Getty New England Patriots QB Tom Brady
It seems early Super Bowl bettors were impressed with what the New England Patriots and Tom Brady did in the AFC Championship Game. After knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime thanks to a stellar drive from Brady which was capped by a Rex Burkhead touchdown run, they were on their way to the big game. But New England wasn’t the early favorite, at least according to the opening point spread.
With a matchup between two high-scoring offenses in the Patriots and Los Angeles Rams set for the 2019 Super Bowl, it was the latter who was pegged as the early favorite. As Odds Shark revealed, the Rams were favored by -1.5 on Bet Online. Since that point, the line has drastically moved in just hours, with the popular belief being that Brady and company win yet another championship.
Let’s break down the latest odds and spread on the Super Bowl, as well as some insight into the matchup.
Latest Super Bowl 53 Odds: Patriots Become Favorites
*Note: All odds courtesy of Odds Shark with updates from Bet Online
| Current | Opening | |
| Point Spread/Odds | New England Patriots -2 (-104) | Rams -1.5 |
| Projected Total | Over/Under 58 (-105) | Over/Under 56 |
While this site has the line jumping to -2 in favor of the Patriots, others have them as -2.5 or even three-point favorites currently. It’s a huge move in just hours after New England’s overtime victory and shows what the public seems to think about Brady and company. Even beyond that, you can look at the fact that Odds Shark has 68 percent of the picks going in favor of the Patriots.
Both the AFC and NFC Championship Games featured wild finishes and plenty of drama. The Patriots grabbed a 14-0 halftime lead before Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes reeled off three touchdowns through a quarter and a half to follow. Over that span, New England managed just a field goal, giving Kansas City a fourth-quarter edge 21-17. After three late lead changes, Brady and the Patriots won the overtime coin toss and capped a 13-play, 75-yard drive with a game-winning score.
The Rams found themselves on the opposite side of things, trailing 13-0 after the first quarter before cutting the lead to 13-10 just prior to halftime. Sean McVay’s squad played catchup throughout the next two quarters before a Greg Zuerlein field goal tied the game with 15 seconds left. After a Drew Brees interception, Zuerlein capped off the comeback with a game-winner in overtime.
The ending between the Rams and Saints drew plenty of attention, though, as the officials seemingly missed a pass interference call on Los Angeles in the fourth quarter. If it had been called, the Saints would have had a first and goal with under two minutes to play. Instead, they had to settle for a field goal to take a 23-20 lead.
How Patriots & Rams Compare
All four teams who played in the two championship games this weekend ranked in the top four of the NFL for points per game. While the Chiefs (35.3 points per) come in at No. 1, the talk of this game will be the upside of both the Rams and Patriots offenses.
The Rams are the No. 2 scoring team in the NFL, averaging 32.9 points per game while the Patriots come in at No. 4 with an average of 27.3 points. Both offenses will be talking points, but the Los Angeles defense managing to hold Brees and the Saints offense to 23 points in the Superdome is a big deal.
As StatMuse shows, in seven regular-season home games this season Brees averaged 321.6 passing yards and three touchdowns per game with a 133.3 quarterback rating. The arrow seems to be pointing up for the Rams defense, although the Patriots also shutout Mahomes and the Chiefs through two quarters in the AFC title game.
Regardless, there’s a lot to talk about ahead of the Super Bowl, and this betting line will almost certainly move around quite a bit more.
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