National Football League

Five fun ways to bet 49ers-Chiefs Super Bowl: Taylor Swift, cross sport, more

Updated Feb. 7, 2024 10:50 a.m. ET

Co-Host of THE HERD and FOX Sports Betting Analyst

The excitement is building as Super Bowl LVIII, featuring the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, is just a few days away.

The 49ers have been the better team throughout the season, but the Chiefs have relished the underdog role in these playoffs. And, not a shocker to anyone, but Kansas City also has the best quarterback on the planet.

So, how are you wagering on the Big Game? If it feels like a coin toss, pun intended, I've got you covered.

If you're unsure about how to bet the spread or even the moneyline, here are five fun and unique ways you can wager on the Super Bowl without committing to a side or total.

Let's dive into the fun!

Pick a side, any side (plus the total)

If you don’t have a good read on the side — wait, San Francisco is favored? — I love the idea of teasing the side and the total. If you tease each by six points, you’re now getting +8 with Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid, and then you get under 53.5 on the total.

The Chiefs have lost only three games by more than eight points over the last three seasons (regular season and playoffs). Two were in 2021 (38-20 to Buffalo, 27-3 to Tennessee), and one was this year (24-9 to Denver).

Offensively, the Chiefs may have the best QB in the league, but they’re playing it safe. They haven’t topped 27 points since Nov. 26 in Las Vegas, and their strategy has been simple: Let’s get a lead early, manage the game with no turnovers, and ride our defense.

The last time these two met in the Super Bowl, it was 20-10 with eight minutes remaining before the Chiefs shockingly scored 21 straight points.

TEASER: Chiefs +8, Under 53.5 (-120)

Cross-sport Super Bowl Bet

Will Jayson Tatum outscore the San Francisco 49ers?

The Celtics are at the Heat, and betting on a visiting team in Miami is always risky, given the potential for the South Beach flu.

Miami is a very good defensive team (12th in efficiency) and has Jimmy Butler to defend Tatum. Still, the Celtics star averages 27 points a game, and the 49ers' team total is 24.

I have to roll with Tatum here.

PICK: Tatum -2.5 (-102)

San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl player props, best bets and picks

Who will be shown first during the national anthem?

Patrick Mahomes: -149
Brock Purdy: +119

How the broadcast will handle this is fascinating. Do you save the best for last and get Patrick Mahomes in there? Or do you open with your strongest stuff, the best player in the league, with Mahomes? Could you show the Chiefs star QB at the beginning and the end?

You can’t get down much money here, and unless you have an in with the network televising the game, you’re throwing a dart. There’s a reasonable chance they save Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift for last, and thus Patrick Mahomes leads the National Anthem, with Brock Purdy buried somewhere in the middle.

If you are looking for a fun bet to make with your friends at the Super Bowl party, this is it.

PICK: Patrick Mahomes (-149) to be shown first during the national anthem

Travis Kelce MVP, Taylor Swift Super Bowl LVIII props and best bets

Times Taylor Swift showed during broadcast live shots (Over/Under 4.5)

If you’re watching the game with any diehard Swifties, they’ll be rooting for Taylor Swift shots every 30 minutes — assuming she attends the game after her concert in Japan.

You never want a fan to upstage the game, but 4.5 seems a little bit light. If the Chiefs win, are we including shots on the field during the celebration?

Give me the Over!

PICK: Over 4.5 times Taylor Swift is shown during live broadcast shots

Is Mahomes the NFL's newest villain?

Will either team convert a 4th down?

Yes: -349
No: +281

In the last four Super Bowls — small sample size alert — as the league has gotten more aggressive on fourth down, there have been two or more attempts at fourth-down conversions in each. And a conversion in every Super Bowl.

In this postseason, the 49ers are only 0-1 on fourth down; they attempted the fewest fourth-down conversions in the regular season (13). So there’s some concern Kyle Shanahan plays it safe here. His offense went 0-1 on fourth down in the 2020 Super Bowl against KC; his Falcons offense didn’t attempt a fourth-down conversion against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.

You could also argue this is the most talented offense he’s ever had, and to keep the ball away from Mahomes, he might take some chances on fourth and short.

The juice means you have to lay $349 to win $100, but it’s also a bet you may not have to sweat if one team gets aggressive in the first quarter.

PICK: Yes, a team will convert a 4th down (-349)

Jason McIntyre is a FOX Sports betting analyst who also writes about the NFL and NBA Draft. Before arriving at FOX Sports, he created the website The Big Lead. Follow him on Twitter @JasonRMcIntyre.