Also available in
Super Bowl 52 is scheduled to take place at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Sunday, Feb. 4. Traditionally, the Super Bowl is the most bet upon sporting event of the year.
Super Bowl 52 figures to be yet another fantastic betting event. Sports handicappers all over the world are already planning their Super Bowl 52 wagers. Keep reading for highlights of last season’s Super Bowl as well as current Super Bowl odds. I also add betting suggestions.
2017 Super Bowl Highlights
The favorite going into Super Bowl 51 was none other than the New England Patriots. New England entered the Super Bowl as a -3-point favorite. Most Super Bowl betting handicappers took the 3 points. It made sense.
The 2016 Atlanta Falcons had the absolute best offense in the NFL. Not only that, but the Falcons sported an underrated defense. Atlanta had won 5 out of their last 6 games of the regular season. The Falcons had beaten the Seattle Seahawks 36 to 20 in the Divisional Round. In the NFC Championship Game, the Falcons had beaten Green Bay 44 to 21.
New England had beaten Houston 34 to 16. The Patriots had taken down Pittsburgh 36 to 17. Pitt was a decent team. But, nobody was going to confuse Houston with Seattle or Green Bay last season. New England didn’t appear nearly as battle tested as the Atlanta Falcons.
Why not lay money on Atlanta?
Early on in Super Bowl 51, it sure appeared as if backing the Falcons was the right thing to do. Atlanta jumped out to a 21 to 3 halftime lead. By the end of the third quarter, the score was Falcons 28, New England 9.
The Patriots had to rally for 19 points just to put the game into overtime. What happened? Due to terrible play-calling when the Falcons had the ball on offense, Atlanta left the door cracked open. All Tom Brady needed to do was rally his team to the inevitable tie.
Then, Brady rallied his team to 6 points in the first possession in overtime. That ended Super Bowl 51. The final score was New England 34, Atlanta 28. Not only had the Patriots won the game straight up after the most impressive comeback in NFL history, they had also covered the spread.
Going into the 2018 NFL Divisional Round, the New England Patriots are a less than 2 to 1 favorite to win Super Bowl 52. Can the Pats do it? If the Pats can’t do it, who figures to stand in their way?
Super Bowl Odds – Betting on Super Bowl 52
**All odds after Wildcard Weekend on Jan.6 and Jan. 7
Most of the money has gone to the Patriots. The upsets that happened during the NFL Wildcard Weekend only added to the love already shown the Pats. New England has dived to 7/4 favoritism. The Patriots are massive favorites to win Super Bowl 52. The next closest team? The Minnesota Vikings at 15/4. Below, I list odds for all teams along with pros and cons.
New England Patriots 7/4
Pros: The positives are obvious. First, there’s QB Tom Brady. Brady, by many accounts, is the absolute best quarterback to ever play in the NFL. Brady had a fantastic season. He threw 32 TD passes to only 8 interceptions. His completion percentage was 66.3%. His QB rating came out to 102.8.
Second, the Patriots have the best coach in NFL history. Bill Belichick has won 5 Super Bowls, all with Tom Brady. Belichick has a way of getting the best out of unsung players. The Patriots are the only dynasty that the NFL has seen in the past 20 years.
Cons: The biggest con is that the Pats’ defense gives up a ton of passing yards. Although the Pats only allow 18.5 points per, they allow 251.2 passing yards per game. That ranks 30th in the NFL. The Patriots rush defense isn’t all that stellar either. It allows over 114 rushing yards per.
But, as bad as the Patriots’ defense can be, the real reason to think twice about backing New England is due to the unsubstantiated, but believable, rumors that the Patriots are suffering from infighting. Supposedly, owner Robert Kraft ordered Belichick to trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo.
Infighting won’t work when you’re trying to win back-to-back Super Bowls. Oh, yeah, trying to win back-to-back Super Bowls is itself a con. No team has done it since the Patriots in 2004 and 2005.
Minnesota Vikings 15/4
Pros: Based on yards allowed per game, the Minnesota Vikings have the best defense in the NFL. The Vikings allow 275.9 total yards per game on average. That ranks first in the league. Minnesota also ranks first in points allowed per game at 15.8.
The Vikings offense averages 23.9 points per game. That ranks 10th in the NFL. Journeyman QB Case Keenum has been a revelation this season. He’s thrown for 3,547 yards, and 22 TD passes to only 7 interceptions. He also completes over 67% of his passes.
Cons: It’s difficult to know how well Case Keenum is going to perform in the playoffs. Although he looked great during the regular season, the Vikings played in one of the worst divisions in football, the NFC North. Stopping Green Bay QB Brett Hundley and Chicago rookie QB Mitch Trubisky is much different than having to face Drew Brees and possibly Matt Ryan.
Pittsburgh Steelers 6/1
Pros: WR Antonio Brown should be healthy. Big Ben Roethlisberger is a different quarterback with Antonio on the field than he is with Antonio off the field. Coach Mike Tomlin is one of the best in the NFL. He’ll get his fellas ready for the rigors that come with the NFL Playoffs.
Cons: Pittsburgh’s defense showed signs of wear and tear towards the end of the regular season. The Steelers allowed Green Bay to score 28 points without QB Aaron Rodgers. Baltimore racked up 38 points versus the Steelers’ D. New England got 27. Cincinnati and their bad offensive line scored 20. Heck, even Cleveland got to 24.
How good is Pitt’s D?
New Orleans Saints 13/2
Pros: QB Drew Brees completed 72% of his passes this season. That’s another NFL record. Coach Sean Payton won the Super Bowl, with Brees as his QB, in 2010. The defense is much improved from last season. The rushing game is fantastic with both Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram able to carry the football.
Cons: Injuries. The Saints might not have OT Andrus Peat for their Divisional Round game against the Minnesota Vikings. If they don’t, New Orleans might have trouble unleashing their vaunted rushing attack.
Atlanta Falcons 8/1
Pros: The Atlanta Falcons’ defense has gelled. In Week 17, the Atlanta Falcons defense held Carolina to 10 points in a 22 to 10 Falcons win that sent ATL to the playoffs. Atlanta then beat the L.A. Rams, who usually score around 30 points per game, to 13 points in a 26 to 13 Atlanta win during Wildcard Weekend.
Cons: The biggest con is that QB Matt Ryan and offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian still don’t appear to be on the same page. Some of the calls against the Rams in the wildcard win were suspect. In fact, Atlanta didn’t get their rushing attack gong until one of the Rams top defensive linemen, Michael Brockers, left the game.
Philadelphia Eagles 12/1
Pros: The Eagles have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. They’ve been the most consistent team in the NFL on both offense and defense this season.
Cons: First, the Eagles must start their backup QB, Nick Foles, in every playoff game. QB Carson Wentz got hurt late in the regular season. Second, the Eagles’ D fell apart towards the end of the regular season. Third, Philly isn’t battle tested. The Eagles played against 3 playoff teams. Their most impressive win was beating Carolina 28 to 23 on the road in Week 6.
Jacksonville Jaguars 16/1
Pros: Jacksonville’s defense is as solid as it gets. The Jags allow around 170 passing yards per game. That means the D matches up well with every team in the AFC.
Cons: At times, Jacksonville’s offense can be a mess. At least QB Blake Bortles doesn’t force the ball the way he did last season. That’s a positive. Still, Bortles can be up or down. When it comes to crunch time, it’s difficult to count on the guy.
Tennessee Titans 40/1
Pros: QB Marcus Mariota is the main positive for the Tennessee Titans. Mariota might have become an elite quarterback after engineering the 22 to 21 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs during Wildcard Weekend. I also believe RB Derrick Henry has success against the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round.
Cons: The defense can get sloppy. If the Titans’ defensive players are out of position once against Tom Brady and the Pats, Terrific Tom will make them pay.
Betting Suggestions for Super Bowl 52
It’s impossible to take the short odds on the Patriots and the Vikings. Both teams must get over a couple of things that can hurt them. New England must get past history. Vikings’ QB Case Keenum must be amazing in the playoffs against much stiffer competition.
Pittsburgh is a throw-out because Big Ben faces the Jaguars’ defense this weekend. The Jaguars picked off Ben 5 times in Week 5. The Jags blasted Pitt 30 to 9. Pittsburgh versus Jacksonville could just be a bad match up for the Steelers.
That leaves New Orleans, Atlanta, Philly, Jacksonville, and Tennessee. I can’t see the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl with Nick Foles as their QB. Philly’s a throw out. I can’t see Jacksonville winning the Super Bowl with Blake Bortles as their QB. The Jags are a throw out.
That leaves the Saints, Titans, and Falcons. The Titans are a must play because the odds are ridiculous. Tennessee only needs to win 3 straight to win Super Bowl 52. Plus, they might have the next great NFL QB in Marcus Mariota.
Who do I like out of the Saints and Falcons? I prefer the Saints because if they face the Falcons in the NFC Championship, it’s going to be in the Dome. But, I can’t argue against anyone who backs the Atlanta Falcons because Atlanta’s defense has been incredible.
I’m going to put some dollars on the New Orleans Saints to win Super Bowl 52. I’ll also put less money on the Tennessee Titans. Who knows? Mariota could be that good.
Also available in
