Super Bowl Betting: Who Will Score the First Touchdown?

The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are slated to meet in the Super Bowl for the second time in the last five seasons in less than two weeks. With what seems like a million markets to choose from when placing bets on the big game, one of the interesting markets is the "first touchdown scorer" offering.

It can be somewhat tricky trying to determine who will score the first touchdown in each game. But ahead of what is shaping up to be yet another exhilarating Super Bowl, we can use data from this season to try to make an educated guess on who will find the end zone first.

Let's take a look at a few interesting options in FanDuel Sportsbook's first touchdown scorer odds for the upcoming Super Bowl battle between the Chiefs and the 49ers.

Super Bowl First Touchdown Scorer Odds

Here are the top-20 odds for the first touchdown scorer in the Super Bowl, with a breakdown of my favorite choices.

Christian McCaffrey (+360)

The player with the best odds to score the first touchdown in the Super Bowl is unsurprisingly Christian McCaffrey, who leads the 49ers with 25 total touchdowns (18 rushing, 7 receiving). While the Chiefs trot out a defense that has surrendered the second-fewest rushing touchdowns (6) to running backs, McCaffrey's volume and usage in the passing game makes him a threat to score first in any game.

The dynamic back for the 49ers leads the team in red-zone rushing share (66.0%) and red-zone opportunity share (48.6%), via NextGenStats. In San Francisco's 19 games entering the Super Bowl, McCaffrey has scored the first touchdown for the 49ers in eight of the games, and in four of those he was the first touchdown scorer.

Despite boasting a stout run defense, the Chiefs do happen to give up the 11th-most receiving touchdowns (4) to running backs. McCaffrey has scored multiple touchdowns in back-to-back games, and there's a decent chance he finds the end zone first if the 49ers receive the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl.

Deebo Samuel (+950)

Besides McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel is a lethal weapon in San Francisco's high-powered offense that brings a ton of versatility. Samuel is tied for the second-most receiving touchdowns (7) on the 49ers, and he led the team in targets (9), receptions (8), and receiving yards (89) in the Conference Championship Round.

Along with his stellar receiving production this season, Samuel tacked on another 232 rushing yards and 5 rushing scores on 40 rushing attempts. The do-it-all wideout has shockingly failed to score a touchdown in San Francisco's first two playoff games, but that could all change in the Super Bowl.

Ahead of a much-anticipated clash against the Chiefs, Samuel owns the second-highest red-zone opportunity share (15.6%) on the 49ers. Samuel has scored the first touchdown for the 49ers three times this season (two of those were the first touchdown of the game), and all three of those times have come since Week 12.

Rashee Rice (+1000)

On the other side of the field, the Chiefs are heavily reliant on Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice in their aerial attack. While plenty of people are going to take Kelce to score first, Rice has produced more first-touchdowns (4) for Kansas City this season.

Kelce has opened the scoring for the Chiefs only twice all season, and both of those have come in the last two games. Outside of Isiah Pacheco -- who leads the Chiefs with a 39.9% red-zone opportunity share -- Rice has the highest red-zone opportunity share on the team at 13.2%.

If the Chiefs aren't targeting Kelce, they tend to give Rice plenty of chances to make plays after the catch with quick passes. The 49ers have permitted the seventh-most receiving touchdowns (18) to wide receivers, and in three of the five games where they didn't score first, it was a receiver who got the scoring started.

Long Shot Pick: Noah Gray (+4400)

San Francisco's defense has been stingy against tight ends, allowing the fifth-fewest receiving touchdowns (4) to tight ends all season. At the same time, Kansas City's offense has been deploying a bit more heavy packages in recent games, which has led to Noah Gray seeing a slightly increased role in the offense.

After logging a 52.5% snap share during the regular season, Gray has seen his snap share improve to 55.9% in the postseason. The third-year tight end has also managed to garner at least three targets in five of his last six appearances.

Gray has found the end zone just twice all season, which is why he is considered such a long shot to be the first touchdown scorer in the Super Bowl. With the Chiefs running plenty of 12 personnel looks and trick plays in the red zone, Gray is an intriguing option to score first against the 49ers.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.