SuperBowl LV, Sunday 7th Feb, All you need to know...

SuperBowl LV, Sunday 7th Feb

The Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ SuperBowl LV (Sunday 7th Feb). The SuperBowl is the main National Football League (NFL) final and the winner is crowned as the greatest American football team that year. The Super Bowl is watched by over 100 million Americans every year, and millions more from around the World. It is arguably THE biggest US sporting event, in 2020 Super Bowl related consumer spending was estimated at $17.2Bn. The event takes over $150m in sports wagers in Nevada (Las Vegas) Sportsbook alone.

In the UK it is a late kick off,  23:30 GMT, so many will wonder is it worth staying up for? Well Lady Gaga is to headline the half-time show, and there will be some spectacular commercials, each 30-second US television advertising slot to cost at least £4m ($5m).

But what about the game itself?  Who are the players to look out for? Who is going to win? What are the value bets?

Well for anyone who is completely new to American football we suggest reading up on our quick guide to get the basics.

Which players should we look out for? 

Well for both teams as anyone who follows American Football will tell you, it is the Quarterbacks who can make or break a team. They are the most important players by far so lets look at them first:

For the Buccaneers you have Tom Brady, arguably the best big-game quarterback in NFL history, Brady is appearing in his 10th Super Bowl. That’s more than nearly every team in the NFL. Even though he is the oldest quarterback to start a Super Bowl at 43, Brady still has what it takes, supplying his offence with a huge amount of catches and yardage. The key offensive players the Buccaneers have are Mike Evans (70 catches, 1,006 yards, 13 TD), Chris Godwin (65 catches, 840 yards, 7 TD) and Antonio Brown (45 catches, 483 yards). Brady’s statistics for the year are an impressive 4,633 yards in 2020 which are the fourth-most that he’s passed for in his career while his 40 touchdowns rank second.

For the Chiefs you have Patrick Mahomes, who has known nothing but success since taking over in Kansas City. In his three years as a starter, he made an AFC Championship appearance before winning a Super Bowl title in just his second year. Mahomes clearly has talent, but much like Brady this has been amplified by the quality of the receivers he had playing with him. The list goes on and on, you have Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson who all had over 40 receptions this year. 

Who is going to win? What are the value bets?

Well that is the question isn't it, and truth be told this year there is not a lot in it, but at the bookies the Chiefs have the edge coming in around 2/3 whilst the Buccaneers are hovering around 3/2. You can see the current odds at time of writing below:

Kansas City Chiefs

1.60

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2.40

Personally, it looks like Tampa Bay appear to be the value there.

Other propositions include the point spread which sees +3 being the pivot point, to increase your Kansas City Chiefs bet should you wish to, the following is available:

Finally for a bit of fun, why not look at who will win the toss. What began as a novelty bet now has cult status in the US, and a surprising amount of money is placed on this result!

Whatever bets you place, we hope that you enjoy the game. Please gamble responsibly.