The Super Bowl has come and gone, delivering one of the most exciting games of the season. It seemed as though the Philadelphia Eagles were in control the entire game but Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were not going to go down without a fight.
Before we all knew it, the Chiefs were grabbing the lead in the fourth quarter and would ultimately be the benefactor of a fortunate defensive holding call late in the contest. While the Eagles and their fans will be hurting for a while, the sportsbooks felt the sting, too.
Here are some of the prop bets in which they may not have expected to be burned by bettors:
Gatorade colour: Purple (+900)
Heading into the game, one of the most talked about aspects of the Super Bowl – at least from a betting perspective – is the colour of the Gatorade that will be dumped on the winning coach. The classic colours like red, blue, and yellow are typically at the top of the odds list and have largely been the colours seen in past years.
This year, the Gatorade dumped on Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was purple in a surprising turn of events. As a matter of fact, purple at +900 to even as high as +1000 had never been the colour used in the Super Bowl before. So, when the Gatorade coming out of that cooler proved to be purple, sportsbooks everywhere had to roll their eyes.
Bettors who chose the underdog in this case got a nice payday and this result will certainly give bettors a lot to think about next year.
Hurts & Mahomes combine for exactly four passing touchdowns: (+400)
There are some Super Bowl prop bets that seem way too precise to be worth their time. As it turns out, this is one of those exact props that played out just right. Many sportsbooks offered a bet that both quarterbacks would combine for exactly four passing touchdowns at +400 odds.
That is exactly what played out. Hurts did most of his damage on the ground but still managed to sling a passing touchdown to A.J. Brown. Mahomes, meanwhile, found his rhythm predominantly in the second half, throwing two of his three touchdowns in the latter part of the game in the eventual win.
These are the kinds of bets where you feel like your stake might be a donation. So, when the bet actually cashes, it’s a nice feeling to have.
Chiefs’ Khalen Saunders to record the first sack: (+3000)
Sacks were expected on the night but it’s safe to assume that most of the world thought it would be an Eagles player getting the job done. So, you can imagine how surprised everyone was – not just the sportsbooks – when unsung Chiefs tackle Khalen Saunders got the first sack.
At +3000 odds, those who took the longshot were rewarded with a nice payday. But this pick wound up underscoring a more surprising fact for the day. The vaunted Eagles defensive front, which posted the third-most sacks in a single season, managed to get Mahomes on his back exactly zero times.
The Saunders prop wound up hurting the sportsbooks but the no-show appearance from the league’s most dangerous defensive line wound up hurting Philly and its Super Bowl chances even more.
Jalen Hurts to score three or more touchdowns: (+2700)
To be fair to Hurts, he was a regular season MVP candidate who delivered one of the best seasons in Eagles history. That said, counting on anyone to score three or more touchdowns is a tall task. Hurts, however, did all that he could to propel the Eagles to the title in a losing cause.
Hurts had four touchdowns on the day, one through the air and another three on the ground. He accounted for nearly 400 yards of total offence and, aside from a fumble that was returned for a score, was as perfect as it gets. His multiple rushing touchdowns, in particular, delivered a stinging blow to the sportsbooks.
Both teams to finish with at least one sack: (No, +550)
This had to be one of the most shocking prop finishes of the game. Choosing “yes” to both teams had no value at -750, meaning the sportsbooks saw it as all but certain to happen. What no one saw coming was the dynamic Eagles defensive line failing to get Mahomes even once on the day.
Bettors looking for long odds and a big payout had to be pleased with this one. Everyone and their mother expected at least one sack from the Eagles and they came up dry on the day. Perhaps even one sack could have swung the momentum in the second half but the Chiefs offensive line proved that it could perform when it matters most.
Comeback from a double-digit deficit: (+575)
There are some that could argue that this one is on the sportsbooks. After all, Mahomes was involved in this game and he has a history of comebacks that continues to defy not only the odds but logic as well.
So, maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that winners cashed in on these large odds. The Eagles led heading into the halftime show to the tune of 24-14 and it seemed as though the game could have been much farther apart than it was.
Of course, we know how things played out. The Chiefs answered right out of the gate in the second half and nearly had another touchdown that wound up being called back. The second half belonged to the Chiefs, giving them the momentum that they needed to close the game out. The lesson is simple: never, ever count out Mahomes, especially in a big game.
Chiefs to score a defensive TD: (+750)
The Chiefs defence is better than many have given it credit for being. That said, the attention – at least on the defensive side of the ball – was on the Eagles. This is partially because of their penchant for getting to the quarterback and causing chaos but also partially to all the talk of the Chiefs secondary getting exposed with its young cornerbacks.
The Eagles secondary was the one getting exposed on a couple of crucial short-yardage touchdown passes from Mahomes, and the lack of an impact from the defensive line will be talked about for some time.
Just as much talk will be on the one flaw Hurts had during this game, that being the fumble that would lead to not only this prop hitting but the score being tied at 14-14.
The importance of this defensive touchdown cannot be understated. For one, it led to a significant payout for those who took the +750 odds. More importantly, it slowed the Eagles’ momentum and could have potentially been a 14-point swing. Who knows how the game plays out if that fumble doesn’t happen and the Eagles drive to another score. Perhaps there would have been no Mahomes comeback to talk about.
Hurts so good
Though most eyes were on Hurts for things like first touchdown scored and game MVP, he delivered the old one-two punch to sportsbooks on a number of different props. Given his standing as a premier dual-threat quarterback in the league, bettors were eagerly watching things like rushing yards, passing yards, total touchdowns, and more.
Hurts delivered on every front, making a clear case to be MVP in the event of an Eagles win. Hurts struck at the sportsbooks early, hitting both the “first touchdown scorer” and “anytime touchdown scorer”, the latter of which was +110 to +140 depending on where you found it.
Even though eyes were on Mahomes to dazzle through the air, it was Hurts that delivered on his over. The books had him at 250.5 which he easily surpassed by chucking the ball for 304 yards. If that wasn’t enough, he hit his over on rushing yards (45.5 to 50.5 depending on the book), rushing for 70 yards on the evening.
Hurts hit on just about every conceivable prop you can think of: multiple touchdowns, over passing attempts (31.5) and completions (21.5), and even longest completion (37.5 yards) by completing a pair of 45-yard strikes.
Anything that you can think of Hurts delivered. There will be a lot of finger-pointing being done in the next few days, weeks, and months. The one place it can’t go is on Hurts, aside from the fumble that led to a touchdown. He did everything he was asked of and so much more.
