Pats barely a favourite
New England giving point (or two) in Nevada
After one of the greatest final four Sundays in NFL history, bettors made an early statement on their opinion for what awaits in Super Bowl LIII.
And the team a growing portion of America loves to hate is once again the favourite of those looking to make some money on the betting extravaganza that the NFL title game has become.
Moments after the New England Patriots dramatic overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams were made the one-point favourite in most Las Vegas sports books.
And then the early money came in and now for the third consecutive playoff season, the Patriots look to be the betting favourites for the big game.
Given the dynastic record of this Patriots team, bettors flooded to get in on the action, prompting a quick and significant move to make New England as high as twopoint favourites less than 30 minutes after the AFC Championship was done.
With both the Rams and Patriots needing overtime to advance to the big game, Vegas oddsmakers are still calling one of the tightest betting games in Super Bowl history.
If New England makes it to kickoff as the betting choice, it will become the first team to be favoured in three consecutive Super Bowls. And once again, those reports of the dynasty’s demise seem to be premature.
Gone are the days when the Super Bowl is a recipe for a boring blowout, especially when odds are considered.
For the ninth consecutive season the opening line for the big game is less than a touchdown and for the fourth time in that past six, the spread is a field goal or less.
Oddsmakers are also expecting a high-scoring game, much like the dramatic second half and overtime in the Patriots’ win over the Chiefs. The opening total was 58 and quickly bumped to as high as 59.5. Fitting with the high-scoring season, that would be the highest total in Super Bowl history.
The betting line for what is shaping up as an intriguing matchup is a far cry from the previous time the two teams met in New Orleans in 2002 when the then St. Louis Rams were 14-point favourites over the Patriots. New England, just at the start of the Tom
Brady-Bill Belichick era, pulled off the big upset with a 20-17 outright win.
STRIPES OVER STARS?
There was no defending the rotten work of referee Bill Vinovich and his crew in the NFC title game — but based on past performance, there was evidence that flags would be kept in pockets.
The Saints and Rams were among the NFL’s least penalized teams during the regular season but Vinovich and crew were experts in the “let them play” mantra.
The Vinovich-led team called an NFL low of an average 13.1 flags per game. And the one that didn’t get tossed on the would-be pass interference call on the Saints’ last drive was a killer.
It was also a controversy the NFL didn’t need. Not sure what can be done before the Super Bowl, but given the dodgy officiating in both conference championships, it will be a big and unsavoury story line over the next two weeks.
TONY POM POMS
There’s plenty to like about CBS’s lead game analyst Tony
Romo — he’s certainly more efficient for big games in the booth than he was on the field.
But man, it sure sounded like Jim Nantz’s sidekick wanted the Chiefs to advance.
In his pre-game analysis, Romo earnestly warned that “Belichick better have a plan.”
When the Chiefs finally scored on the opening drive of the third quarter, it sounded like Romo wanted to leave the booth to personally high five Chiefs coach Andy Reid and QB Patrick Mahomes.
And how about a Super Bowl prop on how many times Romo says “here it is.” Let’s set the total at a dozen The upside of Romo is not insignificant, however. He remains one of the most insightful analysts in the game, in particular at taking a look at a formation and instantly having a strong sense of what’s coming.
QUICK HITS
If you liked underdogs and road teams, you had yourself a successful betting post season. With both road dogs winning outright on Sunday, that combo is 7-3 vs. the spread in the post season. Unders have a slight 6-4 edge on overs in these playoffs.