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Covering the Football Spread at Super Bowl 50

February 3, 2016 by  
Filed under Handicapping, NFL Football

football Super Bowl

The top two football teams will be playing each other during Super Bowl 50 this year, giving the Carolina Panthers the chance to win their first championship title in franchise history. They will be facing the Denver Broncos, and it is promising to be a great match-up. Sportsbooks have already been giving the Panthers a good point spread to beat, as it began at -3 and has gone up to -6. Let’s see what each team has to do to beat the spread.

Panthers Covering the Spread

The Panthers have a great team, not only thanks to Cam Newton and their dominating offense, but it doesn’t hurt to have one of the top defenses in the league as well. This combination has helped them go on the 17-1 record they currently have. Interesting stat would be that they have an average margin of victory of 13 points per game, the highest among all teams. This means even if they get a little more than half of their average, they would beat the Broncos by a 7-point difference, which would more than cover the spread.

Broncos Covering the Spread

The Panthers 7-point difference is a conservative handicap as the Broncos defense is the best in the league, and has been holding teams to 18.5 points per game on average, so they could keep the Panthers offense in check, enough to limit their scores. Their offense may not be the best, as Peyton Manning is not playing as he used to, but they have been able to beat big teams throughout the season, including the New England Patriots twice.

Holding an impressive offense to so few points will certainly give them the advantage when it comes to keeping the score close, which is how the Broncos will be able to beat the spread; even if they don’t win straight-up.

Betting Trends

Some trends that may interest you:

  • The Total has gone under in 5 out of 7 of the Panthers last games.
  • The Broncos are 5-1 SU and 5-0-1 ATS in their last six games as underdogs.
  • The Broncos are 9-2 SU in their last 11 games after a victory as underdogs.
  • The Total has gone over in six of the Broncos last Super Bowl football appearances.