Super Bowl LIX Betting Recap: Philadelphia’s Defense Created a Blowout

Top-rated sportsbooks offered a tremendous quantity of interesting betting opportunities for bettors to try to take advantage of.

Let’s recap the game, which the Eagles won 40-22, and reflect on the outcomes of various wager selections.

The Scoring Started With a Tush Push

Philadelphia tried to initiate offense by relying on its best player, elite running back Saquon Barkley, who was the NFL’s leading rusher with his historic 2,000-yard season.

The first play of the game was a rush attempt by Barkley. But the Eagles soon discovered that they needed quarterback Jalen Hurts to pass well in order to create scoring opportunities for themselves.

Hurts connected with A.J. Brown on a beautiful pass downfield that was called back for offensive pass interference. With this penalty, the first drive ended in a punt.

The Chiefs would punt on their first drive, as well. On the third drive of the game, Hurts led his team downfield with multiple big passing plays.

He connected with Jahan Dotson, who was initially ruled to have crossed the plane for a touchdown. 

When the replay officials reversed this ruling, the Eagles found themselves at the one-yard line.

Everyone knew what was coming, but the Chiefs couldn’t stop it: the tush push. Via the tush push, Hurts was the game’s first scorer.

“Philadelphia Eagles Touchdown” was listed at +200 at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review) to be the game’s first score. 

The “under 1.5 yards” for the “shortest touchdown of the game” prop was listed at -205. While -205 must have felt expensive to bettors, those who placed this wager were soon rewarded.

Interceptions and More Interceptions

Many bettors were willing to wager that the “under 0.5” for each quarterback’s interception prop would hit. Mahomes hadn’t thrown an interception since November 17. Hurts hadn’t thrown one since November 10.

However, Hurts would throw an interception on his team’s next drive. Philadelphia was driving downfield until Hurts was intercepted on a pass that he intended for A.J. Brown.

Following Hurts’ interception, though, the Chiefs punted.

After the first of many Eagles’ field goals extended Philadelphia’s lead to 10-0, it would be Mahomes’ turn to reward bettors who played the “over 0.5” on his interception prop.

After taking two sacks, Mahomes was intercepted by Defensive Rookie of the Year Cooper DeJean. DeJean returned the interception for a touchdown, pushing Philadelphia’s lead to 17-0.

After two punts, one by each team, Mahomes took the field for a crucial drive. With his team down 17-0, it would be fantastic if he could help Kansas City score some points before halftime.

Instead of marching his team downfield, he threw his second interception of the game. Zack Baun intercepted Mahomes’ pass, positioning Hurts to find Brown in the end zone. Philadelphia thus entered the half with a 24-0 lead.

The Dagger

Philadelphia forced Kansas City to punt on its opening drive in the second-half.

Then, the Eagles tried to get Saquon more involved. But Kansas City was rewarded for its determination to stop him. He never sniffed the “over” on his rushing yards prop.

They did get him involved as a pass-catcher, though. Hurts was also efficient as a runner — in fact, he would finish the game as Philadelphia’s leading rusher.

A 22-yard pass to Barkley set up Philly’s first score in the second half, which was a field goal — Jake Elliott had a fantastic night, going 4-for-4 in the game.

When the Eagles got the ball back, now up 27-0, they did something that surprised many.

Kansas City’s defense was clearly expecting them to hand the ball off to Saquon.

Instead, Hurts threw a beautiful bomb to DeVonta Smith, finding him in the end zone for a 46-yard pass. With this score, the Eagles extended their lead to 34-0.

With Smith, Brown, and Barkley collecting so many catches and with the Eagles leading by a lot, there was not nearly enough space for tight end Dallas Goedert to fulfill the huge hopes that bettors placed in him by making the “over” on his receptions and receiving yards two of the most popular prop bets.

Xavier Worthy’s Success

With the Eagles up 34-0, Kansas City’s offense finally started to find success.

Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was easily the Chiefs’ best offensive weapon in this game. He did a fantastic job finding open spaces and using his incredible speed to create big-play opportunities.

He caught Mahomes’ first passing touchdown of the game by making himself available in the end zone and diving to secure a tough catch. With Worthy’s touchdown, the Chiefs were still down 34-6.

Later on, after the Eagles manufactured two more field goals and DeAndre Hopkins caught a touchdown, Worthy caught a 50-yard bomb from Mahomes to make the score 40-22.

With this touchdown catch, the “over” on Mahomes’ passing yards hit, which must have felt like a shock to bettors after he finished the first half with all of 33 yards.

Philadelphia’s Defensive Line Dominated

No accurate betting recap can conclude without assigning tremendous credit to Philadelphia’s defensive line.

Mahomes struggled largely because he faced so much pressure. He was sacked six times and hit eleven times.

The over/under for number of total sacks in this game was 4.5. Philadelphia’s Josh Sweat and Milton Williams combined for four sacks by themselves.

Spread, Total, MVP

While Hurts was named MVP, I wish that the entire Eagles’ defensive line could have shared the award.

But Hurts, who outshined players like Mahomes and Barkley who were much more heavily favored to win the award, deserves credit. 

He was extremely efficient and accurate as a passer and did a great job of running the ball. He came up with multiple big runs when he was close to being sacked. He played a huge role in sustaining drives and was directly responsible for all three of Philadelphia’s offensive touchdowns.

At the end, the Eagles covered the spread as the underdog while their two interceptions, which led to 14 points, and Worthy’s late-game successes helped the game soar “over.”