Early action on underdog Chiefs over 49ers in 1st Vegas Super Bowl

Two of the Raiders’ biggest rivals will square off in the first Super Bowl in Las Vegas.

The San Francisco 49ers are consensus 1-point favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium. The consensus total is 47½.

The Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champions, upset the Ravens 17-10 as 4½-point underdogs in the AFC championship game Sunday in Baltimore to advance to their fourth Super Bowl in five years.

The 49ers rallied from a 17-point halftime deficit to beat the Detroit Lions 34-31 in the NFC title game Sunday in Santa Clara, California, denying the Lions’ bid to reach their first Super Bowl. San Francisco failed to cover the spread after closing as a 7½-point favorite.

The opening Super Bowl line bounced between 2 and 2½ before dropping. The 49ers were 3-point favorites over the Chiefs at Caesars Sportsbook last week in a possible Super Bowl matchup.

“The Chiefs looked better on the eye test than the Niners did (Sunday). That’s why we’re at a lower number now than we were earlier in the week,” Caesars assistant director of trading Adam Pullen said. “The Niners barely won for the second straight week, and the Chiefs’ defense went into Baltimore and totally shut down the Ravens’ offense.”

Four years ago, Kansas City rallied for a 31-20 win over San Francisco in Super Bowl 54 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

The Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in last year’s Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona.

Kansas City has won back-to-back playoff games as an underdog after beating Buffalo 27-24 in the divisional round as a 2½-point underdog.

“Looking at the Chiefs and the money-line play they’ve gotten so far as road underdogs in the last two playoff games, we could see the bettors playing the Chiefs +3. We figured 2 was a good number to open at,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said moments before the line dropped to 1½. “The early action is clearly on Kansas City.”

Kansas City’s victory could mean pop superstar Taylor Swift, girlfriend of Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is coming to Las Vegas as well.

She has a concert in Tokyo on Feb. 10, but should be able to fly back in time for kickoff.

“I was wondering how many times are we going to be asked about Taylor Swift props,” Westgate SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “It’s a pretty high number. I kind of like the over myself.”

With two popular public teams meeting in Las Vegas’ first Super Bowl, bookmakers expect the game to break the Nevada record Super Bowl handle of $179.8 million set in 2022 for the Rams’ 23-20 win over the Bengals.

“Just because of the public nature of these two teams, I think we have the potential to have a record Super Bowl,” Esposito said. “Mahomes has the opportunity to win his third Super Bowl, and how popular the 49ers are out here. Outside of the Raiders, they’re probably the most popular team out here.”

Pullen also expects Niners bettors to help set a new state record handle, or amount of money wagered on the game.

“We get a ton of Niners money here in Nevada, and the Chiefs have been the gold standard for the last five or six years,” he said. “Having the Niners in it, I think records will be set for handle this year.”

Kornegay also expects a new record.

“It’s an event that sells itself, no matter who’s playing in it,” he said. “Now that we know Kansas City and San Francisco are coming here, you’re talking about two really dedicated and loyal fan bases.

“With the game being played here, I expect more high-end play and more VIPs coming in. It would really surprise me if we didn’t surpass the record.”

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on X.