Super Bowl LIV betting: Patrick Mahomes scores the first touchdown, making bettors very happy
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes cost sportsbooks a lot of money with a short run.
Most years for the Super Bowl, the quarterbacks take the most action on the first to score a touchdown prop. That happens even though quarterbacks rarely score the first touchdown. Both quarterbacks in Super Bowl LIV drew a lot of action, even though neither Mahomes or San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo scored much in the regular season.
Mahomes scored the first touchdown of Super Bowl LIV, and that was a boon for bettors. Mahomes was 21-to-1 to score the first touchdown, though that line moved to 12-to-1 before kickoff due to bets on Mahomes. He got in on an option play at the 1-yard line, running to his right and cutting in.
MGM executive director of public relations Scott Ghertner said Mahomes scoring the first touchdown was a “low six-figure decision” for the sportsbook.
Mahomes with the first TD of the Super Bowl #SuperBowlLIV pic.twitter.com/N1mLQdg0WY
— Legacy Sports News (@LSN_7) February 3, 2020
Mahomes almost scored just before that. On a third-and-11 in the first quarter, Mahomes scrambled to his right and took off. It looked like he had a chance to score, but 49ers safety Jimmie Ward hit him at the 3-yard line.
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A couple of running backs could have ruined the Mahomes prop for bettors. Damien Williams almost got in. His fourth-down run on a direct snap went to the 1-yard line. Williams was the Chiefs’ favorite at 6-to-1. Darrel Williams, who wasn’t even listed at MGM (“any other Chief” was 22-to-1), got a carry at the 1-yard line and was stuffed. Then came Mahomes’ score.
And there were a lot of happy people in the Nevada sportsbooks when that prop, which is annually the most popular prop bet on the board, cashed.
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