NFL fans have been spoiled over the last decade with some truly compelling Super Bowl games, but for years—decades, even—it seemed the only things that made the Super Bowl fun to watch were the commercials and the gambling.
While millions of Americans will throw down some hard-earned scratch on the Big Game, be it through straight-up wagers or the annual office box pool that Dave in maintenance runs and, somehow, his wife always seems to win, the best way to watch the Super Bowl is with a tray of seven-layer dip in one hand and a sheet of the 50 best prop bets in the other.
There are hundreds and hundreds (and hundreds) of prop bets around the Super Bowl, so many that cutting this list down to 50 was harder than it should have been. And yet, here are 50 of the best and weirdest prop bets you can lay bet on this season. (All betting lines listed here are for fun and entertainment, via WestGate Super Book through VegasInsider and/or Oddshark.com.) And no, never bet on the national anthem. That last note can be rigged, folks. Rigged! Also, this may be more than 50. I lost count somewhere around Beyonce’s shoes.
http://gty.im/108868819
Early and Late
OPENING COIN TOSS
- HEADS -102
- TAILS -102
For those unfamiliar with betting lines, everything is based on the value of 100, so the negative numbers mean that one would need to bet $102 to win $100. A positive number, seen in most wagers below, means one would need to bet $100 to win that amount. In this case, betting heads or tails seems like a loser either way. (Also, tails sometimes fails. Usually about half the time.)
WILL EITHER TEAM SCORE IN THE FIRST 6 1/2 MINUTES OF THE GAME? **(Includes safety)
- YES +115
- NO -130
WILL EITHER TEAM SCORE IN THE FINAL 3 1/2 MINUTES OF THE GAME? **(Includes safety) **(Includes Overtime)
- YES -140
- NO +120
These props are interesting in that Vegas thinks the game will start slow, but banks on something happening close to the end of the game. The low scoring start often accounts for Super Bowl nerves on offense, but things usually come around later.
In nine of the last 12 Super Bowls, a team has scored in the last 3:30 of the game. In three of those games, each team scored and in two games there were three scores within the final three and a half minutes.
http://gty.im/466626641
FIRST SCORE OF THE GAME WILL BE
- TOUCHDOWN -150
- ANY OTHER SCORE +130
The last time Denver was in the Super Bowl the first score of the game was a safety.
WILL THERE BE A SAFETY?
- YES +550
- NO -800
Look, the money is screaming no, but if you’re going to take a flier on a ridiculous wager, it’s not the worst thing in the world to take the safety bet. This prop used to be astronomically higher on the YES side, but a run of three straight games with a safety—three in the last four years—brought this number back down to Earth.
Most Valuable
MVP OF SUPER BOWL 50
- CAM NEWTON-car 5/7
- PEYTON MANNING-den 7/2
- JONATHAN STEWART-car 15/1
- GREG OLSEN-car 18/1
- C.J. ANDERSON-den 20/1
- DEMARYIUS THOMAS-den 25/1
- LUKE KUECHLY-car 25/1
- VONN MILLER-den 25/1
- EMMANUEL SANDERS-den 25/1
- TED GINN JR-car 25/1
- JOSH NORMAN-car 40/1
- COREY BROWN0-car 40/1
- RONNIE HILLMAN-den 50/1
- OWEN DANIELS-den 50/1
- DEVIN FUNCHESS-car 100/1
- GRAHAM GANO-car 100/1
- BRANDON McMANUS-den 100/1
- AQIB TALIB-den 100/1
- DEMARCUS WARE-den 100/1
- KURT COLEMAN-car 100/1
- DANNY TREVATHAN-den 200/1
- FIELD-all others 10/1
***Player must play
**In case of tie, winners will be divided by number of winners.
(Player must play.)
http://gty.im/506652258
Bet this on a riverboat…
TEAM TO USE COACHES CHALLENGE FIRST **(Official Challenges from the league are excluded)
- PANTHERS -110
- BRONCOS -110
Per Pro Football Reference, Gary Kubiak has 54 challenges in his career of 141 regular season games and only 19 were overturned. This season he challenged five plays, and just two were overturned.
Ron Rivera, on the other side, has 33 challenges in his career over 80 games with 15 overturned, and 14 attempts this season—nearly one per week—with nine overturned on appeal. Certainly play (and missed calls) will dictate the first challenge, but history says go with Ron.
http://gty.im/156046731
Quarterback Comparisons
WILL CAM NEWTON (CAR) THROW AN INTERCEPTION?
- YES -165
- NO +145
WILL PEYTON MANNING (DEN) THROW AN INTERCEPTION?
- YES -220
- NO +190
Clearly Vegas thinks Manning is more likely to throw an interception, and can anyone blame them? Manning threw 17 picks in 331 attempts during the regular season. Newton had 10 picks in 495 attempts.
TOTAL INTERCEPTIONS BY BOTH TEAMS
- OVER 1.5 -230
- UNDER 1.5 +195
Denver threw 23 interceptions this season to Carolina’s 10, while Carolina led the NFL in picks with 24 to Denver’s 14. In the post season, Carolina has six picks to Denver’s two, giving the teams a combined 44 on the season through 20 games.
Ironically, Newton has the only pick for either team in the playoffs, but clearly the money leans toward the over, which seems like the smart play.
http://gty.im/506648888
WILL LUKE KUECHLY (CAR) INTERCEPT A PASS?
- YES +210
- NO -250
WILL JOSH NORMAN (CAR) INTERCEPT A PASS?
- YES +270
- NO -330
Sure, Norman doesn’t have a ton of balls thrown his way, but these two bets are rather telling. Both players had four picks during the regular season. Kurt Coleman, who has better odds than Norman but not Kuechly, led Carolina with seven.
http://gty.im/491329478
Safe Sacks
TOTAL QB SACKS BY BOTH TEAMS
- OVER 5.0 -110
- UNDER 5.0 -110
The Broncos allowed 39 sacks in the regular season, or 2.4 sacks per game, while the Panthers surrendered 33, or 2.1 per game. Denver’s defense had a league-best 52 sacks, good for 3.25 per game, while Carolina was sixth with 44, or 2.75 per game.
So combined they gave up 4.5 and recorded 6, making the line of 5 sacks just about perfect. Through the playoffs, the teams have combined for 15 sacks in four games, or 3.75 per contest.
TOTAL SOLO & ASSISTED TACKLES BY: VON MILLER (DEN)
**(Sacks do not count, Defensive+Special teams solo+assisted tackles count)
- OVER 3.0 -110
- UNDER 3.0 -110
Sacks do not count. I’m surprised there isn’t one to see if Miller will have more sacks or tackles.
http://gty.im/502749700
Kicking
WILL THERE BE A MISSED EXTRA POINT KICK? **(If no TD is scored–all bets are refunded)
- YES +300
- NO -360
No team in the NFL this season missed more than four extra points all year. Denver missed just one and Carolina missed two. And yet, a missed extra point contributed to the outcome in the AFC Championship. Vegas is leaning heavily toward no misses, and it’s not worth the risk when even the worst team completed 88-percent of their kicks this season to take a 3-to-1 odds bet on a miss, nerves or not.
WILL FIRST KICKOFF BY BRANDON McMANUS (DEN) RESULT IN A TOUCHBACK?
- YES -200
- NO +175
If Carolina wins the toss and defers, it’s a solid lock that McManus will start the game with a touchback given the Super Bowl adrenaline rush, but if Denver receives the ball, there’s no telling how long it might be before McManus kicks off. That said, in his career he has 172 kickoffs and 119 touchbacks in the regular season and 15 kickoffs in the playoffs, with 12 touchbacks, albeit most at home in the thin air in Denver.
http://gty.im/502303816
Punt Props!
FIRST GROSS PUNT BY: BRAD NORTMAN (CAR) (If no punt—all bets are refunded) **Must be an official punt
- OVER 43.5 -130
- UNDER 43.5 +110
FIRST GROSS PUNT BY: BRITTON COLQUITT (DEN) (If no punt—all bets are refunded) **Must be an official punt
- OVER 43.5 -110
- UNDER 43.5 -110
The lesson here: punting is gross.
http://gty.im/506648114
Lots of scoring…but by both teams?
TOTAL TOUCHDOWNS BY BOTH TEAMS
- OVER 5.0 -130
- UNDER 5.0 +110
The money thinks this could be a high scoring affair, despite two top defenses. Carolina led the NFL in points per game this season with 31.2, including 59 touchdowns. Denver was 19th in points with 22.2 and 20th in touchdowns with 38. Still, as good as the defenses may be, that averages to more than 6 combined touchdowns per game.
LARGEST LEAD OF THE GAME BY EITHER TEAM
- OVER 13.5 -200
- UNDER 13.5 +175
This is screaming one thing: Vegas expects a blowout.
WILL THERE BE OVERTIME?
- YES +550
- NO -800
Because Vegas expects a blowout.
MORE POINTS
- PANTHERS–FIRST HALF POINTS +7.0 EVEN
- BRONCOS–FULL GAME POINTS -7.0 -120
MORE POINTS
- PANTHERS–FULL GAME POINTS -15.5 -110
- BRONCOS–FIRST HALF POINTS +15.5 -110
Blowout. Blow. Out. Blowout.
Random Points…
WILL THERE BE A SPECIAL TEAMS OR DEFENSIVE TOUCHDOWN?
- YES +155
- NO -175
This might be worth a play. Carolina had five defensive touchdowns on the season and Denver had five as well, plus one via return. In the playoffs, Carolina already has two pick sixes by Luke Kuechly, who will certainly be ball-hawking for a third if Peyton Manning throws up any lame ducks. (Over-under on bird analogies is through the roof.)
WILL THERE BE A SUCCESSFUL 2 POINT CONVERSION?
- YES +330
- NO -400
No. Do not bet yes. The answer is no. (Unless it’s yes.)
More Quarterback Props
TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PLAYERS TO HAVE A PASSING ATTEMPT **(2 Point conversions do not count)
- OVER 2.5 +175
- UNDER 2.5 -200
This is one of the quirkier bets this year. Is Vegas expecting an injury? There’s no chance Manning will be benched in the Super Bowl, or are we hedging on an Emmanuel Sanders or Ted Ginn trick play end around throw?
If you think a gadget play is in order, take the over. If you’re expecting to see Brock Osweiler in this game, you’re nuts.
TOTAL GROSS PASSING YARDS BY CAM NEWTON (CAR)
- OVER 238.5 -110
- UNDER 238.5 -110
TOTAL GROSS PASSING YARDS BY: PEYTON MANNING (DEN)
- OVER 235.5 -110
- UNDER 235.5 -110
TOTAL RUSHING YARDS BY CAM NEWTON (CAR) **(If no Rushing Attempt–Under is the winner)
- OVER 37.5 -110
- UNDER 37.5 -110
This seems low. Cam averaged 39.8 per game this year, though just 25 in the playoffs.
http://gty.im/462034511
WILL CAM NEWTON (CAR) SCORE A TOUCHDOWN?
- YES +140
- NO -160
Yes.
TOTAL COMPLETIONS BY: PEYTON MANNING (DEN) **(If no Completions–Under is the winner)
- OVER 21.5 EVEN
- UNDER 21.5 -120
I love the qualifier on this one. If no completions…
WILL PEYTON MANNING (DEN) SCORE A TOUCHDOWN?
- YES +1200
- NO -3500
This has to be a typo. Though perhaps not. In his career, Manning has 21 rushing touchdowns in 292 games. He doesn’t have a rushing touchdown since 2013, and hasn’t had one in the playoffs since 2006.
http://gty.im/460876642
Rushing Props
TOTAL RUSHING YARDS BY JONATHAN STEWART (CAR) **(If no Rushing Attempt–Under is the winner)
- OVER 66.5 -110
- UNDER 66.5 -110
Denver gave up just 83.6 yards per game this season, and under 66 during the playoffs.
TOTAL RUSHING+RECEIVING YARDS BY FOZZY WHITTAKER (CAR) **(If no Rushing Attempt–Under is the winner)
- OVER 5.5 -110
- UNDER 5.5 -110
This makes me sad. That you can bet on it, I mean.
TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PANTHERS TO HAVE A RUSHING ATTEMPT **(Conversions do not count)
- OVER 4.5 +130
- UNDER 4.5 -150
Cam, Stewart, Mike Tolbert. Check. To bet the over you’d have to be sure Whitaker will get a carry and someone else, perhaps Ted Ginn on an end around or a screen that’s really a lateral, gets a carry.
http://gty.im/458712924
MORE RUSHING YARDS
- CAM NEWTON (CAR) +21.5 -110
- C.J. ANDERSON (DEN) -21.5 -110
Even getting 21.5 yards…
TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BRONCOS TO HAVE A RUSHING ATTEMPT **(Conversions do not count)
- OVER 3.5 +190
- UNDER 3.5 -220
This is the easiest bet in the book. No Bronco other than Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson had more than 21 carries on the season and that was Brock Osweiler.
WILL EMMANUEL SANDERS (DEN) HAVE A RUSHING ATTEMPT?
- YES +270
- NO -330
These two props are tied together, because it’s not like Manning is expected to run, so you can still take the under on the rushers and yes on this. Call it a hunch, but, well, I have a hunch. Hunches are always wrong, by the way.
http://gty.im/457740466
Receiving Props
TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PANTHERS TO HAVE A PASS RECEPTION **(Conversions do not count)
- OVER 7.5 +155
- UNDER 7.5 -175
The money says to take the under, and that makes sense. Greg Olsen led the team with just 77 catches, followed by Ginn, Jerricho Cotchery, Devin Funchess and Philly Brown. No one else had more than 20 grabs all season, which means three others will have to catch at least one ball. That’s a lot of screens.
WILL DEMARYIUS THOMAS (DEN) SCORE A TOUCHDOWN?
- YES +160
- NO -180
WILL EMMANUEL SANDERS (DEN) SCORE A TOUCHDOWN?
- YES +140
- NO -160
It’s interesting that smarter money is on Sanders finding the end zone than Thomas, though neither seem to be getting ton of confidence.
TOTAL NUMBER OF DIFFERENT BRONCOS TO HAVE A PASS RECEPTION **(Conversions do not count)
- OVER 7.5 -175
- UNDER 7.5 +155
http://gty.im/495309224
Random fun
JERSEY NUMBER OF PLAYER TO SCORE FIRST TOUCHDOWN IN SUPER BOWL 50
- OVER 22.5 -130
- UNDER 22.5 +110
You can spend an hour on this and it will destroy your soul. Take the under, close your eyes and hope for the best.
NBA Props are the best
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- LEBRON JAMES (CLE) POINTS +1.5 -110
- SHORTEST MADE FIELD GOAL OF GAME -1.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- 76ERS 1ST QUARTER POINTS -5.5 -110
- BRONCOS FIRST DOWNS -5.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- LAKERS/SPURS MARGIN OF VICTORY +1.5 -110
- PANTHERS+BRONCOS FIRST HALF POINTS -1.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- KEVIN DURANT (OKC) POINTS -6.5 -110
- PEYTON MANNING (DEN) COMPLETIONS +6.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- RUSSELL WESTBROOK (OKC) POINTS+ASSISTS +2.5 -110
- CAM NEWTON (CAR) RUSHING YARDS -2.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- STEPHEN CURRY (GS) POINTS -4.5 -110
- PANTHERS POINTS +4.5 -110
All those props are from Saturday’s games. I’d take the NBA in all of them.
If you bet these, you have real, significant issues. Like, real. Get help. Also take the points.
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- ST LOUIS+ST BONAVENTURE POINTS -29.5 -110
- PEYTON MANNING (DEN) 1ST HALF GROSS PASSING YARDS +29.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- HOFSTRA FIRST HALF POINTS -13.5 -110
- BRONCOS POINTS +13.5 -110
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- RORY McILROY 4th ROUND # OF HOLES OVER PAR +0.5 -170
- QB SACKS BY BRONCOS DEFENSE -0.5 +150
Futbol v Football
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- JOZY ALTIDORE (USA) GOALS vs. CANADA PK +200
- CAM NEWTON (CAR) TOUCHDOWNS PK -240
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- ARSENAL GOALS PK -130
- PEYTON MANNING (DEN) TOUCHDOWN PASSES PK +110
This is the most depressing bet I can imagine for so many reasons.
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- NEYMAR (BARCELONA) GOALS PK -150
- CAM NEWTON (CAR) TOUCHDOWNS PK +130
Who will dance better? That’s the real bet.
WHO WILL HAVE MORE:
- ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC (PSG) GOALS PK +150
- PEYTON MANNING (DEN) INTERCEPTIONS PK -170
http://gty.im/506653240
Broadcasting Props (Via Oddshark):
HOW MANY TIMES WILL “DAB” OR “DABBING” BE SAID BY THE ANNOUNCERS DURING THE BROADCAST?
- Over 2 EVEN
- Under 2 -140
Jim Nantz will not say the word “dabbing” on television, so it’s up to Simms and the sideline reporters. I’ll say zero.
WILL THE ANNOUNCERS MENTION THAT KUBIAK WAS ELWAY’S BACKUP DURING THE BROADCAST?
- Yes +120
- No -160
Simms and Nantz? One hundred percent yes.
HOW MANY TIMES WILL THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE BE SHOWN DURING THE BROADCAST?
- Over 0.5 -300
- Under 0.5 +200
This is in-game only? If it’s in-game only I’ll take the under. If it’s including the pre-game I think it’ll be 500 times.
http://gty.im/454333416
WILL MIKE CAREY BE WRONG ABOUT A CHALLENGE?
- Yes +135
- No -175
Define wrong.
http://gty.im/492051020
WHICH SONG WILL COLDPLAY PLAY FIRST DURING THE HALFTIME SHOW?
- Adventure of a Lifetime +200
- Fix You +350
- A Sky Full of Stars +450
- Viva la Vida +500
- Clocks +750
- Head Full of Dreams +1000
- Paradise +1000
- Coldplay has more than one song?
http://gty.im/89081087
WHAT COLOR WILL BEYONCE’S FOOTWEAR BE WHEN SHE COMES ON STAGE FOR THE HALFTIME SHOW?
- Black +150
- Gold/Brown +250
- White +275
- Silver/Grey +475
- Any Other Color +700
Gold makes a lot of sense here, given the Super Bowl’s 50th anniversary. There’s no safe bet, but that’s not a bad one to take.
