49ers vs. Chiefs: Super Bowl 54 Game Time, Prop Odds and Prediction

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers received plenty of praise for the offensive success that earned them berths in Super Bowl LIV.

However, the defensive units of the two participants also shone in the divisional and conference championship rounds, and that could carry over into Sunday's clash at Hard Rock Stadium. Both squads possess dominant pass-rushers and ball hawks in the secondary that can take advantage of the smallest mistakes from the opposing quarterbacks.

With that in mind, there are a few prop bets for the title clash you could cash in on if the defenses continue their dominance.

Super Bowl 54 Information

Start Time: 6:30 p.m. ET 

TV: Fox

Prop Bets to Watch

Odds via Caesars. 

Will There Be a Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown? 

Odds: Yes +220 (bet $100 to win $220); no -260 (bet $260 to win $100)

Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images

The two sides combined for five defensive or special teams touchdowns this season.

A single defensive or special teams score occurred over the past two rounds, and that came on a blocked punt by the Houston Texans against the Chiefs in the divisional round.

DeForest Buckner and D.J. Reed own trips to the end zone from the 49ers defense, while Bashaud Breeland and Reggie Ragland have scored for the Chiefs.

Mecole Hardman is the lone player on both rosters with a special teams score, as he broke loose on a kickoff return in Week 17 against the Los Angeles Chargers. The rookie out of Georgia recorded 345 yards off kickoff returns in the past three contests and is the most likely player to score in that fashion.

The 49ers have forced five turnovers in the postseason, while the Chiefs earned a single takeaway in the come-from-behind win over Houston. The NFC champion forced 23 fumbles and picked off 12 passes in the regular season, while the AFC winner earned 16 interceptions and 13 forced fumbles.

Robert Alford of the Atlanta Falcons had the last defensive touchdown in a Super Bowl in 2017, and the Seattle Seahawks had an interception and kickoff return for scores in Super Bowl XLVIII.

Even if the two squads force turnovers, scores could be hard to come by given their performances this season and the trends in recent Super Bowls.

The main reason to select yes on this prop is because of the payout value it contains at +220, but the realistic answer here feels like no.

Number of Interceptions Thrown 

Odds: Over 1.5 (+135); under 1.5 (-155)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Five Kansas City defensive backs have multiple interceptions, and four of them will be participating Sunday. Juan Thornhill was lost for the season with an ACL tear.

Richard Sherman is one of two 49ers with more than one pick, as he leads the team with three.

Patrick Mahomes was intercepted on five occasions, and he eluded pressure with three sacks over the past four contests.

Jimmy Garoppolo appears to be more susceptible to a turnover, as he threw an interception in the divisional round and was picked off twice in Week 16 by the Los Angeles Rams. The 28-year-old had 13 interceptions to go along with his 27 passing touchdowns, so there is a chance Kansas City takes advantage of one of his mistakes.

Sherman is the most likely candidate to snag a pick on the San Francisco roster because of his play this season and Super Bowl experience with the Seahawks.

Tyrann Mathieu should be around the ball more than any member of the Chiefs secondary, as he had 12 passes defended, four picks and three tackles for loss in the regular season.

Just like the prop mentioned before it, the more unlikely scenario carries the better odds, so if you are betting off value alone, the over is the wager. But if you look at all the numbers over the past few contests, the under is more likely to hit because of Mahomes' ability to keep the ball out of the opponent's hands.

Super Bowl 54 Prediction

Kansas City 26, San Francisco 23

Mahomes could end up making the difference in a contest filled with intriguing positional matchups.

He has eight touchdown passes in his past two games and has been kept clean in the pocket by his offensive line. If the unit in front of him contains the San Francisco pass rush, it could negate one of the 49ers' biggest strengths and allow Mahomes more time to work in the pocket.

Andy Reid's team also contains more offensive weapons, with Hardman joining Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson as targets for their quarterback. Kansas City has five players with 440 receiving yards or more, while three 49ers fit into that category.

If Mathieu and his secondary mates take away George Kittle, Deebo Samuel or Emmanuel Sanders from the passing attack, Garoppolo could be forced to trust players that have not stepped up much in the passing game.

San Francisco could try to make up for that by running the ball, but it is going up against a Kansas City defense that contained both playoff foes under 100 rushing yards. If the Chiefs stop the run and Mahomes spreads the ball around the field with relative ease, they should leave the field as the NFL champion.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.