Most sportsbooks have adjusted their lines following the NFL Draft, a major event that sees nearly all of the major sports leagues cancel sporting events for the day. It’s only fair to assume that a large percentage of bettors bet on the Super Bowl as well, given the popularity of the game and the fact that it’s one of the few occasions when sports fans can gather around their TV sets around the world.
The WJN crew was curious about how many people were backing the favorite team in the Super Bowl. To find out, we submitted a survey to our email list, which boasts over 40,000 subscribers. The results are interesting and may open your mind to different betting strategies in the future.
The Results
Here are the results of our survey:
The survey results suggest that the vast majority of NFL fans are backing the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The Patriots are 3/1 odds to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the biggest game of the year. Interestingly, the over/under for the game is also 3.5, which seems pretty close to the over/under for the game between the Patriots and the Houston Texans last weekend (3.6). If you’re unfamiliar, the over/under is the total amount of points that will be scored by both teams combined. So if you bet on the over, you are saying that you think that the total will be higher than the line. If you bet the under, you are saying that you think the total will be lower than the line.
Other popular teams in the AFC include the Baltimore Ravens (5/1), the Pittsburgh Steelers (7/1), the Jacksonville Jaguars (7/1), and the Buffalo Bills (12/1). Odds for the Super Bowl are available from most sportsbooks. You can also get them from BettorsBox.com or from any reputable bookmaker. The NFC favorite is the Dallas Cowboys (2/1), with the Philadelphia Eagles (3/1) and the Minnesota Vikings (6/1) also receiving a large number of votes.
Why The Patriots?
It’s well-established that the Patriots are one of the most popular teams in all of sports. That passion for the green and gold is what led to this year’s Super Bowl being dubbed “The Patriots’ Revenge.” The New England Patriots are 9/1 favorites to win Super Bowl LI. They are three points stronger than the next closest team, the Houston Texans. This is an enormous jump from last year’s game, when the Patriots were underdogs against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The NFL season is over a half-way done, so it’s time for teams to settle their differences on the field in order to prove who is the best. For most teams, this will mean one thing: the Super Bowl. While most fans will be pulling for the underdog story of the Miami Dolphins, who are 6/1 to beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, it’s hard not to have interest in seeing the Patriots take revenge on their opponents.
As we mentioned above, the over/under for the game is also three points stronger than last year. The reason for this is simple: the lines have adjusted following a run of successful bets for the Patriots. Before the season began, the Patriots were only 4/1 to win the Super Bowl. Since then, they have won four out of five games in sequence, which resulted in their odds going up in all markets.
More On The Patriots
One reason the Patriots are such a popular team is because they always seem to find a way to win. In the Super Bowl this year, the Patriots will be attempting to win their sixth Super Bowl title in franchise history. Only the Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers have more wins in the Super Bowl than New England. Since 2000, the Patriots have a record of 173-83-2 in the big game. They have won 11 out of the last 12 Super Bowls, which is a remarkable feat.
Another reason the Patriots are popular is that they always seem to find a way to win. In their most recent game, the Patriots defeated the Steelers 28-24 in one of the closest Super Bowls ever. In fact, the touchdown pass that secured the win for New England was caught by wide receiver Julian Edelman, who caught eight passes for 137 yards and a touchdown in the game.
The New England Patriots are currently ranked number 2 in our power ranking of the top 10 teams in the NFL. They are one of the most balanced teams in the league, ranking fifth in all of football in both points scored and allowed. Through the first quarter of the season, the Patriots are 24th in total rushing yards and 24th in total points scored. It is safe to assume that these numbers will rise as the season progresses.
As for their quarterback, Tom Brady, he is one of the most popular NFL players of all time. He is a five-time Super Bowl winner and an eight-time champion. He has won 79.8% of his games. These stats speak for themselves. It seems that no matter what happens this season, the fans of New England still have faith in Brady. Their quarterback will be looking to make it seven wins in a row when the Super Bowl comes around.
Brady is not the only player that the fans have faith in though. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks and running back Dion Lewis, the team’s top two receivers and runners, have both had very good years, contributing to New Englands’ success. In his first season with the team, Lewis had 573 yards and six touchdowns on 101 carries. He also caught 15 passes for 210 yards and two scores. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks had a similar year, totaling 506 yards and four touchdowns on 69 catches and 18 carries for 123 yards and a score. These players will be looked upon to repeat their performance in the biggest game of the year. The Super Bowl is always a popular event, but this year it is even more so.
The Underdog Story
While most fans will be pulling for the underdog story of the Miami Dolphins, who are 6/1 to beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, it’s hard not to have interest in seeing the underdog triumph this year.
Last year, the Super Bowl saw its largest audience in 25 years. An estimated 111.3 million people watched the game, and that was just in the United States. Considering that this year’s game will be played in Houston, which has an estimated population of 39.7 million, it is safe to assume that many more people will be tuning in to see the ultimate show.
The underdogs of last year’s Super Bowl, the Carolina Panthers, were heavy favorites, as they were named the NFC favorite (3/1) and were the top seeded team in the conference. The Panthers started off strong, winning their first four games, including two against the New England Patriots. However, they faded down the stretch, going 4-6 after that. In the end, they fell short of the playoffs, losing their final three games of the year, two of which were against teams that made the playoffs. The oddsmaker’s take: if they want to return to the big game, they will have to work hard all season long.
The 2016 season was a tale of two games, with the Atlanta Falcons defeating the New England Patriots in Week 3 and the Pittsburgh Steelers knocking off the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, which ended up being the only games that mattered. The Falcons beat the Patriots in Foxboro, MA by a score of 42-37. It was the closest the two teams had been in a decade. The game was so exciting that it attracted a record breaking audience of 111.3 million people, which was nearly as many people as watched the entire 2013 NFL season. Most bookmakers adjusted their lines after the game, with the Patriots being a huge -600 favorite to win the game. The over/under for the game increased from 7.5 to 8.5 points, which was the largest increase in a Super Bowl game in history.
The Rams, on the other hand, defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the final game of the year, which was also the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history. The two teams had been ranked 1-2 in our power ranking, with the Steelers being the top-ranked team going into the game. The underdog Rams shocked the world, knocking off the number one seeded Steelers in a 41-36 win. The underdogs had to cover the spread in the biggest game of their lives. Most bookmakers had the Rams as 2/1 favorites to beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl, with the over/under increasing from 7.5 to 9 points. The final score was a lot closer than the betting odds would have you believe. The game was tied 35-35 with just over a minute left to play. The Steelers missed a field goal, giving the Rams the win and sending shockwaves around the sports world.