Chiefs Open as 1.5-Point Favorites vs 49ers in Super Bowl 54

• The Kansas City Chiefs will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54
• The Kanas City Chiefs are 1.5-point favorites over the San Francisco 49ers in opening-line odds on Super Bowl 54
• In both of their two previous Super Bowl appearances, the Chiefs were double-digit underdogs; the Niners were favored in all of their six previous appearances

The Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in foreign territory, and it has nothing to with the fact that they’ll be making their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years.

Likewise, the San Francisco 49ers, who will be the NFC representative in Super Bowl 54, are also breaking new ground.

The Chiefs opened as the 1.5-point favorite over the 49ers in Super Bowl 54.

San Francisco 49ers vs Kansas City Chiefs Odds

Odds taken Jan. 19th.

Kansas City made both of its previous Super Bowl appearances as the underdog. The Niners will be playing in their seventh Super Bowl game. They’ve been favored in all six of their previous trips to the big game.

The Chiefs are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games.

Hail To The Chiefs

As the NFL celebrates its 100th anniversary, the Chiefs are going to the Super Bowl for the first time in a half century. In fact, the last time KC made it to the big game, they weren’t even an NFL team.

The Chiefs were the last champions of the AFL in 1969, prior to the 1970 AFL-NFL merger.

JUMP FOR JOY, KC pic.twitter.com/Qv0QUjqx6j

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 19, 2020

Playing the final game ever by an AFL team, the Chiefs stunned the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 in Super Bowl 4 as 12-point underdogs.

KC was also the first AFL team to play in the game. The Chiefs were 14-point underdogs in Super Bowl 1 and lost 35-10 to the Green Bay Packers.

Unusual Role For 49ers

While the Chiefs are 1-1 against the spread in Super Bowl action, the Niners are 4-2 ATS in six appearances in the big game.

Frame this. #BeLegendary pic.twitter.com/bjWmEDhlc7

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 20, 2020

Playing in their seventh Super Bowl, the 49ers have been favored by at least 4.5 points on five of six previous occasions. In their first appearance in Super Bowl 16, San Francisco won 26-21 over the Cincinnati Bengals as the one-point chalk.

Bad Memory For San Francisco

The Chiefs have won three of the last four games against San Francisco. KC is also 3-0-1 ATS in those games. But it’s the most recent meeting that brings back a reminder of a haunting afternoon to Niners fans.

Kansas City won 38-27 over San Fran in Week 3 of the 2018 season. But that wasn’t the worst lost suffered on the day.

Left knee injury for Garoppolo. pic.twitter.com/qELPKnDO5B

— ACL Recovery Club (@ACLrecoveryCLUB) September 23, 2018

With six minutes to play, Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo sought to elude a tackler while running down the sideline. As he planted his left knee, the leg buckled.

Garappolo was lost for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear in his left knee.

Minus their starting QB, the Niners went 4-12.

Checking The Spreads

Kansas City is 11-4 ATS as a favorite this season. The Chiefs have won three of the last four games against San Francisco. KC is also 3-0-1 ATS in those games.

This is the closest opening line on a Super Bowl since 2015, when the New England Patriots-Seattle Seahwaks game opened as a pick.

AFC teams are 2-6 in the last eight Super Bowl games in which they’ve been favored.

🚨 All red everything 🚨

49ers will face the Chiefs in Miami for Super Bowl LIV pic.twitter.com/Yq4CsKMG4H

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 20, 2020

These teams are so evenly matched, both with explosive offenses.

Anticipate a swing back toward San Francisco. Then it will come back to Kansas City. But it’s doubtful that it grows to more than two points either way at any stage leading up to the game.