On Sunday, February 7th the top two seeds, the NFC’s Carolina Panthers (17-1) and the AFC’s Denver Broncos (14-4) will go head to head in the Super Bowl 50 hosted at the Levis Stadium. In Super Bowl 50 betting, the Panthers opened as favorites, but many are rooting for the Broncos to bring home the title.
Previously, the Panthers demolished the Arizona Cardinals 49-15 emerging as three point favorites in the NFC championship game. However, the Denver Broncos are desperately trying to recover after the crushing 43-8 defeat at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks as the 2 point favorites two years ago in the Super Bowl.
Point spread: The Panthers opened as 3.5-point favorites; the total was 44 early in the week, according to offshore giant Bookmaker.eu. who also predict a 25-20 Panthers win for for Super Bowl 50.
Bettors quickly jumped on Carolina, moving the line to -6 and pushing the total up to 45 according to John Lester, Senior Lines Manager at Bookmaker.eu:
“we’re seeing the majority of the action on Carolina, with 83% of bets on that side currently and 69% of the money there, forcing us to move the Panthers to -6”
Reasons Why the Panthers Will Cover Super Bowl Spread
The Carolina Panthers are Cam Newton’s team and they possess the top defense line in the entire NFL. This amazing combination has many people comparing them to the invincible Seahawks team that destroyed the Broncos and Peyton Manning in the last Super Bowl.
Cam Newton, just like the Seattle’s Russell Wilson, is very dangerous with his arm, as well as his feet. During the regular NFL season, his 45 touchdowns which included an impressive 35 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns led the NFL in the last season.
Defensively speaking, Carolina may be the underdogs in this aspect as Denver gets much more media coverage in terms of being the top ranked unit. The Panthers have 8 sacks in the post-season, compared to seven of the Broncos.
Moreover, linebacker Thomas Davis, who had suffered an injury on his arm, recovered and was declared fit to play this game. Overall, the Panthers have been the best team in the NFL during this season, covering the NFL spread in the 13 out of 18 games played until now.
Reasons Why the Broncos Will Cover Super Bowl Spread
Even though the Denver players have many bad memories of the game against Seattle, the Broncos have improved drastically in the area of defense alongside their expert coaching staff.
Head coach Gary Kubiak was successful in accomplishing something that he could not accomplish with the Houston Texans – winning two playoff games and reaching the Super Bowl, and he is surely out to prove that he can lead the team to victory in the Vince Lombardi Cup against the formidable Carolina.
Over the last few games, the Broncos have thrived under their coach Kubiak and have gone straight from 5-1 up to 5-0-1 against the spread. Peyton Manning is exemplifying that fact more than any other player with his poor form. Many people are counting him out of the game this post season, which has probably been his worst single year in the NFL.
However, Manning has taken this criticism in stride and has embraced the position of Game manager, therefore effectively limiting his risks and his mistakes in the process. The Broncos also have the national football league’s best defense line. This really ups the Broncos Super Bowl chances. Many feel and are very much hopeful that this could be the deciding factor underlining the victory of the Broncos in the Super Bowl.
Expert Pick in Super Bowl Betting
Even though Carolina is the obvious better team, many people will be surely rooting for the Denver Broncos’ Manning to finish his career off with a beautiful victory and to bring home the coveted elite Super Bowl 50 title home to Denver.
Even though the Panthers do not have a good defense line, when compared to the Denver Broncos and the Seahawks, they have a fabulous offence line, which can easily take on their entire team. Carolina panthers are 8-1 ATS in the last nine games, when 4.5 points or less favors them, and they will cover again by winning the first NFL championship of the Franchise. This will lead to Cam Newton’s earning of the Super Bowl MVP honors.
Historical Super Bowl Betting Trends
- In the last seven games of the Carolina Panthers against the AFC WEST, the total has gone under five of them.
- In their last six games as underdogs, the Denver Broncos are 5-1 SU and 5-0-1 ATS.
- In their last 11 games and after winning as an underdog, the Denver Broncos are 9-2 SU.
- In the Denver Broncos’ last six Super Bowl appearances, the total has gone over.
Here’s a look at the latest odds:
ODDS TO WIN SUPER BOWL 50:
Carolina Panthers -5.5 (-110)
Denver Broncos +5.5 (-110)
The game total is 44.5
Who’s your pick for Super Bowl 50 MVP? Check out Super Bowl MVP Favorites: Cam Newton and Peyton Manning
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