Not many foresaw the beat down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave to the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs Sunday night in Super Bowl LV. Tom Brady picked up his record seventh Super Bowl title and fifth MVP award as the hosts beat Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs 31-9. Brady was +190 to win the MVP, the second-highest favorite behind Mahomes at -120.
With the win, the Bucs covered the +3.5 point spread, and the game also went under the total. The total reached as high as 57 in some books but was at 55 for kickoff, still going well under either way. The Chiefs didn’t even score a touchdown, which cost bettors a lot of money on first TD, last TD, and anytime TD bets, plus those betting on the number of touchdowns that Mahomes would throw for in the game.
The Buccaneers defense harassed Mahomes all game, and he suffered his worst loss as a professional. The Chiefs committed 11 penalties for 120 yards, were 0-for-3 in the red zone and 3-for-13 on third down. Mahomes was sacked three times, knocked down nearly a dozen times, and chased all over the field on nearly every passing play. Meanwhile, Brady was sacked just once and picked the Chiefs secondary apart with short passes, mostly to his tight ends and running backs.
Quarterback Bets
Speaking of Mahomes, his over/under went off anywhere in the 320-328 yards range, and at 270 total yards, he was well under. His completions (26) also went under the 28.5, but his attempts went over the 40.5 number at 49. The best way to make money on Mahomes Sunday was with the interception bet as he was +140 to throw an interception, and he threw two in the game.
Brady was well under his total of 292-298 as well with 201 total yards on 21-of-29 passing. The MVP did throw for three touchdowns, though (over 2.5 was +140), finding his former Patriots teammate Rob Gronkowski for two scores. Brady was under on both his completions and attempts prop line, and his under 0.5 interceptions was +130.
Prop Bets
Some of the in-game prop bets included: Will there be a score in the final 3 ½ minutes of the fourth quarter? No hit at +210. For which team will score last, Tampa Bay hit at +100, and the last score as a field goal was +135.
Looking Ahead to 2021
The Chiefs have opened as the Super Bowl LVI favorites at +550 by William Hill. The Green Bay Packers are next at +900, while the Buccaneers are +1100 to repeat. The Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, and Los Angeles Rams are +1200, while the San Francisco 49ers are +1400. The New Orleans Saints are +1600, the Seattle Seahawks are +1800, and the Cleveland Browns are +2000 to round out the top 10 favorites.
Before acquiring Brady in March, the Buccaneers were +6000 to win Super Bowl LV, but those odds fell to +1400 when the season began in September. The teams currently sitting at +6000 are the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, Denver Broncos, and Washington Football Team. The Detroit Lions, New York Jets, and Houston Texans all have the longest odds at +10000.
As the NFL 2020-2021 season closes out, make sure to keep up with offseason news coverage as well as all your sports pick previews at NJ SportsBook.