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Mike Fanelli dives into who will be the leading passer, rusher, receiver, and tackler in Super Bowl LVIII.
Super Bowl LVIII is nearly here. We have only a few more days until we see the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs battle for the right to be called Super Bowl champions.
While everyone has picked their winner for this game, there is so much to bet on outside of which team will be victorious. There is the total and the spread. However, player prop bets have become a popular option among bettors.
The RotoBaller team has plenty of betting content related to the Super Bowl. Today, I will predict the leading passer, rusher, receiver, and tackler in Super Bowl LVIII.
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Predicting The Leading Passer…
This year’s Super Bowl matchup consists of two of the top passers during the regular season. Brock Purdy finished fifth in passing yards (4,280) and third in touchdowns (31). Meanwhile, Patrick Mahomes ranked sixth in passing yards (4,183) and eighth in touchdowns (27). Both quarterbacks sat out a meaningless Week 18 contest for their team.
Purdy isn’t considered a superstar quarterback like Mahomes. However, the second-year player has arguably the best-receiving core in the NFL, with two star wide receivers, an elite tight end, and the top pass-catching running back in the league. Over 83% of San Francisco’s receiving yards and 81% of their touchdowns were by those four star players.
Meanwhile, Mahomes doesn’t have the same elite receiving core as Purdy. However, he has two reliable weapons. The superstar quarterback has played four games at Allegiant Stadium, the site for Super Bowl LVIII, averaging 313.5 passing yards per game. While those matchups were against the Las Vegas Raiders, not the 49ers, I’m still taking Mahomes to have the most passing yards in this contest.
Patrick Mahomes’ career stats at @AllegiantStadm 🔥#SuperBowlLVIII pic.twitter.com/ycub8U9MsR
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 7, 2024
Predicting The Leading Rusher…
Both teams have a productive running game. Isiah Pacheco finished 18th in the NFL with 935 rushing yards during the regular season. However, he missed three games because of injuries. The second-year running back ranked 10th in the league in rushing yards per game, averaging 66.8 per contest. Pacheco averaged more rushing yards per game than several big-name running backs, including Jahmyr Gibbs, Josh Jacobs, Joe Mixon, Breece Hall, and Bijan Robinson.
Pacheco is one of the better young running backs in the NFL. Yet, Christian McCaffrey is the best in the league. The future Hall of Famer led the league with 1,459 rushing yards despite missing 1.5 games because of injuries. The next closest running back was Derrick Henry, with 292 fewer rushing yards than the superstar. McCaffrey won the first rushing title, averaging a career-high 91.2 yards per game. Therefore, it’s no surprise that he is the heavy favorite to have the most rushing yards in the Super Bowl.
Christian McCaffrey didn't play Sunday, but he emerged as the 2023 rushing championhttps://t.co/b82QXrDXnH pic.twitter.com/Fr5mBoLYP7
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) January 8, 2024
While I agree with the oddsmakers, Pacheco has an appealing matchup. The 49ers had one of the top run defenses in the NFL during the regular season, surrendering the second-fewest rushing yards to running backs. However, they have struggled during the playoffs, giving up 108 to Aaron Jones and 93 to David Montgomery. While I wouldn’t bet on it, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pacheco have more rushing yards than McCaffrey on Sunday.
Predicting The Leading Receiver…
There are several talented pass catchers in this Super Bowl. The Chiefs have lacked a superstar No. 1 wide receiver since trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. However, that didn’t stop them from winning last year’s Super Bowl. While Travis Kelce is arguably the greatest tight end of all time and a future first-ballot Hall of Famer, he had a down regular season.
The superstar had under 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since 2015. His five receiving touchdowns were the second-fewest in his career. Yet, Kelce has been fantastic during the playoffs, averaging 87.3 receiving yards and a touchdown per game. He was outstanding in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens, catching all 11 targets for 116 receiving yards and the first touchdown in the contest.
Still cannot get over this Travis Kelce catch vs the Baltimore Ravens.
- 11 target
- 11 catches
- 116 yards
- 1 TDBig time players show up for big time games. pic.twitter.com/9pY6UTgNvp
— Cooper McCoy (@CooperMcCoyRE) February 1, 2024
However, Kelce wasn’t Patrick Mahomes’ only reliable weapon this year. Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice joined the superstar tight end as the only two on the team with over 465 receiving yards or four touchdowns. The former SMU star had 938 receiving yards during the regular season, the second-most among rookies behind Puka Nacua. While he hasn’t been on fire during the playoffs, Rice is a go-to target for Mahomes.
Meanwhile, San Francisco had one of the most balanced passing attacks during the regular season. Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle, and Deebo Samuel all had at least 892 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Despite having 272 rushing attempts, Christian McCaffrey also had 564 receiving yards, seven touchdowns, and 67 receptions, the second-most on the team. More importantly, Aiyuk, Kittle, and Samuel have each averaged between 50-56.5 receiving yards per game during the playoffs.
While this game doesn’t lack star power pass catchers, it’s hard to guess which one will be the top receiver on Sunday. However, Kelce has been on fire during the playoffs and has averaged 85.7 receiving yards per game in his three Super Bowl appearances. Furthermore, he only has to compete with Rice for targets, while the 49ers have multiple target hogs. Therefore, I’m picking Kelce to have the most receiving yards in this game.
Predicting The Leading Tackler…
All the headlines leading up to the Super Bowl have been about both team’s offenses. While the 49ers and Chiefs have two of the top offenses in the NFL, their defenses are elite. Both teams have outstanding linebacker units with multiple difference-makers.
Fred Warner is the best of the bunch for both teams. The three-time All-Pro had 132 tackles during the regular season, making it the third consecutive year he had at least 130 or more tackles. Warner had a career-high four interceptions in 2023, matching his career total entering the year. More importantly, the superstar is the team’s all-time leader in playoff tackles.
49ers Fred Warner is the all-time Niners tackles leader in the post season. pic.twitter.com/y6852tht2v
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) February 6, 2024
Meanwhile, the Chiefs don’t have a superstar like Warner or Dre Greenlaw in their linebacker core. However, Drue Tranquill, Nick Bolton, Leo Chenal, and Willie Gay Jr. might have been the top linebacker unit in the NFL during the regular season, combining for 261 tackles. Bolton had 60 tackles during the regular season but missed half the year because of injuries. Yet, he led the team in tackles per game (7.5).
Several talented defenders are playing on Sunday, making this a tough call. However, I am going with Warner. The superstar linebacker has 20 tackles in two postseason games, including nine solo tackles in the NFC Championship Game. Kansas City’s offense will result in many plays in the middle of the field, creating plenty of tackling opportunities for Warner.
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