Injuries That Will Affect Your Super Bowl Bets

At this stage of the season, just a week before the Super Bowl, you can almost guarantee that every player involved is likely playing with some level of pain or discomfort. Professional athletes have a way of battling through that pain to get to work, but there are times when they simply cannot go, even in a game that is for all the marbles. The question here is how the injury reports affect your wagering on the Super Bowl.

There are a number of ways you can process the information, all of which can be difficult when you consider that teams tend to give out very much in the way of detailed injury reports in the days leading up to the big game. If you are a bettor that relies heavily on the news about injuries, you might well be forced to wait until the very last minute to get your bets on. Another thing to consider is the importance of the player to the team and how good their replacement is, but even then, it all adds to the risk of making a wager. Look at the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl. When Carson Wentz went down late in the season, we all thought the Eagles run was over, but Nick Foles came in and played out of his mind. Same story with the 49ers this season and their QB woes.

How do the Chiefs and Eagles Look Ahead of Super Bowl 57?

If you were handicapping based on injuries alone, then you would probably be putting all your money on the Philadelphia Eagles. They are about as healthy as you can be at this stage of the season, with no key personnel set miss the big game. The same cannot be said for the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a number of big names listed as questionable or out.

The biggest concern for the Chiefs is the health of Patrick Mahomes, who is dealing with an ankle injury. He played through the pain in the AFC Championship Game and the extra week off ahead of the Super Bowl will have helped him get better, but by how much. He is not the only issue, though, as the Chiefs have JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman, Justin Watson, and a few others all listed as questionable.

What Do You Do With the Injury Report?

You can guarantee that every player listed as questionable will make every effort to be out on the field in some capacity. After all, they will have the entire offseason to recuperate, so playing through the pain is an option most will choose.

For me, I tend to play the waiting game, especially ahead of the Super Bowl when there is more time to get healthy, as the status of individual players can change rather quickly. That may mean waiting until as late as possible to wager, but if your bets are dependent on the health of a couple of key players, the it is best to wait it out and see if they will be ready to go.