The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are set to square off in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. This Chiefs will be looking to become the first team in NFL history to win three consecutive Super Bowls, while the the Eagles returned with an improved roster looking to dethrone the gold standard of the NFL.
Philadelphia has embraced a run-oriented offense with the addition of Saquon Barkley. The Eagles finished second in the NFL in total rushing yards, trailing only the Baltimore Ravens in this category. Barkley himself became one of nine running backs to ever rush for 2,000 yards in a season and is just 30 yards shy of breaking the all-time NFL rushing record across the regular season and playoffs combined.
There are seemingly endless ways to get involved in the action on DraftKings Sportsbook. Ahead of this Super Bowl matchup, there is a specific section for rushing specials. Here are my favorite bets from this section.
Philadelphia Eagles Rushing Yards Over 161.5 (-115)
Across the regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles averaged 179.3 rushing yards per game as a team. Barkley was the driving force of this, averaging an NFL-best 125.3 yards per game. Jalen Hurts also contributes and Kenneth Gainwell will be mixed in for some change-of-pace opportunities throughout the game.
Looking at the playoff production, the Eagles rushed for 169 yards against the Packers in the opening round of the playoffs. They then ran for 285 yards on the ground against the Rams and 229 yards against the Commanders.
Kansas City has a solid rushing defense that is giving up just 2.9 explosive runs per game. This is the third-best rate in the league and it also had the second fewest missed tackles throughout the season. During the regular season, the Chiefs allowed the eighth fewest rushing yards per game on runs outside the tackle and the seventh fewest rushing yards per play overall. The Chiefs held opponents to 101.8 rushing yards per game in the regular season and have never allowed a 100-yard rusher in the postseason with Steve Spagnuolo as the defensive coordinator.
Unfortunately, they have shown some weakness in this area in this postseason. Kansas City has allowed 148 rushing yards per game across its first two playoff games with both Joe Mixon and James Cook recording more yards per carry than they did in the regular season. Mixon ran for 88 yards and a touchdown while Cook added 85 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
Barkley is another caliber of talent and the Eagles offensive line is an even larger concern here. Philadelphia will remain committed to the run regardless of how the game goes with many of its big plays coming through the running game. The Eagles have rushed for over 161.5 rushing yards as a team in 13 of the 20 games this year including all three playoff matchups. Expect a strong commitment throughout and for the Eagles to pave their way to over 161.5 rushing yards collectively.
Fastest Ball Carrier: Xavier Worthy (+250)
Xavier Worthy opened plenty of eyes when broke the NFL combine record by recording a 4.21 40-yard dash time. This, along with his production at Texas, was enough for the Chiefs to trade up in the draft and select Worthy with the 28th overall pick.
It has been a bit of a challenge working Worthy into the Chiefs offense. His raw skills and breakaway speed are evident, but there were some growing pains to start the year. The rookie broke out in the second half of the season and has received five or more touches in nine of the past 10 games dating back to the regular season.
Kansas City is limited in its amount of offensive weapons and will need to maximize the skillsets it has. Expect Worthy to be a key part of this and get the ball put in his hands in both the passing game as well as some creative end-around or rushing attempts. He tallied six receptions for 85 yards and a touchdown as well as 16 rushing yards in the victory over the Bills. He looks like he’s playing his best football at the NFL level at the right time.
While Barkley is the favorite in this category at +225 odds, there is a level of top-end speed that Worthy possesses that no one else on the field can match. Barkley will certainly get more attempts at it, but it takes just one burst for Worthy to cash this bet. Expect the Chiefs to make a clear effort to put the ball in the hands of one of their top playmakers. Count on his 4.21 speed showing up on the biggest stage and for Worthy to end up with the fastest top-end speed of any ball carrier in this game.
Be sure to check out these specials and all the other options on DraftKings Sportsbook. You also can tail me in the DK Network betting group here.
