As the grit and grind of another National Football League season comes to a screeching halt, there will not be more eyeballs on a game this season. The annual Super Bowl is an event unlike any other, where the entertainment includes a halftime concert and people who gather to actually watch the commercials, the opposite of the Red Zone experience. Continue reading below to get our best Super Bowl 57 Injuries Betting Picks and much more.
There really could not be a better matchup, either. The Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet at 6:30 p.m. ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The festivities are already underway with bigger media sessions, and the practices are set to resume in earnest later in the week.
Both teams finished atop their respective NFL standings and advanced through the NFL playoff bracket to get to the final game. They each handled their NFL schedule with a 14-3 record.
Each team has two of the best quarterbacks in the league, with the Chiefs rolling out Patrick Mahomes and the Eagles Jalen Hurts, who each have significant NFL MVP odds.
Injury report
The hope is that there will be no Super Bowl 57 injuries, but everyone knows the game is not that pure. The NFL Injury report shows a handful of injuries for either sideline but does not offer much substance into how serious those injuries are.
Kansas City Chiefs Injury Report
- Mecole Hardman, WR, injured reserve (pelvis)
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, questionable (knee)
- Kadarius Toney, WR, questionable (ankle/hamstring)
- L’Jarius Sneed, CB, questionable (concussion)
- Willie Gay Jr., OLB, questionable (shoulder)
Philadelphia Eagles Injury Report
- Landon Dickerson, G, unspecified (elbow/rest)
- Lane Johnson, OT, unspecified (groin/rest)
- Cam Jurgens, C, unspecified (hip/rest)
- Robert Quinn, DE, unspecified (foot/rest)
- Avonte Maddox, CB, unspecified (toe/rest)
The reality is any nine of these players – not Hardman since he is on injured reserve – could suffer Super Bowl 57 injuries as a reaggravation, but figure most, if not all, are likely to suit up.
It is interesting that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni did not list designations for his five players, given they did not practice last week. But that is part of the gamesmanship, as most players probably have some nagging injury.
Wrinkle In Chiefs Offense?
Chiefs coach Andy Reid moving Hardman to the injured reserve allowed them to activate running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who has not played since a Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He suffered a high ankle sprain during that game.
It gives Reid and his team another wrinkle to the offense, but rookie and former seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco has taken a grip on the starting spot. NFL player stats show he has rushed for 121 yards and caught six passes for 65 yards in the playoffs. His rushing numbers lead the team, while he is tied for third in receptions and third outright in receiving yards.
The real issue the Chiefs need to be worried about is their wide receiver room. NFL team stats show that Kansas City had the league’s best offense – first in scoring (29.2 points per game), first in total yardage (413.6 yards per game), and first in passing offense (297.8 yards passing per game).
Aside from tight end Travis Kelce and Smith-Schuster, tandem back Jerrick McKinnon and veteran wide receiver Marques Valdes-Scantling were the only others who caught at least 40 passes for at least 500 receiving yards.
If everything holds, there will continue to be a timeshare in the Chiefs’ backfield, with Pacheco being the leading back, and the starting receivers should also be consistent with the regular season. And having the speedy Toney will allow for a few wrinkles, too. But any Super Bowl 57 injuries may throw that game plan off.
Inside The Game
The Super Bowl odds to open was a pick ‘em, but people began betting the Eagles up, where they sit as favorites. There is good reason to bet on the Eagles since they have the better defense of the two. But if losing a top pass rusher in Quinn is a possibility, that will certainly hurt Philadelphia’s defense and may hurt the public’s Super Bowl predictions.
While it seems likely that the Eagles’ offensive linemen play, they could also have to shuffle players around if injuries persist. That may unlock Hurts’ legs to run the football more. It would also lessen the blow to the Chiefs’ injuries of Gay and Sneed if Kansas City can rush Hurts and get the ball out of his hands a lot quicker.
Although the defense has not been as big of a part of the meeting on Oct. 3, 2021, a 42-30 Chiefs win visiting the Eagles. But the old adage is “offense wins games, and defense wins championships,” and a game as tight as the odds indicate will need the best players on that side of the ball to step up.
Sneed will likely draw the assignment of physical outside receiver A.J. Brown.
It is one of the NFL matchups to watch, as DeVonta Smith may be a more attractive target for prop bets. But then again, if Sneed is banged up, the Eagles may try to target Brown more and space out the defense to give Hurts and Co. more running room.
Playing from behind most of the prior meeting, Hurts threw for 387 yards and rushed for 47 as the Eagles’ leading rusher. He has better weapons, though, including tight end Dallas Goedert who caught a touchdown pass in that game despite playing second fiddle to Zach Ertz.
The key player missing from that meeting is Tyreek Hill, who the Chiefs traded to the Miami Dolphins. Hill could take the top off the defense with his blazing speed, and caught 11 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in that game.
While Edwards-Helaire rushed for 102 yards, it will be important for the Chiefs to again continue to play ahead because those big plays with an athletic specimen may not be there. It depends on how healthy Toney is and if he can give it a go.
2-minute Drill
It is possible that in the biggest moments of the big game, the best players are not out there. Expect Super Bowl 57 injuries to happen, but the difficult part for those predicting and betting is they don’t know who or when they will occur.
Following the injury reports leading up to the game is key, and capitalizing on in-game moments is as well.
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