Have you had enough of all the Super Bowl 57 statistics and betting trends regarding Sunday’s game between Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles? This writer has. Here are a few off-the-wall wagers to make at the top-rated sportsbooks.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Sunday, February 12, 2023 – 06:30 PM EST at State Farm Stadium
We are going to take a look at a few off-the-wall Super Bowl wagers for Sunday’s game, but let’s be clear that none of them will have anything to do with the national anthem or halftime show.
Chris Stapleton will sing the national anthem, and we barely know who Chris Stapleton is. We know who Rihanna is and she will headline the halftime show, but no clue what song she will sing or whether she will expose some cleavage (yes is a -300 favorite) or what color her primary dress/shirt will be (black is -200 leader).
Many books will take anthem or halftime props down if there’s a leak on what may happen in terms of length of anthem – there’s no official timer so some sportsbooks will grade this prop on slightly different times if it’s still active – or what Rihanna may sing first, who her mystery guest might be, etc.
Will There Be Scorigami Or Octopus?
The Super Bowl brings in the casual sports fan and bettor unlike any other event annually, and casual football fans likely aren’t aware of what Scorigami or an Octopus is.
What Even is a Scorigami?
A scorigami is a final score that has never happened before in NFL history. Are you aware that a team could finish with just 1 point? That only happens if a team scores a touchdown but then somehow gives up a safety on the PAT try – which obviously would be tough since a PAT kick is from the opponents’ 17-yard line.
If a defense returns a failed PAT, whether it be a blocked kick, fumble, etc., that’s 2 points for the defense. The offense trying the PAT has to be tackled in its own end zone for the 1 point. So, a 6-1 final score is possible, but 3-1 or 7-1 are not.
There were three Scorigamis during the 2022 regular season, most recently on Christmas Eve when the Cincinnati Bengals beat the New England Patriots 22-18 thanks to a few missed PATs on both sides.
There have been a few over the years in a Super Bowl, the last was when Seattle beat Denver 43-8 following the 2013 season. That game began with a safety, and to get a Scorigami, a safety certainly helps, as do missed PATs or 2-point conversions.
FanDuel offers this bet at +1800 for yes and -8000 for no Scorigami.
What About an Octopus?
An Octopus is a pretty new term around the league and refers to when a player scores a touchdown and then immediately also scores on a 2-point conversion. No idea how that is relevant to an actual octopus.
There were six instances of an Octopus during the regular season, and believe it or not, both Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Eagles counterpart Jalen Hurts, had one.
In Week 9 vs. Tennessee, Mahomes rushed for a 14-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter and then ran for the 2-point conversion to tie the game at 17-all. In Week 15 vs. Chicago, Hurts ran for a 1-yard score in the fourth quarter and then converted a 2-point run right after.
That there’s an Octopus on Sunday is +1400 at DraftKings with no at -5000. Yes on both these is decent value.
Cross-Sport Props
The Super Bowl isn’t the only sporting event on Sunday. There’s the final round of the PGA Tour’s WM Phoenix Open, held about a 30-minute drive from Glendale – and no doubt some players and fans will make the quick drive after the golf ends to the big game.
The NHL has four games and the NBA two, although all will be finished by the Super Bowl kickoff. There are 15 college basketball games, including No. 1 Purdue at Northwestern.
PGA Tour Props
These Super Bowl bets used to be limited to offshore sportsbooks, but now most American books are offering them. For example, FanDuel offers the Eagles to win the Super Bowl and either Rory McIlroy or Jon Rahm to win the golf tournament at +650. Both Rory and Rahm are playing out of their minds right now, but I wouldn’t recommend that one.
A Super Bowl Scorigami and a hole-in-one on the famous 16th hole at the WM Phoenix Open is +8000. There was a hole-in-one at No. 16 last year by Sam Ryder, the first there on Tour since 2015 and Ryder’s first career ace on Tour.
NBA Props
The top NBA game on Sunday is a potential Finals preview between the Grizzlies and Celtics from Boston. Memphis superstar Ja Morant’s total assists in the game are -235 against total receptions by Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at +185.
Morant averages 8.3 assists per game, while Kelce has topped eight catches in four games this season including playoffs. Obviously, there’s also a greater injury chance for an NFL player than an NBA star.
NHL Props
Caesars Sportsbook offers total shots on goal by Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin on Sunday vs. San Jose at -0.5 (-130) against total receptions by Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster at +0.5 (+100).
Ovechkin is always among the NHL shots leaders and has 224 this year, an average of 4.3 per game. Smith-Schuster has had more than four catches eight times this season including playoffs, but not since Dec. 18 in Houston.