Ceasars Sportsbook just released the initial odds for Super bowl 54’s match-up pitting the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers. These numbers are likely to fluctuate a bit before kickoff, but not by much as the initial odds have Kansas City as -1.5 favorites to win it all. That narrow margin correctly reflects the parity of these two teams. The Chiefs offense seems to be an equal match to the 49ers defense and it seems both teams are peaking at the right time.
San Francisco may have been the NFL’s most consistent team all season, as they came firing out the gate to a 10-0 start to the season and ultimately finished as the NFC’s number 1 seed. They are balanced from top to bottom and were built the more conventional way, from the interior on outward. Both their offensive and defensive lines are littered with 1st and 2nd round draft picks. Not the least of whom is Nick Bosa, the probable Defensive Rookie of the year. Pairing that with elite secondary play led by All-Pro Richard Sherman and you have a devastating combination of talent and athleticism at seemingly every position. The offense is made up of a hodgepodge of free agent and trade acquisitions starting with the signal-caller Jimmy Garappolo. He’s surrounded by an unusual amount of speed at running back and wide receiver complemented by perhaps the best Tight End in the league Greg Kittle.
In the proverbial Immovable object vs Unstoppable force debate, the Kansas City Chiefs are that Unstoppable force. Coming in as winners of eight straight contests, it seems that the league still hasn’t figured out the formula to stop reigning league MVP Pat Mahomes. The last two weeks saw huge leads by the Titans and Texans all but be forgotten by half time thanks to Mahomes’ heroics. The Chiefs have been a perfect merger of speed and excellent offensive play-calling by Andy Reid. Long thought of as an offensive mastermind, Reid may have finally found a quarterback whose talent matches up with his mixture of “Air Raid” and West Coast” offensive concepts.
Ultimately these figures to be one of the more entertaining and fulfilling Super bowls of recent memory. A quarterback will go a long way to cementing his legacy by winning his first Superbowl. Both coaches have experienced the heartbreak of losing a Superbowl. A win would catapult Reid into a solid Hall of Fame resume that would’ve been unclear before his second act in Kansas City after leading the Eagles for 14 years and 5 NFC Championship game appearances but failed to actually hoist the Lombardi trophy. Kyle Shannahan was the offensive coordinator for the Falcons during the now infamous 28-3 comeback by the New England Patriots in Superbowl 51. Immediately following the success of that season he parlayed that into what is his first head coaching opportunity with the San Francisco 49ers.
This will mark the 7th and 3rd Superbowl appearances for the 49ers and Chiefs respectfully.
If the line changes to a pick’em it would be the first Super Bowl pick’em in history.