Everyone knows the Super Bowl is one of the most-watched sporting events on earth every year.
But Super Bowl 57 featuring the Chiefs and Eagles out of all 32 NFL teams was even more special, setting the all-time record for most-watched Super Bowl ever, with 115.1 million viewers tuning in. The game also set the record for total dollar amount wagered via online sportsbooks, with $16 billion being bet during the game.
Those numbers are insane! And are the reason the “Bowl” has also become the Super Bowl of marketing. Hence why some people only “watch the game for the commercials.”
The 2023 Super Bowl was even entertaining to those types of people. It was a down-to-the-wire showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, the two best teams during the NFL season, and it was as good as advertised.
As we speed towards 2024, let’s recap the highlights of the 2023 Super Bowl and make some predictions about the next big game.
2023 Super Bowl Recap
The 2023 Super Bowl, held at Las Vegas’ state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium, featured the two most exciting offenses in the NFL. Representing the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs. This appearance marked their third Super Bowl appearance in the last four years.
The NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles were the most consistent team in the league throughout the regular season. The game was their first Super Bowl appearance since a win over the Patriots in 2015.
The stage was set for an epic showdown between studly QBs – Patrick Mahomes vs. Jaylen Hurts – and reaffirmed that the NFL is a quarterback driven league.
How Super Bowl 2023 Began
The Eagles scored on their first possession of the game and took an early 7-0 lead. Chiefs’ star and Jackson’s brother aka Patrick Mahomes, engineered a TD scoring drive on his first possession as well, knotting the score at 7-7. Both studs had come to play and proved it immediately. On the first play of the second quarter, Philadelphia retook the lead 14–7 with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to A. J. Brown.
After a quick Chiefs punt, the Eagles reclaimed the ball. A Jaylen Hurts fumble was corralled by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton who returned the ball for a 36-yard TD to tie the game.
On the ensuing drive, the Eagles offense converted two fourth downs en route to a 71-yard TD drive and 21-14 lead.
Philly would add a FG at the end of the first half to enter halftime up 24-14.
Led by Rhianna and a superstar line-up of musicians that people told me were “superstars,” the halftime performance was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show ever with 121.0 million viewers.
Second Half And A Date with Super Bowl Destiny
The intensity peaked at the start of the second half. The Chiefs’ offense cut into the Philly lead with a 1-yard Isaiah Pacheco TD run to cut the deficit to three.
The Eagles responded with 33-yard field goal attempt, which Jake Elliott converted with 1:48 left in the third quarter, making the score 27-21.
In the beginning of the fourth quarter, still mired in the same score, Patrick Mahomes completed a 75-yard drive with a 5-yard TD pass to Kadarius Toney to give the Chiefs their first lead of the game.
After forcing the Eagles first three-and-out of the game, Toney returned the ensuing punt for a Super Bowl-record 65 yards to the Eagles 5-yard line.
Kansas City scored quickly on a 4-yard pass from Mahomes to Skyy Moore in an almost carbon-copy play of the previous Toney touchdown. And the Chiefs were suddenly up by 8.
Philadelphia was up to the task. In just over four minutes and eight plays, Hurts scored on a 2-yard TD run and converted the two-point conversion to tie the game.
Mahomes and the Chiefs offense took possession of the ball with 5:15 left in the game.
Mahomes led his team on a masterful 12-play, 66 yard drive that culminated in a game-winning 27-yard FG made by Chiefs kicker Harrision Butker.
Super Bowl 2024 Prediction
As we look ahead to the next big game, and on the heels of the recently completed NFL Draft in Kansas City, fans and analysts are currently speculating which teams will take to the big stage and vie for the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy.
The NFL is a league full of surprises and uncertain outcomes, making it difficult to predict. However, the safest bets are called that for a reason. You can always look to perceived favorites based on their past performance and current rosters.
The Kansas City Chiefs have cemented their place as the odds on favorite (at +600) to win Super Bowl 58/LVIII. Led by dynamic duo Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs have an uncontrollable offense that can destroy any defense. With a roster that seems to consistently replenish itself from unlikely places, players, and castaways, they always make it work – at the highest possible level.
The Philadelphia Eagles have the second-best odds to win the 2024 Super Bowl, currently listed at +850.
The rest of the top five odds to win the Super Bowl in 2024 are rounded out with the Buffalo Bills (+900), the San Francisco 49ers (+950), and the Cincinnati Bengals (+1,000).
Super Bowl and Online Betting
In addition to the excitement that comes with the game itself, the Super Bowl has become a huge betting event.
The 2023 Super Bowl was the first one to accumulate more than $1.1 billion million dollars wagered on different aspects of the game. Online sportsbooks have helped enable this surge in sports betting, alongside more states than ever legalising sports wagering. These platforms offer fans a beneficial and accessible way to place bets from the comfort of their own home.
With a broad range of betting options, including traditional bets such as point spread and over/under totals, as well as prop bets on particular player performance and game events, online sports betting has transformed the way fans interact with the Super Bowl.
Final Words
The 2023 Super Bowl was an exciting spectacle that demonstrated the immense talent and competing spirit of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs went on to win, claiming their second Super Bowl title in four seasons and the “d word” (dynasty) being used with ever-increasing frequency to describe their continued to success.
Can they do it again in 2024? It sure seems like it and is why the betting public sees them as the safest bet to win it all in 2024.
