One of my favorite ways to get into the Super Bowl vibe is to clock the National Anthem. Yes, there’s a bet on how long the designated singer—in this case, Grammy Award-winning, New Orleans native Jon Batiste—will take to hit the final note of “…Home of the Brave.”
And yes, BetMGM has you covered here. The Over/Under on Batiste’s rendition is 120.5 seconds, a tick over two minutes.
Understand that eight of the last 12 Super Bowl Anthems have gone Over the set total, including Reba McIntyre’s 94-second rendition last year that cracked her total of 87.5 seconds.
At least one analyst—Douglas Farmer of Covers.com—has gone deep on this bet. He advocates going Under that 120.5-second total. Farmer bases this on Batiste’s two previous Anthems: a 1-minute 46-second rendition at the 2017 U.S. Open and a brisk 1:29 at the 2017 NBA All-Star Game.
The danger here is that, being in his hometown, singing the Anthem at the most-watched sporting event on the American calendar, Batiste freelances and adds a few musical flairs to his version. But taking the Under here comes with plus-money: BetMGM has this at +115.
There are encyclopedias of Super Bowl prop bets. We delve into three of them, along with a total that remains stubborn despite a cascade of money on one side.
We’ll Take Two—Twice
Philadelphia kicker Jake Elliott hasn’t been the most automatic kicker this season. He’s hit 77.8 percent of his field-goal tries. That’s his worst percentage since he connected on 73 percent in 2020.
But what’s worse than a sub-80 percent figure on field goals? How about a 12-of-27 postseason mark on extra points?
That’s where we’re going here. Should Elliott—who in fairness, was 47-for-48 in extra points during the season—miss, the Eagles will be chasing points. And who better to chase the deuce than the team with the Brotherly Shove?
Someone’s going for two in this game, especially with the tight point spread. But the approach here is to bet a full unit on the attempt and a half-unit on whether an attempt will be successful. That way, you’re guaranteed a profit the moment someone tries for two.
Best Bet: There will be a two-point attempt (+100) and it will be successful (+275). Both at BetMGM
Back to Butker
We went here last year with Kansas City kicker Harrison Butker and were rewarded for our faith when he drilled a 57-yarder at the end of the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 25-22 victory. So why not a return trip to this reliable prop?
One of the most accurate kickers in NFL history (88.6 percent), Butker was an uncharacteristic 2-of-5 from beyond 50 yards this year. Uncharacteristic, because he’s 30-for-45 from that distance for his career.
No matter. We’ll take our chances here again. Especially since Elliott was 1-for-7 from that distance this year—and 0-for-1 in the postseason. His longest this year was 50 yards. In an era of howitzer-footed kickers, that barely registers.
Best Bet: Kansas City to make the longest field goal (-130 at Caesars)
Take the Over, Leave the Under
In the Pros v. Joes world of wagering, the Over almost always takes the most public money. People want to see stuff happen, as evidenced by the fact 80 percent of the wagers and 79 percent of the handle is on the Over. And yet, the total opened at 48, went up to 49.5, then settled at 49.
But the Joes could be headed to the window. Because, fortunately for those people, history—and these two teams—promise stuff happening.
Five of the last seven Super Bowls played indoors went Over. During the postseason, the Over has gone 37-18-0 in domed stadiums since 2003. Look at last week’s games, where both teams blew past their totals—playing outdoors. The Eagles and Commanders combined for 78 points; the Chiefs and Bills, 61.
Fantasy football players who loaded up on Patrick Mahomes and Co. were disappointed because Kansas City averaged a meh (for it) 22.6 points a game. And yet, the Chiefs proved they could reel off points when they needed to—as illustrated by the 32 they rolled up against the Bills. The Eagles, meanwhile, scored 105 points in three playoff games this postseason.
These two boast good defenses. They’ll be afterthoughts here.
Best Bet: Over-49 (-110 at Caesars)
X Marks the Spot
One trademark of this current Chiefs’ team is the armada of runners they roll out every game. Last year, it was Isiah Pacheco carrying much of the load, but after an early-season broken fibula slowed Pacheco’s violent running style—limiting him to seven games and only 310 yards—head coach Andy Reid has gone to a committee.
A member of that committee is none other than wide receiver Xavier Worthy. Yes, wide receiver Xavier Worthy. The fastest man in the NFL had two carries for 16 yards in the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory over the Bills. For the season, he had 104 yards on 20 carries—a 5.2-yard-per-carry and 6.1-yard-per-game average.
All it takes is one jet sweep or end around and Worthy’s speed does the rest.
Best Bet: Xavier Worthy Over 6.5 rushing yards (-110 at Caesars)
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