The 2023/24 NFL season has reached it’s climax as the current holders Kansas City Chiefs look to make it back-to-back titles against the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII.
Kansas had a mixed regular season but have turned up during the playoffs once again to make it four Super Bowl appearances in the last five years, while the 49ers have arguably been the best team in the league this season and appear in their first Super Bowl since 2020 – where they lost to the Chiefs.
We’ll take a look at the match-up and provide you with our best free Super Bowl betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you take in the action on the field.
The Chiefs had a pretty poor regular season in the 2023/24 campaign, with a record of 11-6 which saw them end the season in third place in the AFC Division and enter the post-season at the Wildcard round stage.
There they met the Miami Dolphins in the Arrowhead Stadium and they coasted to a dominant 26-7 victory, where Patrick Mahomes dominated as they Chiefs defense managed to keep Miami scoreless in three out of the four quarters they played.
Up next they took on the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round in a game that saw them enter the field as underdogs. But once again that man Mahomes got the job done and led Kansas to a sensational 27-24 comeback win in the fourth quarter.
Then came the big AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens where the Chiefs were underdogs once again. Once again though the stunning defense came up trumps and Mahomes was able to lead his team to a 17-10 win to earn a spot in their fourth Super Bowl in the last five years.
They’ll be standing across the field from the San Francisco 49ers, who arguably have been the best-performing NFL team in the league this season.
The 49ers earned a regular season record of 12-5, the best in the league, to earn themselves a post-season spot that took them straight into the divisional round where they would meet the Green Bay Packers in a highly-anticipated game.
There Brock Purdy led the team to a fantastic 24-21 win at Levi’s Stadium where the team were on the verge of elimination after allowing 15 points in the third quarter, before fighting back with 10 unanswered points in the fourth to earn the victory.
That put them in the NFC Championship game against the Detroit Lions and they looked set to crumble once again as they trailed 24-7 at half-time in the game.
However the offense suddenly woke up in the second half and fired in a sensational 27 points to earn themselves a 34-31 win from the jaws of defeat to set up a rematch of the 2020 Super Bowl final.
It’s a really close game to bet on, especially considering the form of both teams heading into this clash, but there is a reason why people are backing Kansas City to get the job done despite being the underdogs.
They have Mahomes and he plays at his best in the postseason.
In his past six post-season games, Mahomes has completed 70% of his passes with a yards-per-attempt average of 7.0 and 11 touchdowns without throwing an interception.
The rest of the offense has shown signs of life recently also, getting big plays right at key times while the defense holds up as one of the best performing units in the NFL.
As impressive as their two double-digit comebacks were, San Francisco can’t count on Kansas City to make the same mistakes and commit turnovers. While you could argue against this during the regular season, when the Chiefs’ wide receivers were routinely dropping easy passes, they’ve delivered in the post-season.
Although Purdy has had some magical moments on key drives in both games, going against this Chiefs defense is going to be a huge test for him. With that in mind, plus Mahomes getting points, it’s hard not to take Kansas City.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
Since the 2020 Super Bowl clash between these teams they have met three more times, and each time the 50 point mark has been hit or surpassed.
If that isn’t enough to convince you, the averages of both teams this season make it look like the Over is the best bet to follow for this big game.
So far this season the Chiefs are averaging 21.8 points per game while defensively they are allowing only 17.3 points per game. The 49ers on the other hand have scored an average of 28.9 points per game while they have allowed an average of 17.5 points per game.
The 48 point total has landed in eight of San Francisco’s games this season, while it has landed in just four of Kansas City’s games.
It’s going to be close but both teams are going to look to exploit their offensive strengths rather than sit tight against another top defense, so expect points and a high-scoring game.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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