Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 | 7:11 p.m.
For the third straight year, the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to the Super Bowl. For the first time in those three years, the Kansas City Chiefs are favored to win the Super Bowl.
Las Vegas sports books widely opened the AFC champion Chiefs as a 1.5-point favorite over the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles. The total posted anywhere from over/under 48 to 50 points before mostly settling at 49.5 points.
Super Bowl 59 goes down at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. Kansas City looks to become the first team in NFL history to hoist the Lombardi Trophy in three consecutive seasons and will attempt to do it against a familiar opponent.
The three-year run began at Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, Ariz., two years ago when the Chiefs rallied to beat the Eagles 38-35.
The key difference is, the Chiefs were 2-point underdogs in that game.
The total was an identical over/under 50 with the game flying over.
Betting activity in Nevada dipped for that matchup, as the state reported $153,183,002 in wagers — only the fifth-most ever. Last year set Nevada’s all-time record, surely assisted by the game being held at Allegiant Stadium, as $185,612,813 was bet ahead of the Chiefs’ 25-22 victory against the San Francisco 49ers as 2-point underdogs.
The Chiefs are favored in the Super Bowl for the first time since Feb. 7 2021, when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers upset them 31-9 as 3-point underdogs.
That was the second of the now five Super Bowls the Chiefs have advanced to since quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over seven seasons ago.
Mahomes and the Chiefs won in their first trip, beating the 49ers 31-20 on Feb. 2, 2020 as 1.5-point favorites.
Kansas City has continued to be a popular bet in sports books, but its penchant for close wins has slowed down its profitability over the years.
The Chiefs are only 9-10 against the spread this season — and 17-2 straight-up — as opposed to Philadelphia’s 17-3 straight-up, 13-7 against the spread records.
Kansas City and Philadelphia have played once since their last Super Bowl showdown, a 21-17 Eagles victory as 2.5-point favorites in Week 11 of the 2023-2024 season.
The point spread and total are only a starting point as sports books have already trickled out some proposition wagers with hundreds more on the way over the next week.
