, the Chiefs defeated the Niners 30-28.
Tremendous Bowl LVIII will air on CBS and Nickelodeon and stream on Paramount+ on Feb. 11 from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Kickoff is scheduled for six:30 p.m. ET.