The side and
total used to be the only game in town but now proposition wagers are
synonymous with the Super Bowl. Let’s
take a look at some that just may add a few bucks to our bankroll.
NFL Props bets
are fun. Like a big old hot fudge
sundae, I wouldn’t want to make a steady diet of them but I enjoy succumbing to
temptation on Super Bowl Sunday. I don’t
think I’ve ever looked at a prop bet with the same confidence as I would a side
or a total but I have had a small measure of success in the past. That’s probably just selective memory talking
but nonetheless we’ll take an early peek into what the sportsbooks are dealing and
see if we can make sense of it all. Now
remember, this is not part of my official record for the NFL this season but
rather a brief dalliance with what may just be a lucrative diversion.
Will there be a defensive or special
teams touchdown in the game?
Yes
+145
No
-175
We know both
teams have terrific quarterbacks who don’t gamble recklessly with the ball. Brady and Manning are smart enough to throw
the pigskin away if coverage is tight or the defensive scheme has adjusted to
the play. Therefore, a defensive
touchdown doesn’t strike me as a likely scenario. Due to the rule changes this year, kickoff
returns are a rarity and Pats kicker Stephen Gostkowski thunders many of his
kicks out of the endzone. So there will
be no kickoff returns but what about punt returns? Could that happen? Well sure, anything can happen but I’m just
not worried that it will. I know laying -175
isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but just remember, you don’t have to pay the vig if
you win the bet. Play No -175 and you’ll be thanking me on Monday.
Total field goals in the game scored
by both teams.
Over 3 ½ +125
Under 3 ½ -125
While it’s
true Giants kicker Lawrence Tynes was one of the least active kickers in the
league with only 19 field goals made on a mere 24 attempts, this is the Super
Bowl and points are at a premium. The
Patriots may have given up a gazillion yards this season but they’ve been
pretty tough in the red zone. They have
come up big inside the 20 and that will translate into Big Blue kicking for
three instead of gambling on seven.
On the
flipside of that coin is Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski who made 28 of 33
field goals this season and went 9 of 11 between the 40-49 yard lines. He’s an accurate kicker who will have Bill
Belichick’s complete and total faith to put points on the board when Brady
can’t. Let’s look for the kickers to
make some noise and go Over 3 ½ (+125).
Total completions made by the NY
Giants
Over 24 ½ -130
Under 24 ½ Even NFL odds
Eli Manning
has more pass attempts than any quarterback in the postseason. He has thrown the ball 123 times and
connected on 76 of those passes to average a click above 25 completions per
game. But here’s the irony. Against the league’s most imposing defense,
the 49’ers, he completed 32 passes but only 23 and 21 against the Falcons and
Packers respectively. And the reason is
because he had leads throughout both games and more emphasis was put on the run
to chew up the clock.
Unless you
think the Giants will waltz through the Patriots on February 5th
then you have to believe the game plan will be to torch the feeble New England
secondary because it’s become increasingly difficult to run against their
underrated defensive front. Let’s say Eli gets pass happy and goes Over
24 ½ completions.