With Super Bowl 60 set for Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Feb. 8, there are incredible storylines and immediate thoughts that emerge with an 11-year-old rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots.
As we get closer to kickoff, I will have several breakdowns to talk about.
But after watching the Patriots (17-3) beat the Denver Broncos 10-7 on Sunday in the AFC championship game to advance to their 12th Super Bowl, and seeing the Seahawks escape with a 31-27 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC title game, I do think there are player props you may want to watch for when the massive list emerges.
Here are my first four looks at SB60 with Player Props (per early numbers at DraftKings):
Drake Maye over rushing yards
I expect the Seahawks to apply plenty of pressure to the young quarterback on every dropback, forcing him to put his legs to work. Maye just rushed for 65 yards against the Denver Broncos, the second time he rushed for 65 or more yards this postseason. Maye averaged 26.5 yards rushing during the regular season and is scrambling for 47.0 in the postseason. There are favorable numbers of 36+ and 40+ for Maye's rushing tally, so I'm definitely jumping in early.
Rhamondre Stevenson anytime TD scorer
If there is one person who put his time in with the Patriots, it's Stevenson, now in his fifth season. Stevenson led team in the AFC Divisional round with 70 yards rushing, and again in the AFC Championship with 71 yards on the ground. He'll be looking for his fourth straight game with 70 or more scrimmage yards. Now, considering he had a career-high nine scrimmage TD during the regular season and hasn't scored in the playoffs, I like him to punch one during the Super Bowl. DKS is offering a respectable plus price as an anytime TD scorer, and I'd advise you to jump on that now.
Kenneth Walker over rushing yards
After turning in 145 scrimmage yards (116 rushing, 29 receiving) and 3 rushing TDs in the NFC Divisional round, Walker answered the bell with 111 scrimmage yards (62 rushing, 49 receiving) in the NFC title game against the Rams. He's stepped up splendidly for the Seahawks, averaging 60.4 yards rushing during the regular season and 89 in the postseason. He's rushed for 4.7 yards per attempt in the playoffs, and we should be looking at a favorable number as long as the books don't get greedy. Right now at DraftKings, I highly recommend getting the plus price for over 80 yards.
Sam Darnold under passing yards
Over and over, all I've heard is how "I don't know if we can trust Sam Darnold." Yet here we are set for SB60, and the Minnesota Vikings' cast-off has turned into a gem for the Seahawks. That all being said, I think Seattle has benefited because Darnold doesn't play above himself, has been methodical and doesn't force anything. He has the resources to lean on a balanced offense. And while he may have ranked fifth in the league with 4,048 yards passing during the regular season, that equated to 238.1 yards per game. That number has dipped slightly to 235 per game in the postseason. You can find under 240 yards at DKS for a reasonable price right now.