2021 Super Bowl Prop Bets for Kickers

The media has plenty of time to drum up a few narratives in the two weeks between the conference title games and Super Bowl Sunday. The primary storylines to follow for Super Bowl 55 are obvious. Can the Chiefs become the first team since the 2004-05 Patriots to win back-to-back championships? Can Patrick Mahomes outduel Tom Brady in one of the best QB matchups of all time? Can Brady extend his record for most Super Bowl titles won by a single player?

It should come as no surprise that the vast majority of Super Bowl headlines involve the quarterbacks from each team. You can also wager on how each QB will fare in the game via a number of player-specific props. While Mahomes and Brady will receive most of the attention from bettors and viewers alike, you can also show some love to the kickers, if you so choose.

It’s fair to assume that Ryan Succop and Harrison Butker won’t receive a ton of screen time during the game itself. In fact, it seems as though the only time kickers do get much attention is when things go horribly wrong for them. It’s rough being a kicker, isn’t it?

As you may expect, the top NFL betting sites are offering no shortage of kicker-related props ahead of Super Bowl 55.

So, what are some of the best special teams props available ahead of Super Bowl Sunday? Well, you’ll find out below.

Will Both Teams Miss a Field Goal?

• Yes (+900)
• No (-2000)

While the state of kicking around the NFL is fairly dicey these days, the Chiefs and Buccaneers happen to have two of the most reliable marksmen in the game today. Succop converted 28 of his 31 field goal attempts during the regular season, while Butker converted 25 of his 27 tries. Neither kicker ranked near the top of the league in attempts because both of these offenses tend to score touchdowns when they get into scoring position.

Butker made his one and only field goal attempt in last year’s Super Bowl, a 31-yarder in the Chiefs’ 31-20 win over San Francisco. Butker kicked just two field goals over the course of the Chiefs’ entire run to last year’s championship. As mentioned, Mahomes and this offense tend to find the end zone whenever they get close to the goal line.

Succop, who began his career with the Chiefs, has been a steady hand for the Bucs this season. Succop has made all eight of his field-goal attempts through Tampa Bay’s first three playoff games of the year, while he’s gone eight-for-nine on extra-point attempts. Four of his field goals during the postseason have come outside of 40 yards as well.

The game being played outdoors certainly heightens the risk involved in the kicking game, but the moderate Tampa weather shouldn’t negatively impact things too much. There is a bit of rain in the forecast, as well, which is something to monitor as we get closer to kickoff.


There is definitely value in betting on both teams missing a field goal during the game at +900, but the safe option is clearly “no” at -2000.

Total Points by Harrison Butker

• Under 8.5 (-140)
• Over 8.5 (+110)

This game comes with a high over/under of 56.5 points, so oddsmakers are clearly expecting some points to be scored in Super Bowl 55. These are two of the highest-scoring teams in football, so it wouldn’t be a massive surprise to see a shootout in this one. KC came away with a 27-24 win the last time these teams met back in November.

Butker finished the regular season with 123 total points on field goals and XPs. He accounted for seven points in Super Bowl 54 last year after his lone field goal and four extra points. This past season, he averaged 7.68 points per game, but he’s averaging nine points through each of the Chiefs’ first two playoff games.

The Bucs are middle-of-the-pack defensively in the red zone. Tampa Bay’s opponents scored touchdowns on 62.3% of their trips to the red zone this past season, which ranked 19th in the NFL. The Chiefs should be able to find paydirt whenever they get deep into Buccaneer territory, but there’s still a good chance they’ll have to settle for a field goal or two.

It only takes a few opportunities for Butker to hit the over on 8.5 points. He has accounted for at least 9 points in seven of the Chiefs’ 18 games so far this season. That’s less than 50%, but the over on 8.5 is good enough to be worth a try at the +110 odds. I’ll take a shot on the upside here.

Total Points by Ryan Succop

• Under 8 (-130)
• Over 8 (+110)

The Bucs are slight underdogs in Super Bowl 55, so the over/under line for Succop’s total scoring output is a bit lower than Butker’s. Succop was actually the higher-scoring of the two kickers during the regular season. Tampa Bay’s placekicker accounted for 136 points across 16 games, and he has added another 32 through a trio of postseason outings.

Succop has scored at least nine points in seven of 19 games so far in 2020. His average was boosted quite a bit by a 16-point outing against the Panthers back in November along with another 14-point showing against Atlanta in the season finale.

Interestingly enough, the Chiefs have been the very worst red-zone defense in the NFL. When their opponents get into the red zone, they tend to score touchdowns. Kansas City’s opponents have scored on better than 74% of their trips inside the Chiefs’ 20-yard line, which is the worst mark in the league. Succop scored six points in the Bucs’ loss to KC earlier this year.

I agree with the optimism around the potential for this game to turn into a high-scoring affair. If it does, both kickers should play a sizable role. I’m less confident in Succop’s chances considering the Bucs are ‘dogs in the Super Bowl, but the value on the over (+110) is still attachable.

Will the Chiefs Miss a Field Goal?

• Yes (+250)
• No (-325)

Butker has been one of the league’s most efficient kickers since coming into the league back in 2017. Since then, the Georgia Tech product has converted 121 of his 134 regular-season attempts (90.3 percent). In eight career playoff games, he has made eight of 10 tries, as well.

I really don’t think the Kansas City Chiefs will miss a kick in this game. If they do go for three, Reid will make sure it’s a makeable kick. Butker has been steady enough over the years to where the -325 odds on “no” make plenty of sense here.

Will the Buccaneers Miss a Field Goal?

• Yes (+250)
• No (-325)

The 34-year-old Succop is one of the longest-tenured kickers in the entire league. He has hit 83% of his attempts over the course of his career, including 90.3% so far this season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has never been quite as proficient as Butker, but he has been one of the bright spots for the Bucs in 2020.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians hasn’t been quite as aggressive as his counterpart. The Bucs attempted just 14 fourth-down conversions during the regular season, which was tied with the Seahawks for the fewest tries in the NFC. Tampa Bay converted eight of those attempts as well.


Succop attempted just two field goals of 50+ yards during the regular season, and he went one-for-two on those tries. He was a perfect 19-for-19 on kicks within 40 yards, while he went seven-for-nine between 40 and 49.

I don’t feel quite as confident in Succop as I do in Butker, so taking a shot on “yes” at +250 does offer some upside. I doubt we see the Bucs settling for too many kicks given the struggles of the Chiefs’ defense in scoring situations, but Succop does have the sketchier track record of the two kickers in this one.