Jayden Daniels had a chance to be the first rookie quarterback to start a Super Bowl, as he and the Washington Commanders had just knocked off the mighty Detroit Lions at Ford Field. There was a lot to like about the Commanders going into the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and a lot of bets to like.
The moneyline on the Commanders paid +230, while the same bet on the Eagles paid an unappealing -285. So even without the Commanders great run, you can understand the desire to bet on Washington. You got much more bang for your buck.
Add together the potential payout, the way the Commanders offense played in Detroit, and the uncertain status of the Jalen Hurts knee injury, and 60% of the moneyline bets went to Washington, and 59% of the moneyline handle.
Even the point spread, which was six points at kickoff, showed Commanders excitement. The handle was higher for the Eagles – 56% to 44% – but the majority of the bets went to Washington. Of the bets placed on the point spread, 59% of them took the underdog.
Those numbers show that more big money bettors liked the Eagles, but more overall bettors had bought-in on the Commanders championship run. A run that came to a screeching halt with a 55-23 Eagles victory.
Popular Proposition Bets
If you were one of the Commanders bettors that was left with a bad taste in your mouth and a bad ticket in your hand, hopefully you made a few prop bets. The most popular props heading into the game were a bettor’s paradise.
The most popular bet of the afternoon was on a Saquon Barkley anytime TD. It only paid -220, but it was easy money.
Barkley was +340 to score the first touchdown of the game, and that, too, was a winner. He took the first offensive play for the Eagles 60 yards for a touchdown, pleasing Eagles fans and all of his bettors. Then, on the next Eagles possession, Barkley made winners of everyone who’d bet on him to score at least two touchdowns.
Barkley paid +250 to score two or more touchdowns, and before the game had ticked over to the second quarter, that bet was a winner.
The other top prop that made its bettors money was an anytime TD for Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin. He paid +130, and midway through the second quarter, he hit paydirt with a 36-yard touchdown reception.
Early Super Bowl LIX Betting
Following the two games on Sunday that decided our Super Bowl matchup, the Kansas City Chiefs were made 1.5-point favorites over the Eagles. In the first 12 hours after the game line was posted, the Eagles received 71% of the point spread handle and 66% of all bets placed.
But even as first-day bettors seem to be favoring a Philadelphia win in the Super Bowl, the Super MVP favorite is Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He is paying +110, with Saquon Barkley coming in second at +250, followed by Jalen Hurts at +300.
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce is +1500 to be the Super Bowl LIX MVP, and he is the only other player below +2500.
With over 25 years of experience as a distinguished sports writer for renowned platforms such as Fox Sports and ESPN, Kyle Garlett is a sports betting specialist who has been at the forefront of documenting the global surge in sports betting and online gaming. Based in Denver, Colorado, Kyle hosts an NFL betting YouTube show and podcast. Kyle also has two sports books published by HarperCollins.
Kyle graduated the Azusa Pacific University in 1996 with a B.A. Degree in Communication and Journalism.
