The Patriots and Eagles also played in Super Bowl 39 in February 2005.
The Philadelphia Eagles opened at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas as the biggest Super Bowl underdog in almost 10 years. After the AFC and NFC Championship games on Sunday, the Las Vegas sportsbooks released their opening lines. The Eagles are a 5.5-point underdog to the defending champion New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Those who want to bet the New England Patriots should consider Bovada Sports, the world famous online sportsbook which has the Patriots as a 5-point favorite. Betting the Patriots are only give -5 at Bovada, which is a far cry from some of the Las Vegas sportsbooks.
Other Las Vegas sportsbooks have the Eagles as a 6-point or 6.5-point underdog, so it pays for sports bettors to find the betting line most advantageous to their pick in Super Bowl 52.
If the championship games are any indication, Philadelphia might have a better chance than one would expect. The Eagles defeated the Minnesota Vikings in a surprising 38-7 blowout on Sunday to advance to the Super Bowl. Philadelphia hosted the NFC Championship Game at Lincoln Financial Field, but were the rare home underdog in a title game, as the Vikings were 3-point favorites.
Tom Brady engineered a 4th Quarter comeback over the young, talented Jacksonville Jaguars earlier on Sunday, as the Patriots scored two 4th Quarter touchdowns to beat the Jags 24-20. If the Patriots win Super Bowl 52, it will be their third world championship in four years.
Bovada Super Bowl Moneyline and Prop Bets
As mentioned earlier, Bovada has the Patriots at -5 and the Eagles at +5. Those who want to make a moneyline bet at Bovada Sports can wager +160 on the Philadelphia Eagles and -180 on the New England Patriots as a moneyline bet. Once again, the -180 on the Patriots is one of the best moneyline bets you’ll find online on the Super Bowl favorites.
Bovada 48.5 Over/Under Bet
Bovada’s Over/Under bet is 48.5, which is a full point higher than most of the Las Vegas sportsbooks’ Over/Unders. Super Bowl games tend to have higher scoring, because players tend to have nerves during the games. Early on, that means offensive players might make mistakes that lead to defensive touchdowns, or special teams players make mental errors. Later in the games, the team that falls behind can make desperation plays that lead to big plays by the defense. Given the inherent drama of the game, momentum tends to play a larger role than it does in other games.
On the other hand, the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles have two of the Top 4 defenses in the NFL this year, so defensive play could dominate long stretches of the game. Also, Nick Foles is a backup quarterback, so he could be exposed in the game.
Bovada Super Bowl Prop Bets: National Anthem Bets
Bovada has several Super Bowl prop bets of note, including wagers on what Pink will do as she sings the National Anthem in the pre-game ceremonies. You can wager on whether Pink takes over 2 minutes or sings the National Anthem in under 2 minutes. Many singers take longer, because of the verbal gymnastics they like to perform. Pink seems more of a straight-ahead singer, so her National Anthem might not take as long as other recent performers.
Bovada Sports bettors also can wager on what color hair Pink will have. The options are White/Blonde (+125), Pink/Red (+175), Blue/Purple (+500), Brown/Black (+500), or Green (+500). Bettors also can wager on the Super Bowl coin toss, with heads or tails each being -105 betting options.
Bovada’s Super Bowl prop bets include which players will have the most yards passing, receiving, or rush. Eagles running back LeGarette Blount has a wager on whether he gets 29.5 yards rushing in the game. The bruising RB was a New England Patriot last year, but is now with the Eagles. Bettors also can wager on whether a defensive unit will score during the game.
Las Vegas Sportsbooks’ Super Bowl Odds
The Wynn Las Vegas sportsbook has the Patriots as a full -6.5-point favorite. Caesars Palace and the Station Casinos sportsbooks each have the Patriots as a solid -6 favorite. Those who prefer to be the Patriots might consider William Hill USA — which has 108 betting shops in Nevada — because William Hill’s odds have the Patriots as a -5 favorite.
Those who prefer the New England Patriots should consider the Wynn Las Vegas, while those who believe the Philadelphia Eagles will either win or keep the game close should consider on of the William Hill sportsbooks. Over the course of the next 12 days of wagering, the betting lines will move a bit. In that time, the differences in the betting lines could evaporate.
Super Bowl LII Over/Under
The over/under on the game sits at around 47.5 points at most Las Vegas sportsbooks. The Philadelphia Eagles scored 38 points in the NFC Championship against the Minnesota Vikings, who had the No. 1 defense in the NFL in 2017. That total was an outlier, because the Eagles scored a defensive touchdown, while Nick Foles had 5 plays over 30 yards. In his previous 4 games as the Eagles starter, Foles did not have 5 plays over 30 yards combined.
The New England Patriots played a hard-fought game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which they only scored 10 points in the first 3 quarters. Tom Brady engineered two long touchdown drives in the final 10 minutes of the game, after the Jags’ pass rushers began to tire. The Eagles have a solid pass rush, but have greater depth at the position than the Jags did. That might mean they can hold the score down better than the Jags, though 24 points against the Patriots vaunted offense is good.
New England Patriots: 5.5-Pt Favorite
As always, the New England Patriots have one of the best statistical offenses in the NFL this year, with Tom Brady still leading a potent passing attack at age 40. Brandin Cooks, Chris Hogan, and Danny Amendola provide a solid receiving corps, though All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowsky will have to pass the NFL’s concussion protocol to play Feb. 4 in the Super Bowl. Gronk missed the 2nd Half of the AFC Championship Game after taking a big hit to the head by Jags’ safety Barry Church.
The Patriots began the first month of the 2018 regular season with one of the worst rated defenses, as it rated 29th in scoring defense and 31st in yards allowed. From Week 5 onward, the Patriots have fielded the best scoring defense in the NFL. The Eagles will face a team with few weaknesses, despite a spate of injuries to the defense over the course of the season.
Philadelphia Eagles: Super Bowl Underdog
Like the Patriots, the Philadelphia Eagles were the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but the team lost its star quarterback to the Injured Reserve in the last month of the season. Many believed 2nd-year quarterback Carson Wentz would receive the NFL MVP this season, but when he suffered an ACL tear in a late-season showdown with the Los Angeles Rams, most figured the Eagles season was finished.
The team brings a Top 5 defense to the Super Bowl, as former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz has built an aggressive defense with a number of skilled pass rushers: Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Derek Barnett, and Chris Long at defensive end on the Fletcher Cox on the inside. The depth the Eagles have along the defensive line could be the edge the Eagles need, as the Jaguars’ top-rated pass rush seemed to wilt in the second half of the AFC title game. The New York Giants teams which beat Tom Brady in the 2008 and 2012 Super Bowls also had depth at the edge rushing positions.
Can Nick Foles Win a Super Bowl?
The main perceived weakness of the Eagles is quarterback Nick Foles. Foles is the backup to Carson Wentz, though he was a starter at various times for the Eagles and the St. Louis Rams in previous seasons. After the Eagles traded Foles to the Rams three seasons ago, he was seen as a failed starter in the NFL. After Wentz went on IR, Foles posted one solid game in the final month of the regular season.
In the NFC playoffs, Nick Foles has become one of only 5 NFL passers to post a quarterback rating of 100+ in his first two playoff starts ever. Foles has a solid set of receivers in Alshon Jeffrey, Nelson Agholor, and Zach Ertz, so he has weapons. Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount provide the Eagles with a 1-2 punch on the ground, while Corey Clement has provided a change of pace as a 3rd Down receiver. The Eagles offensive line, once considered a weakness, is now considered by some as the best O-line currently in the NFL.
Betting on the Super Bowl Favorite
Despite stars on both sides of the ball, the Eagles’ lack of a top-flight quarterback is seen as a huge weakness in the Super Bowl. That perception is not helped by the experience and accomplishments of the New England Patriots franchise. New England is the biggest favorite since the Arizona Cardinals opened as 7-point underdogs to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. The Cardinals nearly won that game after Larry Fitzgerald scored a touchdown late, but Ben Roethlisberger engineered a comeback with less than a minute left.
The betting favorite has covered in 33 of the 51 Super Bowls, though those numbers were skewed by a span of 15 years in the 1980s and 1990s when the NFC blew out the AFC champion most years.
Super Bowl LII Prop Bets
Super Bowl prop bets are a tradition for NFL bettors. This year, Las Vegas sportsbooks have over 400 prop bets on the Super Bowl, including bets on Super Bowl commercials, the singing of the National Anthem (Pink), and the Super Bowl halftime show (Justin Timberlake).
Super Bowl MVP Prop Bets
Tom Brady is the 4:5 favorite to win Super Bowl LII MVP. As one might expect, quarterback Nick Foles has the second best chance with 3:1 odds. Rob Gronkowski has 12:1 odds, making him the third best pick. Gronk is coming off a concussion, though, and receivers who do well often have a QB who did well, too.
For the Patriots, wide receiver Brandin Cooks has 18:1 odds, while Dion Lewis has 20:1 odds. Eagles running back Jay Ajayi and tight end Zach Ertz have 18:1 odds, while Alshon Jeffrey sits at 20:1. Eagles RB LeGarrette Blount has 40:1 odds, while defensive end Fletcher Cox has the same odds. Nelson Agholor, the Eagles second receive, has 50:1 odds.
As a general rule, it’s best to bet on a quarterback or a running back. The RB options do not include big stars this year, but still represent the best chances to have a breakout game. Once again, tight ends and wide receivers often are overshadowed by quarterbacks, unless they have superior games. Defensive players seldom win the MVP award, though it has happened a few times (Chuck Howley, Harvey Martin/Randy White, Larry Brown). Two of the last four years, defenders have won the award: Von Miller in 2016 and Malcolm Smith in 2014.
Prop Bet: Total Super Bowl Penalties
If you want to bet on the total number of penalties for each team, you can bet 6.5 as the over/under on the Eagles’ penalties or 5.5 as the over/under on the Patriots’ penalties.
Super Bowl Prop Bets on Other Sports
If you want to bet on the Super Bowl, but incorporate other sports, you can find a bets involving the NBA, NHL, or Winter Olympics. You can bet on whether Lebron James has more points in his February 3 game versus the Houston Rockets, or whether Nick Foles (-6.5) will throw more touchdown passes.
Bettors can wager on whether the Patriots or the Eagles will have more touchdowns than the Las Vegas Golden Knights (-0.5) will have Stanley Cup playoff wins this year. Those who like the Olympics can wager on whether the USA will win more gold medals or whether the combined point total in the 1st Quarter of the Super Bowl is greater. The Olympic medals are a -0.5 favorite.
Nevada sportsbooks took $138.4 million in action for Super Bowl LI in 2017 and can expect to have a bit more bet on the game this year. Super Bowl LII takes place this year at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
