Source: Alamy Stock Photo
Adrian Mills’ favourite bets for the title game in New Orleans on Sunday night include another long run for Saquon Barkley and a big performance for a Chiefs rookie.
There are hundreds of NFL betting markets available for the Super Bowl including a huge range of player prop bets.
With lines on offer for every aspect of players’ statistical performances, from passing yards and number of receptions to tackles, sacks and interceptions for defensive players, there are a host of opportunities to pick out a player you think will perform particularly well, or badly if you prefer, in the big game in New Orleans.
We’ve picked out three of our favourite prop bets for the clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, featuring an Eagles running back, a Chiefs wide receiver and a defensive player from Philadelphia.
Best bets
Saquon Barkley longest rush over 23.5 yards @ 5/6
Xavier Worthy to get 60+ receiving yards @ 1/1
Nolan Smith Jr. over 0.5 total sacks @ 6/5
Back Barkley to break loose
Few NFL teams have ever made a free-agent signing who has made a bigger impact in their first season than Saquon Barkley has with the Eagles.
The New York Giants decided they could get by without their former first-round pick, but the 27-year-old has shown exactly why he was made the second overall pick in the 2018 draft.
Barkley went past the 2,000 rushing yards mark in his first regular season with his new team, including a 255-yard game against the Rams in November, and he almost repeated that against the LA team in the playoffs, with 205 yards.
Barkley posted a further 118 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship game and it’s no surprise to see his Super Bowl rushing yards line being well into triple figures.
The Chiefs were a solid enough team against the run in the regular season, ranking eighth in rushing yards allowed, but however well they bottle up Barkley for most of the game, it’s likely that he will be able to break clear for at least one long run and taking his longest rush to be over 23.5 yards appeals.
Barkley has had longest rushes of 60 and 78 yards in his last two outings and has had at least one effort of 24 or more yards in six of his last 10 games.
Rookie receiver can make his mark
The Chiefs have tried a number of different ways to replace their former star wide receiver Tyreek Hill over the last three seasons but they may have finally found their man in Xavier Worthy.
The lightning-fast wideout was the Chiefs’ pick in the first round of this year’s draft and has played an increasingly important role in Andy Reid’s offence as the season has gone on.
Far from fading late in the year as young players often can, Worthy has earned the trust of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. After having more than 40 receiving yards in only two of his first nine NFL games, Worthy has had 41 or more in nine successive appearances.
The rookie played a key role in the AFC Championship win over the Buffalo Bills, with six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown, and he looks worth backing to have another strong night against the Eagles.
Worthy’s basic receiving yards over/under line is set at 56.5, but it’s worth improving the odds and taking 1/1 for him to have 60+ in the big game.
Smith set to bring the heat
Another young player who could show up in the Super Bowl is the Eagles’ rapidly improving pass-rusher Nolan Smith Jr.
The second-season player recorded only one sack in the first 21 NFL games but everything has clicked for him in the second half of this season.
Smith ended the regular season with 6.5 sacks and has already added four more in three playoff games, with two against the Packers and one each against the Rams and Commanders.
He is worth backing to take down Mahomes at least once given the vulnerability of the Chiefs’ offensive line.
