Everyone knows that the Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the world every year. But Super Bowl 57 featuring the Chiefs and Eagles 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 the total dollar amount wagered through online sports bettingwith $16 billion wagered during the game.
Those numbers are crazy! And they are the reason why the « Bowl » has also become the Super Bowl of marketing. That’s why some people « just watch the game for the ad. »
The 2023 Super Bowl was even fun for those kinds of people. It was a showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, the top two teams during the NFL season, and it went as well as advertised.
As we approach 2024, let’s recap the highlights of Super Bowl 2023 and make some predictions about the next big game.
Super Bowl 2023 recap
The 2023 Super Bowl, held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, featured the two most exciting bouts in the NFL. Representing the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs. This appearance marked their third Super Bowl appearance in the past 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 loss to the Oakland Raiders in 1981.
The stage was set for an epic showdown between rugged QBs – Patrick Mahomes vs. Jaylen Hurts – and it reaffirmed that the NFL is a league led by quarterbacks.
How Super Bowl 2023 started
The Eagles scored on their first possession of the game to take a 7–0 lead. Chiefs star and brother of Jackson, aka Patrick Mahomes, also engineered a touchdown drive on his first possession, making the score 7-7. Both stallions had come to play and immediately showed it. On the first play of the second quarter, Philadelphia retook the lead 14–7 with a 45-yard touchdown pass from Hurts to AJ Brown.
After a quick punt by the Chiefs, the Eagles got the ball back. A fumble by Jaylen Hurts was blocked by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton who returned the ball for a touchdown 36 yards to tie the game.
On the ensuing drive, the Eagles offense converted two fourth downs en route to a 71-yard TD drive and a 21-14 lead.
Philly would add a FG at halftime to go into halftime at 24-14.
Led by Rhianna and a superstar lineup of musicians people called me « superstars, » the halftime performance was the most-watched Super Bowl halftime show never with 121.0 million viewers.
Second half and appointment with the Super Bowl Destiny
The intensity peaked early in the second half. The Chiefs offense cut the Philly lead on a 1-yard Isaiah Pacheco TD run to cut the deficit to three.
The Eagles answered with a 33-yard field goal attempt, which Jake Elliott converted with 1:48 left in the third quarter, making the score 27–21.
Early in 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 into their 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 a nearly carbon copy play of Toney’s earlier touchdown run. And the Chiefs were suddenly up 8 points.
Philadelphia was up to the task. In just over four minutes and eight plays, Hurts scored on a 2-yard TD run and converted 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 by Chiefs kicker Harrision Butker.
Super bowl 2024 prediction
As we look ahead to the next big game, and in the wake of the recently completed NFL Draft in Kansas City, fans and analysts are currently speculating which teams will take the big stage and contend 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 at perceived favorites based on their past performance and current rosters.
The Kansas City Chiefs solidified their place as a +600 favorite 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 constantly fill up from unlikely places, players, and castaways, they always make it work, to the highest level possible.
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 of winning the Super Bowl in 2024 are rounded out by 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 grown into a huge betting event.
The 2023 Super Bowl was the first to accumulate more than $1.1 billion dollars wagered on different aspects of the game. Online sports betting helped enable this surge in sports betting, along with more states than ever before legalizing sports betting. These platforms offer fans a convenient and accessible way to place bets from the comfort of their homes.
With a wide range of betting options, including traditional bets such as point spreads and over/under totals, as well as prop bets on particular player performances and game events, online sports betting has transformed the way fans interact with the Super Bowl.
Final words
The 2023 Super Bowl was a thrilling spectacle showcasing the immense talent and competitive spirit of the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs continued to win, claiming their second Super Bowl title in four seasons, and the « d word » (dynasty) was used with increasing frequency to describe their continued success.
Can they do it again in 2024? It sure seems that way and that’s why the betting public sees them as the safest bet to win it all in 2024.
