Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are always going to be the top on-field stories when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, but Steve Spagnuolo and his stellar defense are earning their share of the spotlight — and their share of the Super Bowl odds buzz — once again this year.
Heading into Super Bowl 58, the Chiefs are rolling defensively. They held the Baltimore Ravens to 10 points in the AFC Championship Game, and an airtight secondary is giving the Kansas City front seven more pass-rushing opportunities.
That brings us to George Karlaftis, who’s jumped off the screen in his second NFL season. The signs were there in the latter part of his rookie season — 5.5 sacks in his final seven regular season games that year — and now he’s poised to be a major factor against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, February 11.
Here, I’m taking a closer look at the George Karlaftis odds for our Super Bowl predictions ahead of the biggest game of the year.
Don't forget to also consult our full Chiefs vs. 49ers predictions before finalizing your NFL picks this weekend.
George Karlaftis Super Bowl prop picks
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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George Karlaftis Super Bowl prop pick
Over 3.5 tackles + assists (+138)
One of the Super Bowl storylines with the biggest ripple effects is which version of Brock Purdy shows up for the San Francisco 49ers. Have two dramatic playoff comebacks settled his nerves, or are we going to see another slow start?
I feel better about that second answer being a resounding "yes," especially with the weight of expectations and all the pre-game hoopla. That should prompt a Kyle Shanahan game script that leans on Christian McCaffrey and the running game on their opening drives to help Purdy settle in.
Enter George Karlaftis, who’s made his name as a pass-rusher but should be just as impactful as a run-stopper in what could be a defense-first battle.
Karlaftis has had four or more tackles plus assists in each of his last four games and was on the field for 88% of the run plays in the AFC Championship Game. He still had four tackles/assists that afternoon, even with Baltimore only running the ball 16 times, and he hasn’t been shy about enjoying being "in enemy territory" this week on the home turf of the Las Vegas Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs’ AFC West rivals.
The San Francisco game plan will surely be built around limiting Chris Jones’ influence, but Karlaftis has become a co-star in the Kansas City defensive line and get loose to track down running backs.
Under the bright lights at Allegiant Stadium, playing in his second Super Bowl in just his second year in the NFL, I see Karlaftis stepping up again and nailing the Over.
Prop: Over 3.5 tackles and assists (+138 at FanDuel)
Not intended for use in MA.
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