After two weeks of hype, a Super Bowl with a plethora of storylines finally kicks off Sunday when the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers collide in Super Bowl 55 at Raymond James Stadium. The game features a one-of-a-kind quarterback matchup: Tampa Bay's Tom Brady, who's widely considered the greatest of all-time, versus Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes, who could challenge Brady for that title. The game also has a team, the Buccaneers, playing in its home stadium for the first time in Super Bowl history.
When is the 2021 Super Bowl? Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday on CBS. Kansas City is a three-point favorite in the latest Chiefs vs. Buccaneers odds from William Hill Sportsbook, while the over-under is 56, down one from the opener. Before making any Buccaneers vs. Chiefs picks, make sure you see what SportsLine senior analyst and resident Kansas City expert, Larry Hartstein, has to say.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. In the 2019 season, he went 58-39 on against-the-spread NFL picks, giving his followers a profit of more than $1,500. He enters the 2021 Super Bowl red-hot, going 22-12-2 in his last 36 against-the-spread NFL picks.
He also has had a keen eye for the tendencies of the Chiefs, posting a stunning 16-3 record on his last 19 spread picks involving Kansas City. Anyone who has consistently followed him is way up.
Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Chiefs vs. Bucs in Super Bowl 55. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Now, here are several NFL odds and trends for Bucs vs. Chiefs:
- Chiefs vs. Buccaneers spread: Kansas City -3
- Chiefs vs. Buccaneers Over-Under: 56 points
- Chiefs vs. Buccaneers money line: Kansas City -165, Tampa Bay +145
- KC: Chiefs led league in passing offense (303.4 yards per game) during the regular season
- TB: Buccaneers ranked second in passing offense (289.1 yards per game)
Why the Chiefs can cover
Kansas City enters the game knowing it already has dominated Tampa Bay this season. On Nov. 29, the Chiefs jumped out to a 17-0 first quarter lead and cruised to a 27-24 victory in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. In that game, Kansas City outgained the Buccaneers in total yards (543-417), won the turnover battle (2-1) and dominated time of possession (36:47 to 23:13).
In addition, the Chiefs have a dangerous pass-catching duo in tight end Travis Kelce and receiver Tyreek Hill. Kelce had a historic regular season, setting the NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end (1,416). He enters Super Bowl LV on a roll, with 21 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns in two playoff games.
Hill had 15 receiving touchdowns during the regular season, which ranked second in the league. In the Week 12 win over Tampa Bay, the 5-foot-10 speedball burned the Buccaneers for 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 13 receptions.
Why the Buccaneers can cover
Tampa Bay's running back combination of Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II has an enticing matchup against Kansas City's run defense. In the 2021 NFL Playoffs, Fournette has rushed for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 48 carries. Before being overtaken by Fournette as the lead back, Jones ran for 978 yards and seven touchdowns and averaged 5.1 yards per carry during the regular season.
On Super Bowl Sunday, they'll face a Chiefs rush defense that ranked 20th in the league in yards per rush allowed (4.5) and 21st in rushing yards per game allowed (122.1).
In addition, the Buccaneers are likely to get back a key member of their secondary: safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. A rookie from Minnesota, Winfield ranked third on the team in tackles during the regular season with 94. He missed the NFC Championship Game with an ankle injury, but will reportedly play in the 2021 Super Bowl.
How to make Buccaneers vs. Chiefs picks
Hartstein has analyzed this matchup, and while he's leaning over on the total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing it here.
So who wins Buccaneers vs. Chiefs in the Super Bowl 2021? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the Buccaneers vs. Chiefs spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who's 16-3 on picks involving Kansas City.
