Take this Super Bowl prop bet before the odds change
With Super Bowl LVI quickly approaching, sports bettors across the world are searching for any edge they can find to turn a profit on Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams (-4.5) are currently listed as the favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals with the total set at 48.5. While most bettors have likely made up their minds […]
With Super Bowl LVI quickly approaching, sports bettors across the world are searching for any edge they can find to turn a profit on Sunday. The Los Angeles Rams (-4.5) are currently listed as the favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals with the total set at 48.5. While most bettors have likely made up their minds on which side they will be playing in this year’s big game, there is one trendy prop bet on BetMGM that has been gaining steam this week.
New users: Download the BETMGM Sportsbook app and use code ATOZ200 and place a $10 moneyline wager on either team for Sunday’s big game and win $200 dollars when a single touchdown is scored.
Outcome of opening kickoff: Return Attempt (-120)
Just like ripping off a Band-Aid, betting on the opening kickoff will hopefully be fast and pain free.
Since 1994, the opening kickoff has failed to result in a touchback in a stunning 26 of the last 28 Super Bowls (92.9%). With the amount of nerves and jitters that come in the opening minutes of this game, it is easy to imagine returners letting the ball sail through the back of the endzone. But the data says otherwise.
Those who are skeptical of this trend might point toward the kickoff being moved up from the 30-yard-line to the 35-yard-line in 2011 in an effort to cut down on returns and the injuries that come with them. However, since the rule change, opening kickoffs have featured just two touchbacks in the last 10 Super Bowls.
Rams K Matt Gay and Bengals K Evan McPherson have made a habit out of drilling clutch kicks this season, but those numbers should be thrown out when it comes to kickoffs. Gay led the NFL in kickoffs this season, but his touchback percentage (63.7%) ranked 15th among the league’s kickers. McPherson recorded touchbacks at a slightly lower rate of 60.4%.
It was prior to last year’s Super Bowl XLIV when former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee, who also handled kickoff duties, put the world on notice:
“There isn’t normally a touchback on the opening kickoff because the ball is a brand new ball…that ball goes immediately to the Hall of Fame right after the kick, so it is not beat to hell and back for 30 minutes by an equipment manager,” said McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show.
While betting on the opening kickoff should not be a normal practice, the money comes in just as green as it would on the winning side in Super Bowl LVI. With this prop bet making waves across the internet, it is best to get in while there is still some value left as the odds are sure to change as the big game draws nearer.
Featured image via Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports
