In 14 seasons as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Andy Reid won six division titles and made five appearances in the NFC Championship game.
Since leaving Philadelphia in 2012, Reid has maintained a high level of consistency in Kansas City, where he has appeared in five straight AFC Championship games, including a victory in Super Bowl LIV.
Reid is the only coach in NFL history to appear in four straight conference championships with two different franchises and he now ranks fifth all-time in career wins.
When Reid takes on the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday, he will become the fifth coach to face his former team in a Super Bowl. Reid hopes to join Weeb Ewbank and Jon Gruden as the only coaches to notch victories over their old teams in the big game.
The longtime Eagles fan has been impersonating former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid since 2002 at football games, tailgates, even piano lounges and stand-up routines. https://t.co/CrRgWKvpU7
— Action News on 6abc (@6abc) February 7, 2023
The matchup also features two of this season’s most productive quarterbacks. With 15 rushing touchdowns, including two in the postseason, Jalen Hurts has the most single-season rushing TDs of any quarterback in NFL history. League MVP Patrick Mahomes, meanwhile, enters the Super Bowl having posted a league-high 5,250 passing yards and 41 passing touchdowns in the regular season. Six past quarterbacks reached the Super Bowl after leading the NFL in passing yards, and all six suffered defeats in the Super Bowl.
With this type of data at our fingertips, we present our annual staff Super Bowl picks. We have props on Kadarius, on an “octopus,” and on the final score resulting in a “scorigami.”
Before scrolling down the page, keep in mind that we are writers, not professional sports betting handicappers. We have offered staff picks several times in the past and the results have been uneven. Three years ago, we took a bath, finishing 3-of-12 overall. In each of the last two years, we hit around .500 (which isn’t bad if some of the props are at plus-odds). On Sunday, we aim to have our best year yet. Without further ado …
Mike Seely: Will there be an “octopus”? Yes, 14/1, DraftKings
Hurts and Mahomes are two of the most mobile quarterbacks in the NFL, combining for 17 touchdowns and three two-point conversions on the ground during the regular season. Furthermore, Philly really likes to run the ball, and each signal-caller has two legs and two arms — meaning that, combined, they boast a total of eight limbs.
This brings us to the octopus, which, in NFL parlance, occurs when the same player consecutively scores a touchdown and a two-point conversion. (Point of clarification: The player who does this must either run for or be on the receiving end of the scores.) But you know what else? AN OCTOPUS HAS EIGHT LIMBS TOO!!!! Mathematically, this means Hurts + Mahomes = Octopus, a prop bet that can be had at DraftKings at juicy odds of 14/1.
Good morning, it is officially octopus season @DKSportsbook, and I’m honored to see my baby next to “will a kick hit the uprights?” 🐙💰 @NFL_Octopus pic.twitter.com/UKIQskmqxV
— Mitch Goldich 🐙 (@mitchgoldich) January 30, 2023
Eric Raskin: Eagles lead at half, Chiefs lead at end of regulation, +650, BetMGM
As a diehard, lifelong Eagles fan, I can’t believe I’m endorsing a bet that promises max heartbreak and pain — seriously, what could be worse than watching your team lose a Super Bowl after leading at halftime? — but it’s important to bet with the head and not the heart, and there’s just way too much longshot value here on a scenario that really isn’t a longshot at all.
In 19 regular season and playoff games this season, the Eagles led at the half 15 times, were tied once, and trailed three times, with a total first-half plus-minus of plus-163. They’ve been one of the most dominant first-half teams the NFL has ever seen. In second halves, they were a mere plus-28.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, trailed at the half six times this season and won five of those games. With Patrick Mahomes leading the offense — even on a slightly bum ankle — Kansas City is just never out of it, no matter how far behind they are or how little time is left. You don’t have to remind Bills fans of the folly of leaving 13 seconds on the clock in a one-score game.
So, much as it stresses me out to even imagine this happening, it’s entirely plausible that my beloved Birds will head into halftime with a lead and that damned magician Mahomes will snatch the Lombardi Trophy away from them. I hope I’m dead wrong, but +650 seems way too rich a payout for this halftime/fulltime parlay.
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Mark Saxon: Sanders rushing yards, Over 60.5, -115, DraftKings
While the Chiefs have made great strides to improve their run defense, they haven’t faced an offensive line like this Eagles group, anchored by All-Pros Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson. The Eagles like to line up with two tight ends, often on one side of the ball, and they like to hammer relentlessly on the other team’s front seven. Miles Sanders tends to get about 15 carries a game and he may get more in a game in which the Eagles undoubtedly will game plan to keep the ball away from Mahomes and that explosive Kansas City offense.
Sanders averaged 4.9 yards per carry this season, so you can see that the math adds up to a cashed ticket in this spot. Or, at least, that’s the idea. Even the tight spread in this game bodes well for this prop, as the game figures to be close, meaning the Eagles are highly unlikely to abandon the run.
Let's get a closer look at the Miles Sanders prop bets with @jenpiacenti 👀https://t.co/9w0YWNQ2Kz
— SI Betting (@SI_Betting) February 9, 2023
Chris Altruda: Will there be a “scorigami”? Yes, 20/1, DraftKings
The Chiefs and Eagles were a combined 5-for-9 on two-point attempts during the regular season. These are two very good offenses matching up, but both teams also have strong kickers, and once a couple of field goals go in and potentially create margins where going for two becomes viable early in the game (14-6, 21-10, etc.), it can set off a chain of events in which Andy Reid and Nick Sirianni start consulting the flash cards on when to go for two with each touchdown.
A scorigami — the term for a unique final score never before achieved in NFL history — becomes more likely once the two-point attempts enter the equation. A 32-26 or 35-29 final, both of which would qualify as a scorigami, is not out of reach here, making this an intriguing longshot bet.
5 fun Super Bowl prop bets, including ‘will there be an octopus’ or a ‘Scorigami’? https://t.co/4J8idhVABE
— MarketWatch (@MarketWatch) February 6, 2023
Brett Smiley: Toney receiving yards, Under 27.5, +100, Caesars Sportsbook
As a Giants fan, I am excited to bet on Kadarius Toney’s yardage under 27.5 yards (+100). The guy is as fragile physically as he is explosive, which is to say, very. Perpetually questionable, always a risk to leave the game early — sign me up for two units.
As a Giants fan, I am also acutely aware that the Eagles’ offensive line is nearly two tons of agile humanity. They neutralized the Giants D-line and then pushed around the Niners’ vaunted front seven. I think they’re going to assert their will on the ground and Miles Sanders will have a big day. So I’m taking the over on his rushing yards at 55.5 (PointsBet) for two more units.
And what’s a Super Bowl without a longish-shot first-touchdown bet? I’ll go elsewhere in the Eagles backfield for Kenneth Gainwell at 22/1 (FanDuel). He’s gotten about 20% of the red zone carries on the season and taken four of them into the paint. As we know from past Super Bowls, there’s likely to be some trickery near the goal line. Sign me up.
Matt Rybaltowski: WM Open winning score total vs. Hurts passing yards, -110, SuperBook Sports
On Sunday, Arizona will host the Super Bowl for the fourth time in state history. As the players complete warmups in Glendale, the leaders at the Waste Management Open will be on the back nine at TPC Scottsdale, roughly 30 miles northeast. For the two mega events, SuperBook Sports designed an intriguing cross-sport prop.
Bettors at the SuperBook can wager on whether Hurts will finish with more passing yards than the winning score of the PGA tournament (minus a spread of 27.5). A quick glance of the most recent winning scores at TPC Scottsdale is helpful. Over the last six years, the winner of the Waste Management Open has finished in the range of minus-16 to minus-19 (Par 71).
If the winner finishes at -17 on Sunday, the total for purposes of the prop will come in at 239.5 (284-17-27.5 = 239.5).
Raise the roof 🙌@TigerWoods did just that with his hole-in-one on No. 16 @WMPhoenixOpen in 1997.#TOURVault pic.twitter.com/td4SfwgPrO
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 7, 2023
Since suffering a shoulder injury on Dec. 18, Hurts has averaged 168 passing yards per game in his last three. Before the injury, Hurts averaged 248 yards per game. With a strong rushing day in the Super Bowl, the Eagles can become the first team since the 1998 Broncos to average at least 140 rushing yards per game in the playoffs. I think the Eagles will employ a ball control offense to keep it away from Mahomes and company. The golf total should win fairly easily.
Jeff Edelstein: Four-leg Same Game Parlay, +1256, FanDuel
This is in my Super Bowl preview column, but I’ll repeat it here because I love it: four-leg parlay at FanDuel, Travis Kelce over 79.5 yards receiving, and anytime touchdowns from Kelce, Jalen Hurts, and A.J. Brown. It’s +1256, I love it, and that’s that.
My rationale: Win or lose, Kelce is getting fed; Hurts is a near-lock if the Eagles get inside the five-yard line; and Brown, quite simply, is due.
