Bear Bets: A look at the wagers Bear, Geoff successfully hit in Super Bowl LIX
Super Bowl LIX is officially in the books, with the Eagles taking down the Chiefs 40-22 in a rematch from 2023. Super Bowl Sunday is always one of the days when sportsbooks see a ton of action, with people all over the country making wagers.
And for the entire week leading up to the big game, Chris "The Bear" Fallica and Geoff Schwartz discussed several bets they liked and considered wagering on.
From player props involving the usual suspects like Saquon Barkley and Patrick Mahomes, to some more exotic bets involving punters and other sports — the hosts of the Bear Bets podcast provided tons of insight from a gambling perspective this entire week.
But which bets did the two FOX Sports Gambling analysts successfully hit?
Below, we've listed all the wagers they nailed, along with the odds given at the time of the bet being placed. Let's take a look: The Bear
Saquon Barkley's first rush UNDER 4.5 yards (-130 at DraftKings)
After dominating the playoffs, with over 400-plus rushing yards to his name and multiple touchdown runs of 60-plus yards, taking the Under on his first rushing attempt was risky. But the Chiefs run defense was able to hold him in check, limiting him to 57 rushing yards on the day. Barkley's first rush of the game went for four yards in the first quarter.
Patrick Mahomes' first rush OVER 6.5 yards (-110 at DraftKings)
This bet was truly a sweat, as the Chiefs quarterback was sacked six times in the game and had very little time in the pocket. Still, Mahomes' first rush attempt went for eight yards in the third quarter, and he finished with 25 on the day.
Matt Araiza to record a touchback on any punt (+225 at FanDuel)
While many didn't expect this game to see a ton of punts, there were eight of them and Araiza had six on his own. This bet cashed easily, as he recorded two touchbacks with 311 punt yards on the day. His first touchback on a punt came in the first quarter.
Saquon Barkley's longest rush UNDER 24.5 yards (-110 at DraftKings)
As mentioned earlier, the superstar running back only finished with 57 yards rushing. Barkley's longest run of the game was 10 yards and didn't come until the second half. He finishes the season with 2,504 rushing yards and 2,857 scrimmage yards — both NFL single-season records including the playoffs.
Total passing TDs greater than total goals in Saturday's Real Madrid vs Atlético Madrid match (-140 at SuperBook)
It's always fun to make cross-sport wagers, and what better way to bet on the Super Bowl is there than involving some European soccer in the mix? In the Madrid derby, the final score was 1-1, laying a total of two goals. Hurts and Mahomes combined for five touchdown passes in a game that saw 62 total points, making this an easy victory.
Highest scoring half to be second half (-125 at DraftKings)
With the Chiefs going up 24-0 in the first half, it was questionable whether we'd see a lot of points in the second half. But with Mahomes & Co. playing catch-up, the three-time Super Bowl MVP tossed three touchdown passes in the second half to make the score somewhat respectable. That, along with 16 points from the Eagles, cashed this bet in, with the second half seeing 38 total points scored.
Patrick Mahomes OVER 250 pass yards (-130 at DraftKings)
Another sweat here, as Mahomes struggled all day. It wasn't looking good after two quarters. He only had 33 passing yards in the first half, which was the fifth fewest ever by a quarterback in the first half of a Super Bowl. But as mentioned above, Mahomes rallied and threw three touchdowns, two of which were over 45 yards. He finished with 257 passing yards.
Saquon Barkley's longest rush UNDER 24.5 yards (-110 at DraftKings)
Great minds think alike! Geoff hammered this bet just like Bear and it paid off.
JuJu Smith-Schuster OVER 1.5 receptions (-146 at FanDuel)
Entering the Super Bowl, JuJu Smith-Schuster played in 16 games this season (including the playoffs), and had between one and two catches in nine of them. However, he also had zero catches in six outings. But the USC product made this bet an early win, recording two receptions in the first quarter of the game. It was good fortune he got it going early, as those were the only two catches he'd have for the entire game!
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