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- A Super Bowl prop bet related to the opening kickoff could be a smart play based on how things have played out over the past couple of decades
- Pat McAfee previously shed light on why wagering for the opening kick to be returned could set you up for a solid return
- Read more sports betting news here
Super Bowl Prop Bet SZN is officially in full swing, and if you’re like me, you’ve spent the past week or so combing through sportsbooks in search of the best odds for the opening coin toss and channeling your inner John Nash while trying to predict if the Rams and the Bengals will score more points in the first half than the number of goals recorded in every NHL game played prior to Sunday night’s showdown.
There is certainly no shortage of options when it comes to the unconventional wagers you can place ahead of The Big Game, and it’s certainly not going to hurt to take a look at how things have panned out in previous years to try to identify certain trends and predict what’s going to unfold.
There are obviously no guarantees, but some patterns are too glaring to ignore—including one related to what may be the most attractive prop bet Super Bowl LVI has to offer.
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On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports called attention to a wager concerning the opening kickoff, as a number of sportsbooks allow users to bet on whether the inaugural boot will be returned (the underdog at +100) or allowed to sail into the end zone for a touchback (which is currently favored at around -130). While both of the kickers playing in The Big Game have recorded a touchback more than 60% of the time over the course of the season, the outlet notes the opening kick has been returned in 18 of the past 20 Super Bowls (for anyone unwilling to do the math, that’s a 90% success rate).
The one and only Pat McAfee addressed that phenomenon prior to last year’s championship showdown, as the man who was tasked with literally kicking off Super Bowl XLIV noted “There isn’t normally a touchback on the opening kickoff because the ball is a brand new ball…that ball goes immediately to the Hall of Fame right after the kick, so it is not beat to hell and back for 30 minutes by an equipment manager.”
While recounting his experience a couple of years ago, McAfee also addressed the role nerves can play and the unexpected distractions kickers can encounter that could throw them off their game. There’s a chance whoever gets tasked with kicking off on Sunday will be immune to them or benefit from an adrenaline rush, but if that’s the case, they’ll be the first person to record an opening touchback since 2017.
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