Does the Tight Betting Line Tell the Truth About Super Bowl XLIX?
We’re just days away from Super Bowl XLIX and anticipation is definitely building for the biggest sporting event of the year.
With two seemingly equally-matched teams squaring off, experts are having a hard time figuring out who’s the favorite between the two. This sportsbook’s betting line on the Super Bowl has the Patriots as slight favorites at -1.5 to win the Vince Lombardi trophy this coming weekend.
Are we being fooled, though, to think that this Super Bowl is going be a tight ballgame? Have we seen this script before? Here are a couple scenarios in which this game will turn into a massive blowout instead of the close contest most experts are forecasting.
Seattle’s defense shows up again
Entering Super Bowl XLVIII, many were expecting Denver to trample Seattle’s defense. With Peyton Manning at the helm of the league’s best offensive team, there was absolutely no way the Broncos would lose the game. Wrong! Seattle, who entered the game as 2.5-point underdogs, ended up covering the spread by 37.5 points, beating the Broncos 43-8 in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls in history.
The core of that defensive unit is back for another crack at the Super Bowl title. No team in the league has been better defensively than the Seahawks the past couple of seasons. With Seattle declared the underdogs once again, that might be the motivation Seattle needs in delivering another blowout win.
New England’s balanced unit
Much has been said about the Patriots’ role in the ongoing Deflategate scandal but one thing that can’t be denied is their domination on the offensive end this postseason. The Patriots are averaging 40 points per game in this year’s playoffs, the best mark in the entire league.
It’s New England’s defense, however, that makes a huge Patriots win totally possible. The Patriots are No. 1 in scoring defense this postseason, allowing just 19 points per game. The Patriots will fancy their chances of stopping a Seattle team that struggled mightily against Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game last week.
