America’s Line: Super Bowl Betting Recap

The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers did not disappoint football fans Sunday night – unless those fans had the Steelers to cover at +3 in Super Bowl XLV.

The Packers claimed their first Super Bowl title in 14 years with a 31-25 victory over the Steelers, giving Cheeseheads their fourth straight ATS win of the playoffs.

The final score played well OVER the 44.5-point total listed at most sportsbooks, letting over/under bettors breathe easy for the majority of the fourth quarter once Packers WR Greg Jennings caught an eight-yard TD pass from QB Aaron Rodgers for his second score of the game.

Three turnovers from Pittsburgh’s offense were the deciding factors, including a 37-yard interception return TD from Green Bay safety Nick Collins in the second half which put the Packers up 14-0. That defensive score paid off for any NFL prop bettors who took “Yes” at +145 on the “Will there be a special teams or defensive TD” prop wager.

Other notable prop bets that came through were Jordy Nelson’s first TD of the game, which paid +1,400, Hines Ward at +650 to score the first TD for Pittsburgh, and Rodgers to win MVP at +175.

For those who wagered on the more whacky props, Fergie’s skirt during the halftime show paid out at even money, Christina Aguilera's butchered version of the national anthem ran four seconds over the 1-minute, 50-second total, and Mike McCarthy’s Gatorade shower was orange, which paid out at +250.

And the coin toss, perhaps the most even wager in all of sports betting, was won by the Packers after Pittsburgh called Tails but the coin came up Heads, giving the NFC its 14th straight Super Bowl coin toss victory.

Looking ahead to next season, oddsmakers have set the New England Patriots as +500 favorites for Super Bowl XLVI. The Pats have a lot to overcome, including an aging Tom Brady. Green Bay is at +600 to repeat as champs, while the Steelers are listed at +800.

Other notables among the Super Bowl XLVI futures are the Chargers, Jets, and Ravens, all priced at +1,200, the Falcons, Saints, Giants, and Eagles at +1,500, and the Colts, Cowboys, and Bears at +1,800.