Vegas bound? Niners clear Super Bowl favorites after crushing Eagles

After starting the season with a dominant five-game winning streak, the 49ers inexplicably stumbled to three straight losses. But San Francisco is back to looking super.

If there were any questions why the 49ers were favored on the road over a 10-win Eagles team, they were answered emphatically Sunday in San Francisco’s 42-19 rout of Philadelphia in a rematch of last season’s NFC title game.

“The Niners definitely sent a message to the league and the Eagles,” Red Rock Resort sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said. “I think they’re the best team in football.”

The 49ers, who cruised to a cover as 3-point favorites, entered the day as Super Bowl co-favorites with the Eagles at Caesars Sportsbook. They ended it as the clear 3-1 favorites to win the NFL championship Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium.

“The Niners were at the top of a lot of people’s power ratings even before (Sunday),” Caesars assistant director of trading Adam Pullen said. “But to have that performance, where they totally dominated the last three quarters, further cements their status as the highest-rated team.

“We saw them destroy Dallas, and they destroyed the Eagles. They’re finding their peak.”

San Francisco also separated itself from the pack at the Westgate SuperBook, where it’s the +250 Super Bowl favorite over the Chiefs (4-1) and Eagles (6-1). The 49ers trailed 6-0 early in the second quarter before exploding for touchdowns on its next six possessions.

“In our minds, it looks like the 49ers are the best team. They could still get home-field advantage,” SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “I liked the 49ers. I just didn’t think they’d go in and dominate them. … It was pretty impressive.”

The Chiefs are the +460 second choice at Caesars to repeat as Super Bowl champs, and the Eagles are the +575 third pick. The Ravens are next at +750, followed by the Dolphins at 8-1 and the Cowboys at 9-1.

“There’s only six teams that are serious Super Bowl contenders. The Eagles, Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC and the Chiefs, Ravens and maybe the Dolphins in the AFC,” Esposito said. “Outside of those six, I don’t see anybody right now that can win the Super Bowl. Those three in each conference are clearly head and shoulders above the rest.”

Miami’s three losses have been to the Bills, Eagles and Chiefs.

“The Dolphins are going to have to prove they can beat a contending team,” Kornegay said.

Favorites beat up books

A week after NFL favorites went 12-4 against the spread to deal sportsbooks a loss, favorites went 8-3 ATS on Sunday to deliver another defeat to the books.

“We had a rough Sunday,” Kornegay said.

Caesars also reported a losing day but avoided what could’ve been one of the worst NFL Sundays in years when the Packers beat the Chiefs 27-19 as 6-point underdogs on “Sunday Night Football.”

“That’s probably the biggest result for this year and the last few years, outside of the Super Bowl,” Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said before the game. “It will still be a losing day, but it will soften the blow. There are so many parlays on the money line and against the spread on the Chiefs.”

Green Bay was one of only two underdogs to win outright. Arizona was the other, beating the Steelers 24-10 on the road as a 6-point underdog.

“The Cardinals was our only winner,” Kornegay said before the Sunday night game. “Fortunately, it was one of the bigger decisions of the day, but it wasn’t enough to cover the nine losses.

“We really needed the Saints over the Lions and the Eagles. The public was not afraid to lay the points on the road with the 49ers.”

A BetMGM bettor won a $300,000 wager on the Niners -3 (-105).

Bettors also cashed in on the Lions (-4, beat Saints 33-28), Dolphins (-9, beat Commanders 45-15), Rams (-3½, beat Browns 36-19) and Colts (-2, beat Titans 31-28 in overtime).

Tennessee kicker Nick Folk missed an extra point with 5:26 left in regulation that could have put the Titans up 26-25. Folk made a 46-yard field goal with 4:19 left in overtime, but the Colts won on Gardner Minshew’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Michael Pittman with 2:31 remaining.

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