2025 Super Bowl LIX odds: Back Eagles tight end to find success
Super Bowl LIX is set, and it's a rematch from two years ago between the Eagles and Chiefs, taking place in New Orleans on Feb. 9. You can watch it on FOX.
The Eagles punched their ticket by obliterating the Commanders, ending the Cinderella story for their division rivals. The Chiefs earned their bid by doing what they seem to do every postseason, outlasting the Bills in a close, high-scoring game.
Kansas City now goes for a record third consecutive Super Bowl title.
Next week I will make my pick for the game, and add a couple more props, but let's give out a couple for now to get the juices flowing and try to get ahead of any potential line moves.
Dallas Goedert Over 4.5 Catches (-135 at DraftKings)
I wouldn't be surprised if this number gets bumped up to 5.5 by the time kickoff comes around. The Chiefs have struggled all year against tight ends. They gave up 111 yards to Ravens tight end Isiah Likely, 140 to Brock Bowers of the Raiders, 92 yards to the 49ers' George Kittle, and allowed 63 yards to Texans tight end Dalton Schultz in the divisional round.
Goedert is a tough matchup for the Chiefs, and is coming off an impressive seven-catch, 85-yard performance in the NFC title game. With all the defense's attention likely on Saquon Barkley, that opens things up over the middle of the field for Goedert to get open, and I expect him to have another busy night catching the football.
Under 6.5 Total Punts (-115 at DraftKings)
Both teams are coming off of games that went way over their totals, and the last time these teams met in the Super Bowl, it was a 38-35 shootout. Sure, just betting the Over of 49 total points scored is a way to attack this, and I do lean that direction, but betting Under on punts is a way to make a similar bet without actually needing the teams to score.
The Eagles are ultra-aggressive on fourth down, and any third-and-3 or third-and-4 will likely lead to them using Jalen Hurts on the "tush push" a couple times and moving the sticks. We saw Andy Reid go for it on fourth down on his own 39 against the Bills early in the AFC title game, so we know he has a willingness to eschew the punter as well.
Getting to seven total punts here will be tough with these two offenses and aggressive coaches. Rooting for the punter to stay on the sideline might be a good bet to make.
Will Hill, a contributor on the Bears Bets Podcast, has been betting on sports for over a decade. He is a betting analyst who has been a host on VSiN, as well as the Goldboys Network.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
recommended
Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Once again, clear evidence shows the dominance of Eagles star WR A.J. Brown
We may never hear another speech like the masterpiece Jason Kelce offered at the Philadelphia Eagles' first Super Bowl victory parade. There were simply too many iconic moments: the beratement of Mike Lombardi, the "hungry dogs run faster" line, the off-key but beautiful song we heard at the end. Come to think of it, the earlier statement is suddenly incorrect. We will NEVER hear another victory speech like Jason Kelce's. A.J. Brown has his moment though. Few compare to his mic-drop moment this past February. "They said I was a diva. They said all I cared about was stats. If you're going to get all of those things wrong about me, it's one thing you can get right. I'm a (expletive) champion!" Well, he isn't lying... A.J. is a champion, and as good as he was with the Tennessee Titans, he has become even better in Philly. Let's talk about those stats A.J. is mentioning. A.J. Brown, since joining the Philadelphia Eagles, has become the NFL's premier unstoppable force. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith enter their fourth season as teammates. They are on the verge of being the best duo this organization has ever seen. They are currently Pro Football Focus's choice as the best one-two punch in the game. No disrespect is intended to great tandems like DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin or Harold Jackson and Ben Hawkins. Harold Carmichael and Charlie Smith... Fred Barnett and Calvin Williams... All were great. A.J. and DeVonta have the potential to exceed all of them. Let's focus on A.J. for a second. They say 'people lie, but numbers don't'. If that's true, how can we argue against Brown now being the best of his era? Per Pro Football Focus, he's the best receiver in the game, and their recent ranking of the NFL's top wide receivers against man and zone coverage places him second vs. the former. Two-tenths of a point would have slid him ahead of Mike Evans for the top spot. Check out PFF's explanation of A.J.'s brilliance and Lauren Gray's explanation of what makes him so good against man coverage. "Brown ranked fifth in PFF receiving grade against man coverage in 2023 (90.4) and recorded a league-best 510 receiving yards... He led the league in that mark again in 2024, catching 35 single-target passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns (tied third most). Brown also paced the NFL with 11 missed tackles forced on man-coverage catches while finishing in the top three in first downs gained (26), yards after the catch (189) and yards per route run (3.99). He ranked fifth in passer rating when targeted against man coverage (142.4)." A.J.'s previous three seasons in the City of Brotherly Love have resulted in two of his three career Pro Bowl appearances and three consecutive Second-Team All-Pro nods. He owns team records for most receiving yards in a player's debut and single-season receiving yards. He and DeVonta Smith are the first tandem in franchise history to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. He has caught a TD pass in BOTH of his Super Bowl appearances, and again, he is an (expletive) champion. Need we say more? If Brown stays on this path, he'll have a Pro Football Hall of Fame argument. Based on what we have seen so far, barring any injury, there is no reason to believe he won't.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
We reach 71 in our Raiders countdown to kickoff. Who wore it best and who's wearing it now
We've reached 71 days until the Raiders season opener at Foxboro against the Patriots, With our countdown at 71 days we take a look at who currently dons the number in Silver & Black and who has brought it the most distinction. No. 71 Who's wearing it now: T DJ Glaze Glaze was the Raiders' pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Maryland. He took over at right tackle for Thayer Munford due to injury and never looked back. Even with a new staff, Glaze remains in line to be the team's starting right tackle going into this season. Who wore it best: DT Bill Pickel The second round pick (54 overall) in the 1983 NFL Draft spent the first eight years of his career with the Raiders. The team won the Super Bowl in his first season with the team. Then he settled in as a constant presence on the defensive interior for the next seven years. This includes a run of three consecutive seasons with double digit sacks from 1984-86 culminating in being named a first team All Pro.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Bears All-Quarter Century Team: Special Teams
Twenty-five years of Chicago Bears football are in the books since the turn of the century. Since the calendar turned over to 2000, the Bears have seen some success, but also plenty of woeful stretches. Early on, Chicago became a defensive force, claiming four division titles and reaching only their second Super Bowl in franchise history from 2000 to 2010. Since then, however, a 14-year playoff victory drought that is still ongoing and a one-sided fight with their rival Green Bay Packers have taken the spotlight. For all the ups and downs the Bears have seen, however, they had plenty of talent over the years across offense and defense. Multiple former Bears players are already in the Hall of Fame, while many more provided years of incredible play in the navy and orange. Here at Bears Wire, we're celebrating the best Bears players at each position over the last 25 years. We've reached the end of our list with special teams, led by the greatest returner the NFL has ever seen. Punt returner: Devin Hester The greatest return specialist in NFL history spent the majority of his career in a Chicago Bears uniform. There will never be another player quite like Devin Hester, an electric returner who burst onto the scene immediately during his rookie year. Hester was a game changer from the start, having the ability to find the end zone the second the football dropped into his hands. Hester has set multiple NFL records, most notably having the most punt return touchdowns in NFL history and the most return touchdowns in total in NFL history. But even when he didn't touch the ball, he was impacting the game. Teams would surrender 20+ yards of field position just to ensure Hester couldn't be a threat to score. His greatest return of all came on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl XLI, a feat that will likely never happen again. While Hester was an excellent kick returner, he was most special fielding punts. A four-time Pro Bowl player, three-time First-Team All-Pro, and a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team for both the 2000s and 2010s, Hester redefined the return specialist position. His legacy is forever enshrined at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Honorable mention: Tarik Cohen Kick returner: Cordarrelle Patterson Outside of Hester, the Bears have had a few dynamic kick returners throughout the 21st century. Jerry Azumah had a stellar season in 2003 with two touchdowns, while Danieal Manning led the league in average yards per return in 2008 with 29.7. For two seasons, though, Cordarrelle Patterson was a consistent threat coming out of the end zone and had a unique blend of size and speed that was difficult to stop. The Bears signed Patterson as a free agent in 2019 to be a gadget player as well as a return specialist. While he wasn't particularly effective on offense, Patterson gave the Bears excellent field position as a returner—even when he would opt to return a kick while nine yards deep in the end zone. In two seasons, Patterson averaged over 29 yards per return and had two scores. In 2020, his 35 returns, 1,017 return yards, and longest return of 104 yards were all league highs. In both seasons as a Bear, Patterson made the Pro Bowl and was named First-Team All-Pro at the position. He was named to the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team and holds the NFL record for most kick return touchdowns in a career. Honorable mention: Jerry Azumah Kicker: Robbie Gould Who knew that when the Bears signed Robbie Gould off a construction site nearly 20 years ago, he would become the greatest kicker in team history? Gould joined the Bears midway through the 2005 season and proved to be a reliable kicker right away. His best season came in 2006, when he nailed 26 consecutive field goals and was named First-Team All-Pro. He went eight seasons in a row of converting at least 83% of his field goals, a feat that's not easily achieved. Gould's best attribute, however, was his ability to hit clutch field goals when the pressure was at its highest. He sent the Bears to the NFC Championship Game during the 2006 season with a 49-yard kick in overtime and made numerous game-winning kicks throughout his career. While he technically isn't the most accurate kicker in Bears history anymore (Cairo Santos holds that title), Robbie was "good as Gould" for a decade in Chicago—a rarity for NFL kickers. Honorable mention: Cairo Santos Punter: Pat O'Donnell It feels dirty going against a fan favorite like Brad Maynard, who was solid during his years in Chicago, but Pat O'Donnell was the better punter. The Bears made a polarizing selection when they spent a sixth-round draft pick on O'Donnell in 2014, but he showed he was worth the value. O'Donnell had a big leg, earning the nickname "Megapunt" during his first training camp. He averaged more than 45 yards per punt and did a good job of keeping the ball out of the end zone. O'Donnell's magnum opus came in 2015 when he totaled 10 punts in a shutout loss to the Seattle Seahawks and averaged 47.7 yards per attempt. He's had multiple kicks of 72 yards or more during his Bears career and had a touchback percentage of just 6.9%. O'Donnell never made any Pro Bowls, but he was a solid special teams player in the 2010s. Honorable mention: Brad Maynard Long snapper: Patrick Mannelly Long snappers are often underappreciated, but Bears fans absolutely loved Patrick Mannelly during his playing days—and for good reason. Mannelly, who holds the record for most games ever played in a Bears uniform, made long snapping an art form. He was automatic when it came to punts and field goal attempts but also did the dirty work like making tackles on special teams. Mannelly was an important team leader, as he was voted the special teams captain for six years straight. Honorable mention: Patrick Scales Bears All-Quarter Century Team
