Usually Super Bowl week is among the most exciting and fun periods of the year. But this time around, there’s a pall over the sports world with the sudden passing of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the seven others involved in the helicopter crash outside of LA last Sunday.
Kobe was among the greatest athletes of my generation talent-wise and as a competitor. Off the court and in his retirement life, the stories of his generosity and unselfishness make his death that much more tragic.
But the games must go on and this Super Bowl is one of the more intriguing in recent memory.
Super Bowl Pick
Championship Weekend: 2-2 SU, 2-2 ATS, 1-1 O/U
Playoffs: 4-8 SU, 4-7-1 ATS, 3-7 O/U
Regular Season: 157-98-1 SU, 128-128 ATS
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 27, San Francisco 49ers 23 (ATS: Chiefs -1.5, Under 54.5)
Quite simply I don’t have a good feel for this game which is a rarity for me. The game is essentially a toss-up and I can make significant arguments for both teams, more so this year than most. But the reason I’m picking KC is because they have the best player on the field, Patrick Mahomes, and considering they’ve only lost four times in 18 games (three of those were to teams who finished in the NFL’s final eight – Tennessee, Houston, and Green Bay), it’s tough to side against them. On the other side, San Francisco can win this game simply by controlling the clock and getting pressure on Mahomes.
I can spend paragraph after paragraph breaking down the pluses and minuses of both teams but your opinion is as good as mine in this case. I expect George Kittle to have a huge game for the 49ers and if they win, he’s not a bad value at 14-1 for MVP. If KC wins, I’d be stunned if Mahomes isn’t the MVP.
As far as a rooting interest goes, I’d like to see Andy Reid get over the hump and get his first Super Bowl title.
From a betting perspective, I LOVE the under 54.5. Conventional wisdom says this game will be very high-scoring…I’ll go against the public and take a lower scoring game.
In the end though, give me Kansas City on a late Mahomes scoring drive to win their first Super Bowl in 50 years!
5 of My Favorite Prop Bets:
-How long will it take Demi Lovato to sing the National Anthem?
Under 2:04
The average in Super Bowls is around 1:58.
-1st Touchdown Scorer (per team)
Chiefs: Sammy Watkins (+800)
49ers: Deebo Samuel (+600)
Overall: Watkins (+1800), Samuel (+1200)
-Will there by a score in the first 6:30 of the first quarter?
No (+115)
-George Kittle:
Over 5.5 catches (-160)
Over 70.5 yards (-145)
I don’t usually like laying juice like this but it seems to easy that Kittle will have a monstrous game.
-Mecole Hardman:
Over 24.5 receiving yards
I have a feeling he’s due for at least one catch of 30+ yards…
It’s the craziest sports week of the year in the Phoenix-area with the Waste Management Phoenix Open in town for its annual week-long party.
Here are five players I’m favoring this week:
Webb Simpson (+1400)
Gary Woodland (+2800)
Bubba Watson (+3000)
Sunjae Im (+3300)
Byeong Hun An (+6500)
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Cohen's Corner 
Good corner Eric. I’m going against you on the Super Bowl pick. This game is very tough to pick; both teams have won several close games, lost close games and have had blow-outs. It might come down to which team has fewer players with the flu or some other ailment. I think SF will win 27-24. Also I think there will be a score within the first 6:30 of the game. Whatever you do, at least have fun on Super Bowl Sunday.
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