As usual, sportsbooks are offering a multitude of prop bets on all things relating to the Super Bowl. Metro Bet continues its examination of some of the smartest, and the strangest, props being offered for Super Bowl LIII here.
Will either team score in the first five minutes? (Yes +110, No -130)
New England marched down the field with authority in their opening drives against the Chargers and Chiefs during these playoffs, but history shows that the Patriots are usually slow to begin in Super Bowls.
Of the eight Super Bowls Tom Brady has started for the Pats, four of them yielded 0-0 first quarters. The Rams’ offense has been a terrible in first quarters this season, scoring no more than seven points in any game.
The “No” side of this prop bet has cashed in seven straight Super Bowls the Patriots have played in, per Betchicago.com.
The play: No (-130)
Which will be higher? Zion Williamson total points and rebounds on 2/2/19 (-140) or total pass completions by Tom Brady on 2/3/19 (+110)
Duke’s fabulous freshman, Zion Williamson, will face St. John’s at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon. He’s averaged 22 points and just over nine rebounds over the course of the season and is fresh off a 26-point, nine-rebound effort against Notre Dame on Monday.
Duke out-rebounds St. John’s by an average of seven per game, per ESPN statistics, so it seems that the Red Storm will have a hard time preventing Williamson from reaching double-double territory.
Tom Brady’s season-high for completions was 34, which he reached twice (Oct. 4 vs. the Colts and Jan. 13 vs. the Chargers in the divisional round). Based on his completion rate of 65.8 percent this season, Brady would have to tally 46 dropbacks just to reach 30 completions in the Super Bowl. Barring a true MVP-level performance by “Touchdown Tom” against L.A., the Williamson side will pay off in this prop wager.
The play: Zion Williamson total points and rebounds on 2/2/19 (-140)
Will there be a roughing the passer penalty? (Yes +105, No -145)
John Parry has been tasked with the head referee assignment for Super Bowl LIII. Much has been made of the Rams’ 7-0 record in games officiated by Parry, including their divisional round victory over the Cowboys, but that’s surely coincidental. What isn’t happenstance is Parry’s propensity to throw penalty flags for roughing the passer.
According to ESPN, Parry threw the second-most flags of any head ref for roughing the passer (11) during the regular season. There were 119 total roughing the passer penalties assessed during the year, 10 more than in 2017 and 27 more than in 2016. The odds are too tempting to pass up on here.
The play: Yes (+105)
