More Big Game Info

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With all the hype about this year’s Super Bowl it’s going to be relatively easy to find the obvious betting statistics, like against the spread and over/under records between the Pats and the Giants.



To give bettors a greater edge in their Super Bowl betting, we’ve gone back through 20 years worth of statistics to bring you a few nuggets of information that could help you make some money.



1. Big favorites have mixed results



The Patriots are hefty 12-point favorites to beat the Giants, which is not surprising for a team that is 18-0. But how have big favorites fared against the spread in past Super Bowls?



Favorites of seven points or more have gone 7-6-1 against the spread in the Super Bowl since the 1986 season, while faves of 10 points or more have gone 4-3-1. Ironically, the biggest spread over that time came in the 2002 clash between St. Louis and New England. The Rams were 14-point favorites, but ended up losing 20-17 to the Pats.



In their next two Super Bowl appearances, the Patriots were seven-point favorites. But they failed to cover on both occasions, beating the Panthers by three in 2004 and the Eagles by three in 2005. In fact, the Pats have been to five Super Bowls in 21 years, but have covered just once.



2. NFC wins battle of the East



Recent history is on the Giants’ side if you look back at Super Bowl matchups between teams from the AFC East and the NFC East.



In the five contests between teams from those divisions in the past 20 years, the NFC East teams are 4-1 straight and 5-0 against the spread, with three of those games going over the total. The Giants were involved in one of those battles, beating the Buffalo Bills 20-19 in 1991.



But the only AFC East team to hand an NFC East franchise a Super Bowl loss over that time was the New England Patriots. They beat the Eagles 24-21 in 2005.



3. Giants home record sets a record



The Giants set an unwanted record this season, becoming the only team in history to make football’s showpiece game, despite having a losing home record.



New York went 3-5 at home this season, losing to Green Bay, Dallas, Minnesota, Washington and New England at Giants Stadium. They lost to the Packers and Dallas by a combined 33 points in those home losses, but it’s worth noting that they defeated both teams on the road in the playoffs.



The home loss to New England will also be a source of encouragement for the Giants. They were only the third team this season to take a lead into the final quarter against the Patriots (28-23), but ended up losing 38-35 because of Tom Brady’s pinpoint passing under pressure.



4. Don’t overlook the total



There have only been five Super Bowls in the last 20 years with a total of 50 or more, with two of them going over the total and the other three going under. The Patriots were involved in one of those games – their 2004 win over Carolina went over the 53-point total.



Of more relevance are the total trends in recent matchups between the Pats and the Giants. Three straight meetings between these teams have gone over, but the totals only ranged from 35 to 46 ½ over that period.



In fact, the 53 ½-point spread between the New England and New York is the highest in well over 10 years and is likely the reaction of oddsmakers to the offensive shootout these teams produced in their last meeting.



5. Successful road teams in the Super Bowl



The New York Giants have won 10 straight road games (a single season record), including three straight in this season’s playoffs. Only five wild-card teams since 1970 have reached the Super Bowl.



The two most recent were the 1986 New England Patriots and the 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Patriots went on to lose the ‘86 final to the Chicago Bears – a 46-10 blowout loss. But the Steelers continued their momentum, defeating Seattle 21-10 as four-point favorites.



Although the Super Bowl is technically at a neutral venue in Arizona, the Giants have been designated as the visiting team.

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New York Giants vs. New England Patriots
Sunday, Feb. 3, 6:30 p.m. ET (-12, 53 ½)

Line moves

Some Vegas sportsbooks opened with New England favored by as many as 13 ½ points. Since then, heavy action on New York has moved the line to Patriots -12 at most Vegas and offshore books. The game’s total has held steady between 53 ½ and 54 points. Keep tabs on all of the Super Bowl line moves with Covers.com’s live odds history.

Brady’s boot

On Monday, Tom Brady was photographed heading from an SUV to his girlfriend Gisele Bundchen's apartment in New York on what looked like a walking cast on his right foot.

"Ah, you know, there's always bumps and bruises. I'll be ready for the Super Bowl," Brady said Monday during his weekly radio appearance on WEEI. "I'm not worried about that. I'm not missing this one. I'd have to be on a stretcher to miss this one. There will be treatment this week. In games like this, you get a little nicked up. It's nothing serious."

Stay tuned for updates.

Raising Arizona

The Super Bowl will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The stadium, which opened Aug. 1, 2006, features a retractable grass field and roof and should accommodate more than 73,000 fans.

Slaying the Giants

New York gave up 80 combined points in its first two games of the season, both of which, not surprisingly, ended up as straight up and ATS losses. Since then, the Giants have held 14 of their last 17 opponents to 24 points or fewer with only Dallas, Minnesota and New England topping that total. The Giants lost all three of those games, covering only against New England in Week 17’s 38-35 loss.

The kicking game

New York’s Lawrence Tynes was 23-of-27 in his field goal attempts in the regular season, with all four of his misses coming on kicks from less than 40 yards out. Tynes missed two huge field goal attempts during the NFC championship game, but he hit the one that counted in overtime from 47 yards. His longest kick of the year was a 48-yarder.

Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski hit 21 of his 24 regular season field goal attempts, with two misses from outside 40 yards. He has only attempted two field goals in the playoffs, hitting one of them. His longest kick of the year was a 45-yarder.


Super stats

The Giants are 5-0 in their last five against the spread and against teams with a winning record.

The Patriots are 0-5 in their last five against the spread.

The favored team has gone 9-3 straight up and 4-6-2 against the spread in the last dozen Super Bowls.

Teams that score more than 27 points in the Super Bowl are 23-1 and 22-2-1 against the spread. New England has averaged 35.6 points per game, while New York averages 23.2.

Recent meetings

The two teams have split the last four meetings between them dating back to 2005, but the Giants covered the number in three of those games. The over cashed in three times as well.

Notable injuries:


New England:
Tom Brady QB - (ankle) probable.
Mike Wright DE - (foot) IR
Rosevelt Colvin LB - (foot) IR
Sammy Morris RB - (chest) IR
David Thomas TE - (foot) IR

New York:
Rich Seubert OG - (knee) questionable
Craig Dahl S - (knee) IR
Jeremy Shockey TE - (leg) IR
Derrick Ward RB – (fibula) IR
Mathias Kiwanuka LB – (leg) IR
Robert Douglas FB – (knee) IR
Adrian Awasom DL – (back) IR
Jim Finn FB – (shoulder) IR
Will Demps SS – (elbow) IR


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