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Super Bowl Favorites All-Time ATS Record (Favorites Have Struggled in Recent History)
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The Seattle Seahawks captured the No. 1 seed in the NFC, beat two NFC West opponents in the playoffs, and are now one win away from being crowned Super Bowl champions. They're set as 4.5-point favorites on Super Bowl Sunday when they face the New England Patriots, the team that beat them in Super Bowl 49.
Seahawks fans should feel good about their team being set as favorites in this game, but they should also be made aware that being a favorite in the Super Bowl has been bad news in recent history. Let's take a look at the numbers.
Super Bowl Favorites History
- Favorites have gone 0-5 against the spread in the last five Super Bowls
- Favorites have gone 1-4 straight up in the last five Super Bowls
- Favorites are 7-15 ATS in Super Bowls dating back to 2003
- Favorites of three points or more at 2-9 ATS since 2003
- Favorites are 29-24-2 against the spread in Super Bowl history
- Favorites are 37-20 straight up in Super Bowl history
The good news is that favorites have largely finished on the right side of Super Bowl results throughout history, but the bad news is that the tides have started to turn in recent years.
The Seahawks originally opened as 3.5-point favorites at the conclusion of Championship Sunday, but the line shifted quickly to Seahawks -4.5. Some places had Seattle as high as a 5-point favorite, but it seems like the betting market has settled at 4.5 for the time being.
Favorites have failed to cover the spread in the Super Bowl for five straight years. The Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl 56 as 4.5-point favorites, but they failed to cover the spread, winning by just three points. The most recent favorite to win and cover as the Chiefs in 2020, who won and covered as 1.5-point favorites against the 49ers. The most recent favorite of a field goal or more to both win and cover the spread is the Green Bay Packers, who won and covered as 3-point favorites against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.
The Seahawks closed as 1-point favorites against the Patriots in Super Bowl 49, ultimately losing because of a game-clinching goalline interception by Malcolm Butler.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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-eb6ee9a9f2179a90cbfe0d8c654d1a62.jpg "Iain MacMillan")
Originally from Nova Scotia, Iain MacMillan is a senior editor covering betting, with a focus on NFL, NHL, and golf. He hosts the Bacon Bets Podcast and has been featured on VSIN, BetQL and Monumental Sports Network. He is a member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association and his beloved Falcons and Maple Leafs break his heart on a yearly basis.
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