The Super Bowl is almost here, and that means my time is winding down in New Orleans. Soon, as in Friday afternoon, they will be sweeping all of the empty water bottles and crumpled up, food stained napkins off of Radio Row, and attention will shift to Sunday at the Caesar’s Superdome, where the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will face off for the second time in three Super Bowls.
If you’re like tens of millions of other Americans, you’ll be watching the big game with friends and neighbors, with ungodly amounts of fattening food and refreshing alcohol within arm’s reach. Super Bowl Sunday was built for poor decision making, largely nutritional choices, but also some financial strategies.
Well, I can’t help you with the food and beverage portion of your Sunday. You’re gonna what you’re gonna do, with your wings, beer, pizza, and desserts. You do you! I can, however, help with the fiscal decision making. I love prop bets, and no sporting event has the breadth of prop bets like the Super Bowl. They key, as in eating and drinking, is to be choosy, employ moderation, and don’t get gluttonous.
To that end, out of the hundreds of available prop bets, I’ve whittled my sheet down to these four props that I plan to play. Play along with me!
DALLAS GOEDERT – OVER 52.5 receiving yards
Goedert has been a big part of the Eagles offense this postseason, averaging five catches for 63 yards in the Eagles’ three postseason games. The Chiefs gave up 64 yards receiving to Dalton Schultz in the divisional round, and he struggled all season long. I think Goedert has a big game this Sunday.
JALEN HURTS UNDER – 40.5 rushing yards
Hurts’ got his knee dinged up against the Rams in the divisional round, and his health was a big question heading into the NFC title game versus the Commanders. Hurts scored three touchdowns in that game, but only rushed for 16 yards, as he was largely used for “tush push” plays. When you have Saquon Barkley next to you in the backfield, he will take on most of the running game burden. 40.5 is a big number, and I think he only gets there with a couple huge scrambles. I’ll go against that.
DeANDRE HOPKINS – OVER 13.5 receiving yards
This number is insane, and I’ve actually seen it as low as 11.5 yards in some places. Look, Hopkins has clearly lost a step from his peak a few years ago, and in this postseason, through two games, he only has one catch for 11 yards. However, this feels like a classic Andy Reid ambush situation, where the Chiefs head coach will unleash Hopkins, find ways to scheme him open, and get him five or six catches. Here’s the thing — if he gets just ONE catch, you’re probably a winner.
Jersey number of the first TD scorer – UNDER 15.5
This is a wild prop bet, if you can get it — jersey number of the first TD scorer! If you go “UNDER,” you’re getting players like Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Kenneth Gainwell, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Isiah Pacheco and Patrick Mahomes. I love the idea of having the quarterback who is the poster child for the “tush push” short yardage play, Hurts, plus his two best receivers. Among Chiefs, you have their quarterback (Mahomes), their lead running back (Pacheco), and the guy who they run gimmicks for all the time in the red zone (Worthy).
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