Super Bowl LVIII is upon us. Well, it’s still 2 weeks away… but at least the matchup is set! It will be the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers squaring off in the Super Bowl for the second time in the past 5 seasons. Patrick Mahomes’ first Lombardi Trophy came at San Francisco’s expense at the end of the 2019 campaign. Now Mahomes and company face a new-look 49ers squad led by Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy and plenty of other stars.
Make sure you check out our NFL predictions as we add our picks on the side and total for the big game. For now, let’s quickly break down the Super Bowl matchup and give our best early bet to make.
Super Bowl opening lines and odds
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
Kansas City Chiefs +2.5 (-110) vs San Francisco 49ers -2.5 (-110) – Sunday, February 11, 6:30 pm ET, CBS
Over 48 (-110) / Under 48 (-110)
Best early bet for the Super Bowl: Kansas City Chiefs +2.5 over San Francisco 49ers (-110)
Although the Chiefs and 49ers were among the favorites heading into this 2023 season, they certainly took the circuitous route to Las Vegas. Kansas City struggled mightily during the regular season and limped into the playoffs as the #3 seed in the AFC. San Francisco rolled to the #1 seed in the NFC but trailed by double-digits in each of its 2 playoff games.
The 49ers got away with horrible starts against both the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions. Green Bay was simply outclassed in the talent department and Detroit delivered a collapse for the ages in the NFC Championship. Yes, the Niners played well in the second half; the Lions, though, were unspeakable. Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s crew will not be able to survive against a veteran team led by Mahomes if it starts slowly once again in the Super Bowl. It’s also worth noting that Kansas City’s defense has been awesome and was especially impressive in the AFC Championship against the Baltimore Ravens. A Mahomes-led offense supported by a stout defense is a dangerous combination.
Over the next 2 weeks, there will be plenty of time to dive into the x’s and o’s of the matchup. But maybe that isn’t even necessary. The bottom line is this: I’m not betting against Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. Nor am I backing Shanahan against Andy Reid.