The Patriots hadn’t even officially stamped their ticket to Super Bowl XLIX when Pinnacle Sports started taking bets on the Pats’ matchup with the NFC champion Seahawks. That was in the first quarter of New England’s 45-7 beatdown of the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s AFC championship game. And it was only the beginning of the biggest two-week stretch of the year for NFL betting.
Here’s what you need to know about the point spread and over-under on the game:
Patriots-Seahawks Point Spread & Over-Under
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks are looking for their second straight title. (Getty)
When New England took an early lead over the Colts, the oddsmakers at Pinnacle tweeted that the Pats would be 2-point underdogs against Seattle.
The Pinnacle line briefly moved to Seattle by 3, but by the time New England was done dismantling Indianapolis 45-7, bettors were so impressed with the Pats that the line moved all the way to a pick-em, where it’s stayed ever since.
Pinnacle opened the over-under at 48.5. It ticked up a point to 49.5 before dropping back down to 49 in the final minutes of the Pats-Colts game.
The Westgate Las Vegas Super Book also came out with a line before the Pats-Colts game was over. The line at Westgate opened at Seahawks by 2 1/2, with an over-under at 48.5.
SB XLIX opening line
Seahawks -2.5 vs Patriots (total 48.5)
The Westage line, like the Pinnacle line, moved swiftly toward New England as the Pats ran out the clock on Indy, and was also a pick-em by the time the game was over.
SB XLIX line
Seahawks PICK vs Patriots (total 48.5)
As of Wednesday afternoon, the Patriots were 2-point favorites at Bovada, with an over-under of 48.5.
Odds on Player & Team Prop Bets
Marshawn Lynch is the most likely player to score two or three touchdowns in the Super Bowl. (Getty)
Bovada also has a long list of player and team prop bets.
Tom Brady, who already has two Super Bowl MVPs on his resume, is the favorite to win the honor this year, with odds of 8/5. Russell Wilson is next at 7/2, followed by Marshawn Lynch at 4/1, Rob Gronkowski at 9/1, LeGarrette Blount at 12/1 and Julian Edelman at 25/1.
You can also bet on who will score the first touchdown (Lynch is the favorite at 11/2), which players will score three touchdowns (Lynch is the favorite at 14/1) or two (Lynch at 3/1).
Bovada is even offering special bets on whether Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be suspended for his role in Deflategate.
A Super Bowl suspension is a massive longshot, with odds of +750 that the coach will be suspended and -1500 that he won’t be. You can also bet on whether Belichick will be suspended at least one game. On that bet, odds are +150 that he won’t be and -200 that he will be.
As far as team props are concerned: You can bet on everything from the coin toss (both who will win it and whether it will be heads or tails) to which team will score first and in which manner. There are also prop bets on the halftime score, the total number of touchdowns in each quarter and the longest and shortest touchdowns, among others.
Patriots-Seahawks Storylines
Rob Gronkowski celebrates with the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the Patriots’ finished off the Colts. (Getty)
The Seahawks-Patriots matchup features several intriguing storylines. Among them: Bill Belichick coaching against his predecessor in New England, Pete Carroll; and Tom Brady going for his fourth Super Bowl ring as Russell Wilson goes for his second.
The Super Bowl appearance is the sixth for Brady — the most ever for a starting quarterback. It’s the sixth Lamar Hunt Trophy for Brady and Belichick, who can cement their legacy as the greatest QB-coach duo in history with a win in Arizona. The win over Indy was also the 21st career playoff win for Belichick, moving him past Tom Landry for the most by a coach in postseason history. It would be the first title for the majority of Pats players, including Gronkowski, who played through an ankle injury during New England’s Super Bowl loss to the Giants in 2012.
Seattle, meanwhile, is in the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history and the second time in a row. The Seahawks are the first team since the 2003 and 2004 Patriots to play in back-to-back Super Bowls. They’ll look to become the first team since the Pats to win back-to-back titles, but will have to go through Brady and Co. to make that happen.
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