Seahawks are the betting favorites for the Super Bowl in Las Vegas
Seahawks tight end Luke Willson carries the 12th man flag as the team runs out of the tunnel before a preseason game against the Raiders.
Reporting from Las Vegas — The Seattle Seahawks will open the first week of the NFL season as the betting favorite to win Super Bowl 50, the head of MGM Resorts race and sports book said.
After losing last year’s Super Bowl when quarterback Russell Wilson was intercepted by the New England Patriots at the goal line, the Seahawks will open as a 4-to-1 favorite to capture a second Vince Lombardi Trophy in three seasons.
The Green Bay Packers, who lost to the Seahawks in last season’s NFC championship game, are the second choice at 9-2.
Rood said he opened Green Bay as the favorite after last season’s Super Bowl. While more money has been bet on Green Bay at MGM properties, more bets have been made on Seattle.
The Patriots, who opened the season Thursday with a 28-21 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers, have the shortest odds among AFC teams at 6-1.
“They look pretty good,†Jay Rood, the MGM Resorts race and sports book director who sets lines for 10 properties on the Las Vegas Strip, said of the Patriots.
At this time of year, most teams look good, triggering action that is again expected to develop into another tsunami of increased overall betting on regular-season games.
Rood said that last season, gambling on the NFL among MGM properties increased more than 10%. Annually, there is an estimated $2 billion bet legally on pro and college football in Nevada.
The American Gaming Assn. reported this week that it expects Americans to wager about $93 billion illegally on football this season.
Nevada won $3.2 million on $115.9 million that was bet on the Patriots’ Super Bowl triumph.
“We’ve enjoyed double-digit gains for the last five years and I expect another strong handle again,†Rood said. “It’s been really strong.â€
What are the best long shot picks?
“There’s a couple teams I like that are going in different directions that are both at 25-1,†Rood said. “The Minnesota Vikings have moved from 80-1 to 25-1, a fashionable pick because of [running back] Adrian Peterson’s return and the play of [quarterback] Teddy Bridgewater and their strong defense.
“And the Arizona Cardinals opened at 18-1 but have floated up to 25-1 with people largely overlooking a team that has Carson Palmer back healthy at quarterback -- a team that started 8-1 last year -- and that good defense that will allow them to compete in that division. Those offer value.â€
He said the public is shying away from the Denver Broncos.
“After the last two years, the public feels burned by them,†Rood said.
As for the always popular Dallas Cowboys (8-1) and Pittsburgh Steelers (12-1), Rood said Dallas’ offensive line “is going to make any running back look good.
“Pittsburgh, we’ll see. For them to be good, they need the Ravens to be good too. They seem to play better when they’re pressed.â€
As for the rule change that moves point-after kicks back from 20 yards to 33 yards, Rood said he expects little or no adjustment.
“The point-after is still a very high percentage and I don’t think teams are going to deviate from what they’ve done in the past unless there’s some weather conditions that dictate things to be different,†Rood said.
“That will be the general consideration … a bad-weather game -- rain, wind -- might dictate us to have a different philosophy. But I don’t expect you’re going to see the Oregon Duck offense going for two on extra points.â€
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