Early support for the Los Angeles Rams has already caused a shift in the odds ahead of Super Bowl LVI.
After opening as 4.0-point favorites at most major sportsbooks Sunday night, the Rams moved to 4.5-point favorites at several by mid-day Monday. That includes DraftKings, where Los Angeles is being backed by 55 percent of the spread-line handle, although Cincinnati has drawn 64 percent of the total bets.
BetMGM installed the opening line at 3.5 points, but it moved to 4.0 points with one-sided action on the Rams, who are being backed by 58 percent of the bets and 67 percent of the spread-line money.
The action on the moneyline has been more favorable to the Bengals. At +140 at BetMGM, they have been backed by 72 percent of the bets and 60 percent of the handle. Meanwhile, their +165 line at DraftKings has been supported by 74 and 58 percent, respectively.
The Over/Under has remained at 49.5 points at most books. The Over has been backed by 53 percent of the bets and 65 percent of the money at BetMGM, while the action has been nearly split at DraftKings with the Over garnering 51 percent of both markets.
Cincinnati reaching its first Super Bowl since 1988 was a win for most sportsbooks. The Bengals opened the season as +8000 longshots at BetMGM. However, with only 7.6 percent of the tickets supporting the Bengals and little of the action on them coming early in the season, they weren’t as big a liability to sportsbooks as Kansas City, which Cincinnati eliminated in the AFC Championship Game.
“Bengals upsetting the Chiefs was a strong result for BetMGM in the Conference Championships,” said Jason Scott, vice president of trading at BetMGM. “The sportsbook was a winner on the Super Bowl regardless of which final four team won, but the Chiefs losing was the best result.”
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is the current favorite to win Super Bowl MVP honors at +110 at BetMGM, where he has been backed by 7.4 percent of the bets and 8.0 percent of the money. That’s second only to Joe Burrow at 11.8 and 14.1 percent, respectively, making the Bengals quarterback the sportsbook’s biggest liability in the MVP market.
Stafford is being offered at -110 at DraftKings, followed by Burrow (+210), Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (+650) and Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (+1800).
–Field Level Media
