The Kansas City Chiefs look to win their third-straight championship and cap off the first three-peat of the Super Bowl era in New Orleans on Sunday. On the opposite side of the field are the Philadelphia Eagles, who are seeking vengeance for their loss in the big game to Kansas City just two years ago.
There’s plenty of betting options available on DraftKings Sportsbook for this clash, but let’s focus in on the rushing props market here. Who will lead the game in rushing yards?
Who will the leading rusher be in Super Bowl LIX?
While anything can happen in the NFL, predicting who the leading rusher of Sunday’s game feels fairly simple.
The easy choice is the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley, who led the league in rushing yards over the regular season before gashing the Rams and Commanders come playoff time for 323 yards and five touchdowns… in just two games. Saquon’s over/under rushing yards line is set at an astounding 112.5, with the over sitting slightly favored at -109 odds.
Overall, Barkley averages 128.8 ground yards per contest and his elite breakaway ability makes him a home-run threat on any given play. It’s clear the Chiefs will look to stop him, but that seems impossible nowadays. Instead, they’ll likely have to just limit him rather than shut the halfback down entirely. If Barkley does get slowed down a bit, can anyone else out-gain him on the day?
Barring an injury or other unforeseen circumstance, the answer is likely no. however, there’s a couple of sneaky candidates who could potentially pace the game in rush yardage. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts isn’t freaky fast, but he does have some of the best legs of any quarterback in the NFL. If Philly prioritizes the read option in this one, or if Hurts scrambles more than usual, he could have an outside shot to dethrone Barkley.
As for Chiefs players who might have a puncher’s chance, the list is short. While Kareem Hunt logged two outings of 100-plus yards in the regular season, he’s not in the same stratosphere of talent as Barkley. Fellow halfback Isaiah Pacheco also isn’t much of a threat since returning from injury and only has two games of 40 rush yards or more since November 29. Plus, both backs operate in an unattractive timeshare, though Hunt’s workload grew in the AFC Championship Game with 17 carries.
There’s one more scenario which is fun to think about, but highly unlikely. If Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy received a couple of carries, he’d have an outside chance at breaking a big gain with his 4.21 speed. It’s a pipe dream, though, as he’d likely cap out with just two or three touches on the ground compared to around 20 or more for Barkley.
All things considered, Saquon should easily outpace the competition in this one.
