We all know social media is where conspiracy theories gain their fuel to add to the tin foil hat fire. Based on what I read Sunday night, tweets noting that the “NFL is scripted and rigged” would have smashed all OVER mention totals prior to the NFC Championship kicking off. From Brock Purdy’s injury, to Josh Johnson’s triumphant return behind center to the Chiefs earning a phantom 5^th down in the midst of the AFC Championship thriller against the Bengals, NFL betting odds could not set a vig high enough for the OVER on skepticism and cynicism Twitter spewed that night. It was an ugly appetizer ahead of the Chiefs-Eagles Super Bowl 57 betting odds main course to come.

Then, less than 48 hours later, former Houston Texans running back and one-time fantasy football overlord, Arian Foster, hopped on a Barstool podcast to teach a masterclass is satire and snark that poked fun at the first ballot Tin Foil Hat Hall of Famers.

“(It’s like) WWF, “ Foster said with deadpan delivery. “We know what’s going to happen, but you still have to put on a show.”

With that Foster-bomb dropped, the script – I mean, stage, the stage – the stage is set for Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, Arizona at State Farm Stadium (which is one of Patrick Mahomes' primary sponsorship deals). It’s the Kansas City Chiefs versus Philadelphia Eagles, the first time two No. 1 seeds have met in the Super Bowl since 2017 when the NFC’s top seed were the, huh would you look at that, Eagles against Tom Brady’s Patriots and the evening the “Philly Special” was born.

The First 48: Super Bowl 57 Line Movement

Shortly after the Chiefs won one of the most controversial NFL playoff games in recent memory, bookmakers got to work and opening Super Bowl 57 odds late-Sunday night had Kansas City as 1.5-point favorites over the Eagles. However, by Monday morning, the line had moved significantly to Eagles -2.5 at several online sportsbooks we track. The consensus point spread as of February 1 are Eagles 1.5-point favorites, Chiefs moneyline at +105 and point total O/U of 50.5.

We’ll have a deeper dive into the Super Bowl matchup preview, game notes and pick prediction next week once the teams arrive in Arizona ahead of the big game.

Super Bowl 57 Game Info

It should come as no surprise (or should it, Arian Foster?) that even before they advanced to the Super Bowl, some Chiefs fans were up in arms that Carl Cheffers had been named referee of the big game. Why does that matter? Well, according to this report, Cheffers has accounted for 20% of the Chiefs penalty yards this season despite the fact he's only worked two Kansas City games. While the sample size may be small, bettors will find that data point worthy of scrutiny in the lead-up to the game.

It's also fun to note that a 30-second Super Bowl commercial costs $7,000,000. According to Spotrac, 47 of the Chiefs 53 active players will make less this season than the cost of a 30-second commercial spot airing during Super Bowl 57.

Tale of the Tape

The fact that both the Chiefs and Eagles are averaging exactly 28.7 points per game heading into the Super Bowl is like a Hollywood ... oh no ... script. There I go again. 

However, what I'm most intrigued to observe is Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs passing game trying to match talents against the top-rated Eagles pass defense, which has allowed a league-low 170.8 pass yards per game. Plus, with Mahomes' ankle injury still lingering, the Philly pass rush won't give him much time to throw.

On the flip side, don't sleep on Chiefs running backs Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon playing a pivotal role in Kansas City's offensive strategy to get one over on the Eagles.

Andy Reid After a Bye Stat

Life, death, taxes and sports betting sites jamming the Andy-Reid-After-A-Bye stat down your gullets.

After beating the Jaguars two weeks ago, he's 8-3 in the playoffs after a BYE and 30-6 overall. However, his teams are now 7-4 against the spread in the playoffs after a BYE because they failed to cover as 8.5-point favorites against Jacksonville. Overall, Reid's squads are 22-14 ATS after a BYE.

Reid with Patrick Mahomes as his quarterback are 3-3 ATS in the playoffs.