The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will go to war in Super Bowl LIX down in New Orleans, and we are all going to be putting down some cash on this one, let's be honest. No sporting event in the country generates more money for the sportsbooks, and you had better believe they start popping champagne every year in February. There are so many markets available for this one contest, from sides and totals to Gatorade colors. Truly, we are living in the best of times.
One market that is pretty popular, but perhaps a bit more obscure than others, is betting on the first half of the game instead of the full contest. Some people prefer to bet the game by halves rather than what the final outcome will be, but if you know me, I like to have some small action on just about everything. Let’s take a look at some of the bets I have already placed, and I’ll explain why I made them.
Eagles First Half Team Total Under 11.5 (-108, BetMGM)
I’ve talked a bunch about my feelings for this game, and how I think it will be a lower-scoring contest than the one we saw two years ago between these teams in Super Bowl LVII. Neither team is ranked inside the top-10 in yards per play on offense, and the defenses both match up very well with them. The Chiefs have been much better this season passing the ball, but the Eagles ranked No. 1 in the NFL in passing defense and yards per play.
Philadelphia has RB Saquon Barkley and the 2nd ranked rushing attack in the league, but Kansas City has been great at stopping the run all season, ranking 8th against the rush as a unit. I believe they are going to force QB Jalen Hurts to beat them with his arm, which he hasn’t shown the ability to do this year. That doesn’t mean that Philly can’t win the game, but I just don’t see them lighting up the scoreboard either.
I could see this game being something like 10-7 at halftime, which the sportsbook would certainly love with everyone betting on the over, considering how the last Super Bowl went between these two. If Barkley can’t get going early, I expect Philly to struggle, and I put a small wager on them to stay under this team total in the 1st half of the game.
Highest Scoring Half - Second Half (-115, BetMGM)
I know this is supposed to be an article on 1st half bets, but technically, this is a bet on the 1st half as well. I’m betting that it is the lowest-scoring half of the game.
If there are going to be points scored in this contest, I expect them to be in the second half when coaches are able to adjust to what they have been seeing in the first half. Generally speaking for any NFL game, the second half is usually higher-scoring, which is why this is -115 compared to the 1st half at +105. In addition to coaching adjustments, one of the teams at least is going to have an increased urgency to score as the clock starts draining down, and more passing can be expected. If this is a close, low-scoring game as I think it will be, we could have multiple lead changes late.
Historical data says more points are likely to be scored in the second half, and I wagered some baby peanuts on this one. Since I have so many bets on the Super Bowl, I am spreading out my money across the board, so no wager is that large.
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