Super Bowl XLVIII daily briefing: Betting lines moving, could lean in favor of Seahawks before game
Will we see the line get back to even money before it’s all said and done, or will the Broncos go an entire season and postseason as favorites?
Elsa
The betting lines have been remarkably consistent leading up to Sunday's big game. The Denver Broncos have been favored by about two points on most books, with a large portion of the money coming in on them. The Seattle Seahawks have been right around +2 on the books, though as noted on Friday, that line has been moving slightly.
Seattle eventually made its way to +2.5, and the action came in forcing it back down to +2. One has to wonder if there will be a sizable portion of folks going with Seattle near the betting deadline before the game. If you're a believer in the Seahawks, there are worse lines than +2, but if that action came in, they could easily drive this one back to even money.
The over/under also won’t stay put. There’s been a lot of action, forcing the over to 48.5 points, a full point above where it’s been. When it opened, it was at 50, but quickly fell down to 47 points.
Friday notes
Roger Goodell is a pretty good public speaker, but as David Fucillo noted on Friday, Goodell had some issues at the Super Bowl press conference. Goodell first faltered when asked about the Washington Redskins name, and he was clearly frustrated. Then, he sidestepped a question by San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis regarding healthcare after retirement, and a question regarding a potential stadium in Los Angeles. It wasn't a strong day for Goodell.
If you can’t tell, that’s two different links above. One is a post from Matt Ufford about Radio Row and the crazy, terrible, amazing place it happens to be. The other is by David Roth, about Super Bowl Boulevard, a monument to ... to something, really. To go any deeper would be a disservice to the picture each post paints, so check them out.
Prop bets are the best, and we’re going to keep talking to them. Our writers took a look at more prop bets on Friday, and some of them are pretty great. The best one is whether or not the announcing crew will use the phrase “12th man.”More accurately, there’s an over/under on how many times they’ll say it. At two times, we’re going with the over on this one. It’s just too obvious.
Then there's another weird one -- the jersey number of the first player to score a touchdown. Rather than narrow it down to specific players, the bet is an over/under on the number, which is 79.5. In other words, if you think it's a running back or a quarterback running it in, you bet the under. If you think it's a wide receiver for the Seahawks not named Percy Harvin, you bet the over. Simple, but weird.
One of the more intriguing bets is whether or not the game will go to overtime. A Super Bowl has never gone to overtime, meaning the betting lines are pretty lopsided. The game not going to overtime is the -1000 favorite, with a yes bet sitting at +600. There’s money to be made there ... someday. With somebody who is patient.
They're bound to talk about legalized marijuana in both Seattle and Denver, we should hear something about the 12th man, we'll talk about Omaha, Knowshon Moreno might cry and ... you can play SB Nation bingo. Yes, we've got bingo for all of the ridiculous things that we know will happen at some point during the Super Bowl broadcast. It's a good way to add fun to a game that probably doesn't feature your favorite team.
Injury report
Both teams announced their injury reports on Friday, and there are few surprises. For the Seahawks, wide receivers Doug Baldwin and Percy Harvin are listed as probable. Baldwin and Harvin are both expected to play without limitations. Harvin will be the most interesting to see, given that he has not played a complete game with the Seahawks since being acquired in the offseason.
For the Broncos, the biggest name remains Knowshon Moreno. The running back was overlooked this season due to the enormous year from quarterback Peyton Manning, but he was very good, regardless. He sustained a rib injury late against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. That said, Moreno is listed as probable on the report and is expected to start as normal.
Number of interest: 19
The Denver Broncos have been favored to win their matchups a whopping 19 times this season. If you haven’t been keeping track, that will encompass every game they’ve played this season, counting the playoffs and the upcoming Super Bowl. They have not been the underdog once this year and unless the line shifts dramatically before the game Sunday, they will go an entire season without the designation.
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