Super Bowl prop bets on a grand scale began in earnest in January 1995 when Jay Kornegay, the current Westgate SuperBook Vice President in Las Vegas, said he wanted to come up with something that would spur interest in a game that didn’t figure to draw super attention among bettors.
Oddsmakers had QB Steve Young and the 49ers as an 18-point choice over the San Diego Chargers in that game. San Francisco romped, 49-26.
Before that there were limited prop options, the most celebrated being William “Refrigerator” Perry going off at roughly 20-1 to score a touchdown in Super Bowl XX for Chicago. He got the TD and shook sportsbooks throughout the city.
But ever since that 49ers-Chargers game, props seemingly have taken on a life of their own, growing into the hundreds.
Below we take a stab at picking out a few prop winners on the Westgate SuperBook board.
Best Available Prop Bets On The Board
At -110, the Rams and Bengals will combine to score more points than the total number of points, rebounds and assists accumulated by the Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid (minus one-half) in Saturday’s home game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers:
Since the Super Bowl over-under number is 48.5 at virtually all books, including DraftKings and FanDuel, and since Embiid is averaging 29.4 points a game, 10.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists, which comes to a 44.6 total, the choice seems obvious. Then you’ll get to shave Embiid’s total by that one-half “point.”
These numbers alone make the the bet worthwhile even in 76ers fans in Pennsylvania.
Plus, this will be Embiid’s first back-to back in a month after facing Oklahoma City the night before. In years past, he often rested on such dates, but this year has made a concerted effort to boost his MVP status by playing two nights in a row. But he could well play only minutes in the low 30s.
At -110, the margin of victory in the Saturday NBA game between the Orlando Magic and Phoenix Suns, minus 1.5 points, will be greater than the number of carries for Rams RB Cam Akers.
Orlando currently has the second worst record in the NBA and will be playing the second game in two nights on the road. The Magic will be vying against a Suns team that has far and away the best record in the NBA and had the night off Friday after playing at home Thursday.
As for Akers, he’s nursing a shoulder injury and could easily wind up yielding to fellow RB Sony Michel for extended stretches.
Rams QB Matthew Stafford (+130) will throw more touchdown passes than the Bengals’ Joe Burrow.
Stafford has had 47 total TD passes this season, nine more than Burrow, plus Stafford also will be going against a softer secondary based on defensive passer rating, with Cincinnati’s ranked 18th. Burrow has to face L.A.’s fifth-ranked unit.
These odds also seem to be somewhat puzzling considering that in other props Stafford is at +150 to throw more than 2.5 touchdown passes while Burrow is at +200 to throw two or more.
Fun Prop Bets At Big Odds
Cincinnati rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase (40-1) will have no more than 10 receiving yards:
On the surface, that seems preposterous for a guy who had 266 receiving yards in a game only five weeks against Kansas City, which had the league’s 16th rated pass defense.
But only twice did he go up against a team ranked in the top 10, the best of which was Denver’s No. 6 unit at Mile High. Despite playing virtually the whole game, Chase caught only one pass for 3 yards. Now he goes against Jalen Ramsey and his cohorts, who have the No. 5-rated pass defense.
Rams CB Jalen Ramsey (80-1) as Super Bowl MVP
The three-time All-Pro surely will be around the ball, and if Burrow is stymied and Ramsey gets an interception or two, and/or gets to help shut down Chase, he could attract a lot of votes.
There have been three previous defensive backs to win the award, the latest being Tampa Bay safety Dexter Jackson 19 seasons ago.
Don’t Even Think About It
The Rams or Bengals (10,000-1) will have a final score of 4.
As as often is chronicled online this time of year, there has been only one such game with a final score of 4 in NFL history, and that occurred in 1923.
But then again, if the number does hit and you’ve bet $10, you’re a big-time multi-thousandaire.
Hmm: Imagine the anxiety for bettors if a game goes to overtime with a score of 4-4.
Always shop around the betting market for the best odds for your wagers.
Play: Printable or online Super Bowl squares | Super Bowl promos and bonuses from sportsbooks
Super Bowl props: SuperBook props extravaganza | Matthew Stafford Super Bowl props | Cooper Kupp Super Bowl props | Ja’Marr Chase Super Bowl props | Odell Beckham Jr. Super Bowl props | Super Bowl touchdown scorer props | Plus-money Super Bowl props | Alternate Super Bowl point spreads | Super Bowl props same game parlays
Also read: Record Super Bowl handle projected | Mid-six figure Super Bowl bet at MGM | Rams-Bengals spread, moneyline, total | The case for both teams
History: Biggest Super Bowl upsets | 55 years of trends
About the Author
