Betting History of the Super Bowl
The Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs have both advanced to Super Bowl LVII. The Chiefs opened as 1-point favorites, but in a matter of minutes, the line shifted in favor of the Eagles. The Eagles are now favored by 2 or 2.5 points, depending on which sportsbook you look at.
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Betting History of the Super Bowl
The Spread
For the 13th straight season, the spread for the Super Bowl is less than a touchdown. Prior to this current stretch, there were three consecutive Super Bowls with a spread of seven or more. The Super Bowl has become a much more evenly-matched contest than it used to be, at least as far as oddsmakers are concerned. From 1986 through 2009, 19 of the 24 Super Bowls had a spread of seven points or greater.
The favorite has won four of the last six Super Bowls and is 3-3 against the spread. Prior to the last six Super Bowls, there was a stretch of five consecutive games where the underdog not only covered but also won outright. The biggest win by an underdog came in Super Bowl XLVIII when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Denver Broncos 43-8 as two-point underdogs.
If this spread remains at a field goal or less, it will be the ninth time in the last 13 Super Bowls that this has been the case. Favorites and underdogs have split the previous eight games going 4-4 straight up.
The Total
Though the NFL has seen a significant increase in scoring over the last decade, Super Bowls have tended to be low scoring of late. The Under has hit in four consecutive Super Bowls. The biggest discrepancy between the total and final scores came in 2019 when the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams combined for 16 points in a game with a total of 55.5. That was the third-highest total in Super Bowl history.
The highest total posted by oddsmakers for a Super Bowl was in 2017, when they listed a line of 57.5 for the Patriots vs. the Atlanta Falcons. That total went over, as the Patriots won 34-28. This year’s Super Bowl total is 49.5, which is exactly where last season’s was when the game kicked off. Last year’s Super Bowl went under by 6.5 points.
Four of the last six Super Bowls have had lines of 50 points or higher, but only one of those games went over. The Under has cashed 28 times in Super Bowl history, while the Over has cashed 27 times. There was no total for Super Bowl I, but with how low totals tended to be set back then, the 35-10 final score probably would have gone over.
The Teams
This marks the Kansas City Chiefs’ fifth Super Bowl appearance and their third in the last four seasons. They are 2-2 all-time in Super Bowls. They suffered a 35-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I. It was the worst loss in Super Bowl history until the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII.
Three years after losing Super Bowl I, the Chiefs won Super Bowl IV 23-7 over the Minnesota Vikings. They were 12-point underdogs in that game. The only underdogs who won the Super Bowl outright with longer odds were the New York Jets as 18.5-points underdogs in Super Bowl III and the New England Patriots as 14-points underdogs in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV and covered as 1.5-point favorites over the San Francisco 49ers. However, they lost the next season by a score of 31-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers despite being three-point favorites.
This is the fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history for the Philadelphia Eagles. Their first came in Super Bowl XV, where they lost to the Oakland Raiders 27-10. They were favored by three in that game.
Their next Super Bowl appearance would come 24 years later when they went against the Patriots in Super Bowl XXIX. They were underdogs of seven points that day, and though they trailed by 10 late in the fourth quarter, they were able to score a touchdown late to cut the score to 24-21 and cover the spread.
They finally won their first Super Bowl in franchise history in 2018. Nick Foles led the Eagles over the Patriots, winning the game by a final score of 41-33. It remains the highest-scoring game in Super Bowl history.
Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including 10 Sports Betting Tips for Beginners — or head to more advanced strategies — like Key Numbers When Betting Against the Spread — to learn more.
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