KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 24: Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates in the ... [+]
Super Bowl Sunday is here and fans will finally get to witness the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs battle for the Lombardi Trophy. The concluding game of the 2021 NFL Playoffs is shaping up to be one of the most exciting championship matchups in recent history, one that involves two of the league’s top quarterbacks at vastly different stages of their careers competing against one another with a ring on the line. Tom Brady willed the Bucs to Super Bowl LV in the QB’s first season with the franchise after spending two decades—and making nine Super Bowls—with the New England Patriots. Patrick Mahomes’ stellar play under center brought the Chiefs back to the big game once again after winning it all last season, securing the organization’s first Super Bowl victory in 50 years. It’s a clash of titans that you will not want to miss, and even if you aren’t a fan of either side involved, you can still get invested by placing a bet down on Super Bowl LV.
There are many ways to wager on the 2021 Super Bowl, including standard bets such as the point spread, the total and the moneyline. The spread on this game is favoring Kansas City by three points, which means the Chiefs would have to win by four or more points to pay backers out. Winning by exactly three would be a push—which would return the original bet without any losses or profit—while a Chiefs win by one or two points, or an outright defeat, would count as a loss. Buccaneers bettors taking the three points will be paid out as long as the team loses by fewer than two points or if the team wins straight-up.
The Super Bowl LV total is set at 56 points, which is the projected sum of the points scored by both teams at the end of the contest. Bettors can take the over or the under on this number, with the over paying out if the total eclipses the 56-point line and vice versa for the under. The final score adding up to exactly 56 would count as a no-action push.
The moneyline is the simplest Super Bowl 2021 bet you can make, as it only requires picking either the Chiefs or Buccaneers to outright win regardless of their margin of victory. The odds vary for each team, however, with Kansas City going off at -160, translating to one needing to put up $1.60 to return $1 on the franchise winning its second consecutive Lombardi Trophy, while Tampa is a +140 underdog, netting $1.40 for each $1 risked on the side. The implied probability of each result can be calculated from these odds, with Vegas believing the Chiefs have an approximate 62% chance to win Super Bowl LV, while the Buccaneers’ odds translate to a 42% shot at success. These percentages add up to more than 100% due to the vigorish, which is the cut a sportsbook takes for facilitating bets.
Those are the standard NFL betting options, but there are plenty of other ways in which fans can get a piece of the Super Bowl 2021 action. Bookmakers have placed odds on just about every conceivable scenario related to this Bucs vs. Chiefs bout, ranging from the pre-game coin toss to the post-game Gatorade bath color and covering things like how many times Tom Brady’s age will be mentioned during the broadcast, which songs The Weeknd will perform during the halftime show, the over-under on number of receiving yards Rob Gronkowski will accumulate and if Patrick Mahomes will win another Super Bowl MVP award. These are known as prop bets and there are thousands of them available for the big game, making it the most unique betting experience in sports.
You can more information about the various props in the relevant section below along with some betting predictions from Jon Price of SportsInformationTraders.com. The pro handicapper sent along his picks for Super Bowl LV and you will not want to miss who the Vegas expert has winning it all this year. Before getting to those predictions, take a look at a complete viewing guide to the game that includes the schedule, start time, TV channel and live stream site. You can also find the final injury report, weather update, quotes from star players, relevant tweets and more to help you get ready for the 2021 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Super Bowl 55 Viewing Guide
- Matchup: Kansas City Chiefs (16-2) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (14-5)
- When: Sunday, Feb. 7
- Kickoff Start Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV: CBS
- Live Stream: CBS All Access / CBSSports.com
- Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay, FL
Super Bowl LV Odds
- Spread: KC -3
- Total: over-under 56 points
- Moneyline: KC -160, TB +140
2021 Super Bowl Injury Report
Kansas City Chiefs
OUT: LT Eric Fisher (Achilles), LB Willie Gay Jr. (Ankle)
QUESTIONABLE: WR Sammy Watkins (Calf)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
QUESTIONABLE: WR Antonio Brown (Knee), TE Cameron Brate (Back)
Super Bowl LV Tweets
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that all three players with questionable designations are expected to suit up and participate in Super Bowl LV:
Elias Sports Bureau researched a stat that shows Tom Brady is the only quarterback to secure three separate postseason victories against a single head coach, having gone 3-0 against Andy Reid during their respective careers:
NBC Sports Bet posted the preseason championship odds for both teams participating in the 2021 Super Bowl, with Tampa’s chances improving significantly in comparison to the reigning champion Chiefs:
Yahoo! Sports tweeted a visual representation of the weekly in-season odds movement of each 2021 NFL Playoffs contender:
Dave Tuley highlighted the Vegas sportsbooks where bettors can find the most favorable lines for each Super Bowl participant as well as the total:
Patrick Everson of Covers.com noted that a handful of big Super Bowl bets have come in lately, including a million-dollar wager on the Bucs moneyline that has shifted the team’s odds:
Ben Fawkes revealed that despite having nearly 1,000 ways to bet Super Bowl LV on the board, two of the five most bet props at William Hill are the different sides of the opening coin toss:
Darren Rovell found that one bettor stands to win $75,000 on a $1,500 prop bet that the Buccaneers will not score in the 2021 Super Bowl, but noted that no team has ever been shut on this stage before:
Super Bowl 2021 Quotes
Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians said he knew his team could win a championship after it acquired Tom Brady in free agency this past offseason, citing his attitude that lifts teammates to believe they can accomplish the goal of lifting a Lombardi Trophy (via Buccaneers.com):
“I thought that [Brady] was the missing piece and then Jason [Licht] did such a great job of adding pieces as we went along – Rob [Gronkowski], Leonard [Fournette], Antonio [Brown] and other guys. Ross Cockrell has been one of the best pickups we've had the entire season. So yeah, I thought it was possible and that was our goal, because I knew how good of a football team we had and what we were missing. We were missing that belief that we were good enough…I think the great quarterbacks all have the ability to will themselves on other people to make sure that everybody has bought in to the cause. The cause is a ring – putting a championship in your trophy case. Tom brings that attitude every single day and it permeates through the entire locker room.”
Kansas City head coach Andy Reid expects the Brady-Mahomes duel to live up to the hype and gave insight into the relationship of the two star quarterbacks competing in the 2021 Super Bowl (via FoxNews.com):
"It seems like we’ve had a couple of those [Brady vs. Mahomes matchups] and every one of them is tremendous, and I wouldn’t expect this to be any different. They’ve got a tremendous team there and those two have a lot of respect for each other. You remember when Tom came into the locker room after the Championship game and talked to Patrick, and Patrick responded like a young guy would respond to the GOAT. So, we look forward to the opportunity to play them, and I know Pat does with Tom, and I’m sure likewise Tom does with Pat. So, it should be a heck of a football game.”
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones stated that his teammates are locked in and focused on winning Super Bowl LV (via ArrowheadPride.com):
“I think everyone is dialed in, I honestly do. From the scout team to the special teams guys, I think everyone is dialed in and focused on the task at hand. My coach actually praised the scout team today, and I got a little offended by that. I told him, Ppraise them after we win the Super Bowl. Don’t praise them right now. Don’t let them know they’re doing good. We don’t need pats on the back.’ But I think everyone is focused on the task at hand.”
Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans revealed that he wasn’t a big fan of his current quarterback growing up, but said that his mindset has changed now not just because he is set to compete for his first ever championship with Brady under center, but also because he has seen the type of person that the signal-caller is off the field (via FoxWilmington.com):
"It’s great catching passes from the GOAT (Greatest of All-Time). I never thought I’d be able to get that opportunity. When I was a kid, I grew up not liking Tom Brady because I was a Peyton Manning fan. And now I’m the biggest Tom Brady fan. So, it’s great being able to catch balls from him…The way he carries himself, the way he takes care of his body… I’ve never seen anything like it. I see why he’s been able to play for so long. The way he treats everybody in the facility. Whether it’s one of our janitors or somebody that’s cooking. He just treats everybody with respect, and he’s just such a nice guy. I’ve been learning a lot from him on-and-off the field.”
Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce gave the scouting report on the Tampa Bay defense—led by coordinator Todd Bowles—that his Chiefs will be matching up against in Super Bowl LV (via USAToday.com):
I think what (Todd) Bowles does… I think what he does a great job of is mixing up the coverages. And hats off to the defense, the men that they have over there on the defensive side of the ball for being able to understand the intentions of the play-caller. Because they do understand that defense, knowing the variety of coverages that Bowles can dial-up. I think that going into this game, you just got to be prepared for everything and build those instincts accordingly. Everything that’s on film has been worked on, and hopefully, we found an answer for everything they think they have an answer for. So, it’s just going out there and playing ball.”
Tampa cornerback Carlton Davis, who was exposed at times during the most recent clash between the Bucs and Chiefs during the 2020 NFL season, said he wants to “dominate” in his matchup against Mahomes and the electrifying Kansas City aerial attack with a Lombardi Trophy on the line (via USAToday.com):
“I’m going to bring the same mentality. I’m always going to be myself. It didn’t work out the first game as far as what we did and our game plan, but we’ve corrected it and we’ve got a great game plan going in. But I’m going in with the same mentality and that’s to dominate. I play defensive back in the NFL so you’re going to have your share of losses. It doesn’t change who I am, what I do, or how I approach the game. I’m going to continue to be a dog and go out there and give it my all every time.”
Super Bowl 55 Weather Forecast
After it initially appeared that this could be a wet and rainy Super Bowl, the final forecasts are calling for rather pleasant weather during the game. Although the day is starting with thunderstorms, conditions will be much milder when the 6:30 p.m. ET kickoff comes around. Temperatures are projected to hover around 63 degrees, with clear skies and light winds projected. Here is a full look at the hour-by-hour forecast for the Raymond James Stadium weather, courtesy of Accuweather.com:
Hour-by-hour weather forecast for Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida
Super Bowl Props And Prop Picks
A comprehensive list of prop bets available for Super Bowl LV can be found here.
Super Bowl 55 Game Picks and Spreadsss Predictions
