Leading the pack: Chiefs, Rams aren’t the only Super Bowl contenders
Two Super Bowl favorites will make NFL betting history on Monday Night Football to cap Week 11 of the season. The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams face off with the highest-ever over/ under total of 64 points at the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook. Sports books don’t report betting handle on specific games, but it’s likely the showdown — in which the Rams are 2.5-point favorites — will be the most bet-on contest of the regular season.
Sports bettors have a predilection toward teams with high-powered offenses at the top of the standings. In the Rams and Chiefs, they find a pair of teams that hit on both counts. The two teams are tied for both the NFL’S best record, 9-1, and its most efficient offense, with both averaging 6.9 yards per play.
Chiefs second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who leads the NFL in passing with 3,150 yards and 31 touchdowns, is the runaway favorite to win the MVP award at minus-150 (risking $1.50 to win $1). Two of the next five players chasing Mahomes are on the Rams — Todd Gurley, who leads the NFL in rushing with 988 yards and 13 touchdowns, sits at 4-to-1; and Jared Goff, who trails Mahomes with 3,134 yards and 22 passing touchdowns, is at 18-to-1.
Generally, the words “potential Super Bowl preview” get thrown around too loosely, with any regular-season game pitting a strong AFC team against a strong NFC team earning the distinction. But this is one case in which it’s justified.
Offshore betting odds had made Rams vs. Chiefs the most