Super Bowl Betting Favors Saquon Barkley Amidst Chiefs vs. Eagles Anticipation

With the Super Bowl approaching, betting interest has been evenly spread between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, leaving some sportsbooks uncertain about which team will spark more enthusiasm come Sunday. However, one thing remains certain: a standout performance from Saquon Barkley could hit them hard financially.

At ESPN BET, around 20% of prop bets regarding Super Bowl players have centered on Barkley, dominating more bets and attracting more money than Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce combined. Bettors have shown immense confidence in the Eagles’ dynamic running back.

Fanatics Sportsbook highlighted Barkley as the most popular choice for a touchdown scorer in Super Bowl parlays, surpassing even traditional bets like the point spread and money line. At BetMGM, Barkley is the most favored in the touchdown markets, with predictions even suggesting he could score four touchdowns at odds of 66-1.

“Avoiding a touchdown from Barkley would be hugely beneficial for us,” stated Halvor Egeland, trading manager for BetMGM, in a Thursday interview with ESPN. “If he does score, it would be advantageous if it’s limited to just one.”

Barkley is also the top contender for Super Bowl MVP at Caesars Sportsbook, despite the historically long odds for a player in his position. At ESPN BET, Barkley stands at +250 odds, second only to Mahomes at +120. Impressively, Barkley is the first non-quarterback in two decades to have his team’s shortest MVP odds, according to ESPN Research. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts holds odds at +360.

As of Friday, the over/under for Barkley’s rushing yards was set at 110.5 by ESPN BET. Remarkably, he is the first player in over 15 years to have a Super Bowl rushing yard prop exceeding 100, reflecting a season where he surpassed his rushing yards target in 15 out of 19 games.

Interestingly, the Chiefs have not allowed any running back to reach 100 rushing yards in a game this season, setting the stage for a potential challenge for Barkley.