Kirk Herbstreit makes Super Bowl LVIII prediction between Chiefs, 49ers

Football analyst and one of the stars of ESPN College GameDay, Kirk Herbstreit, has issued his official prediction on what will go down in the 2024 Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.

Herbstreit issued this tweet detailing what expects out of the big game:

“Know there’s a ton of super star offensive production in todays Super Bowl but I’m going with the Chiefs defense and Steve Spagnuolo (3 time SP champ) to be the difference in the game. Spags boys have been playing at a different level this postseason. Look for the trio of Nick Bolton, L’Jarius Sneed, and Chris Jones to make critical plays today and be the difference in the game.”

Obviously, the Chiefs have primarily built their success these last five years on the back of great offenses, led in part by Andy Reid, along with the best quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes. Weapons like Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce helped a bit, too. But in 2023-24, the KC defense has really come on strong and been a major reason for the team’s success, especially in the postseason.
So, Herbstreit is highlighting this Kansas City defensive unit which is, perhaps, underrated.

Plus, some of the specific players mentioned by Herbstreit also made bug plays in last year’s Super Bowl victory for the Chiefs. Nick Bolton returned a fumble for a touchdown, and Chris Jones is always a havoc-wrecker up front, and made the sack to help seal the game on Joe Burrow in last season’s AFC title game. Then, Sneed has provided elite play in the secondary all season long.

According to Kirk Herbstreit, those stars and the entire KC defense will show out as Patrick Mahomes take care of business on the other end of the field to lead the Chiefs to their second consecutive Super Bowl victory.

The American Gaming Association released figures this week showing that reveal a record number of Americans are expected to place wagers on Super Bowl LVIII. Considering the boom in legal sports betting in recent years, the uptick is no surprise, but the numbers are still shocking. A record 67.8 million American adults, which is 26% of the adult population in the U.S., are expected to bet roughly $23.1 billion on various bets for the Big Game.

According to the AGA survey, bettors are nearly split on the outcome of Super Bowl LVIII. Roughly 47% of betters are planning to wager on the Chiefs, while 44% are planning to put their money on the 49ers.