We’re plenty fortunate in these parts. Fans throughout New England, Patriots fans at least, once again have a major rooting interest in the Super Bowl, as the Pats are set to square off Sunday evening against the Los Angeles Rams.
For those keeping track at home, that’s three Super Bowls in a row and four in five years. The Patriots are essentially the Greenfield field hockey, Frontier volleyball or Turners softball team of the NFL.
But for those of you inclined not to root for the home team (cough, Recorder sports editor Jason Butynski, cough), there are plenty of other ways to increase your interest in Sunday’s matchup. And as the Supreme Court so eloquently noted last year, sports gambling is one popular avenue in which to get eyeballs on any event.
The Super Bowl is the No. 1 sporting event in the world, in regards to gambling. More money will be wagered on the Pats-Rams game than any other event this year — upward of $6 billion according to estimates from CBS. Somewhere in the area of 1 in 6 Americans will have money on the line in some way, shape or form Sunday, with many of those gravitating toward a favorite pastime — propositional betting.
Parties throughout Franklin County and beyond will be loaded with prop sheets, full of bets on anything and everything happening on and off the field. You can bet on the coin toss, the time length of Gladys Knight’s version of the national anthem, what song Maroon 5 will open with during its halftime show, and on and on and on. And that’s not to even mention the prop bets available on the game itself, with odds on Super Bowl MVP, who will score the first touchdown, how many penalties both teams will incur, etc. If you shop around enough, you can find upward of a 1,000 options in which to toss some of your hard-earned capital. Sooner than later, you’ll be able to drive down 91 to MGM Springfield and place these sports bets in person as governor Charlie Baker announced in January that sports betting in the Commonwealth was on the horizon.
With all that in mind, I’ve done the hard work for you if you’re looking to be the big winner in your prop bet pool. I’ve combed through the hundreds and hundreds of betting options, narrowed it down to only the winners. Let’s dive in…
(Notes: For those unaware, bets with a minus-sign in front mean they are favored. If the number is -115, you would have to wager $115 to win $100 profit. For plus bets (i.e. +450), betting $100 would yield $450 profit. The plus bets are higher value and thus harder to win, theoretically.)
1) Will Gladys Knight forget or omit a word from the national anthem? YES (+300)
The Empress of Soul will kick things off with The Star Spangled Banner prior to kickoff on Sunday. Betting on the time length of the anthem (currently over/under 1 minute, 47 seconds) is always a popular bet. I’m going with this bet. The 74-year-old isn’t playing by your rules, Francis Scott Key. If she wants to skip a word and change it up a bit, she’s damn well going to do so. Here’s to taking a flier on that perspective. Or, ya know, maybe she’ll have a minor brain fart.
2. What color will the winning team’s Gatorade bath be? BLUE (+375)
Both teams have blue in their colors. I’m going with logic here. If only I had some insider knowledge from a training staff member.
3. Will a touchdown be overturned by video replay? YES (+155)
Yes, the Patriots and Rams are both playing in the Super Bowl. But let’s be honest, the real star of the postseason has been video replay. What a performance. In crunch time, every time something of substance happened during the AFC Championship Game between the Pats and the Chiefs, replay reared its ugly head. So with all eyes on the sport in Sunday’s game, why would we expect anything less? I’m seeing a touchdown overturned with a runner down at the goal line or something like that, allowing me to cash in on this plus-money bet.
4. Will there be a roughing the passer penalty called? YES (+105)
Ndamukong Suh on one side of the field? Tom Brady on the other side? Yes. It’s a yes for me, dawg.
5. Who will score the first touchdown of the game? Rob Gronkowski (+900)
First player to score a touchdown is a luck of the draw bet. My logic here is that’s pretty good value on Gronk, who admittedly hasn’t had his best season. But one game left? The swimmies are off and Gronk is swimming on his own in the deep end now. Everything’s at the team’s disposal.
6. Which team will score the longest touchdown? RAMS (-115)
I hate to say it as a Pats fan, but the combination of New England’s ability to every now and then allow a huge play, mixed with the Rams’ big-play ability (see Cooks, Brandin and Gurley, Todd) has me seeing at least one lengthy L.A. touchdown here.
7. Will the longest field goal be over or under 45.5 yards? OVER 45½ (-110)
We’re in a dome in Atlanta, which sets up ideal conditions for field goal kickers. And you’ve got two of the best in the game in Stephen Gostkowski and Greg Zuerlein, the latter of which is admittedly banged up and his status is a bit up in the air for Sunday’s game. But one of these teams is destined for a long field goal, and over 45½ yards is a piece of cake.
8. How many touchdown passes will Tom Brady throw (over/under 2)? OVER 2 (-130)
It’s Tommy Boy’s ninth Super Bowl appearance. He’s got the pedigree, having thrown for two or more TDs in six of the previous eight appearances. Tossing two would get me my money back, and another one would cash the ticket.
9. How many receiving yards will Robert Woods record in the game (over/under 74½)? OVER 74½ (-115)
The Rams’ receiver caught 86 passes for 1,219 yards and six touchdowns during the regular season. Forget about Cooks or Gurley or Jared Goff, Woods is the player that scares me the most in L.A.’s offense. The 26-year-old is in his prime, and I’m curious as to how they’re going to slow him down. Will we be watching a Woods vs. Stephon Gilmore matchup throughout the night?
10. How many receiving yards will Todd Gurley record in the game (over/under 30½)? OVER 30½
Gurley’s health status is up in the air as well, but he’s had two weeks to get right and I expect he’ll be a major factor. The Patriots biggest weakness on defense? Slow linebackers trying to run with and cover speedy players out of the backfield? Gurley? A speedy player out of the backfield. Easy.
For the record, I’ve got the Patriots winning another close one (all New England Super Bowls are tight). Give me, Patriots 31, Rams 27.
Enjoy the game. Eat all the chicken wings.