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2012 NFL Super Bowl Gambling: Lines | Matchups & Predictions

Dave Schwab weighs in on the 2012 Superbowl odds and gives his analysis of the matchup. A brief review of the current Super Bowl Championship point spreads and NFL over/under lines for the big game on Sunday…

NFL Super Bowl XLVI Matchups

In a rematch of the 2008 Super Bowl, the New York Giants square-off against the New England Patriots in a prime-time battle for the NFL’s biggest prize. This Sunday’s game will be played inside the dome at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with the kick-off slated for 6:29 p.m. (ET)

Super Bowl XLVI
Sunday, February 5
6:29 PM (ET)
New York Giants vs. New England Patriots (NBC-TV)
Pointspread: New England -2.5
Total Line: 55

For the second year in-a-row, we have an extremely close matchup on the NFL’s biggest stage. Some books still have the spread at three points, but BetOnline has held steady at 2.5 points since this pairing was decided by the outcome of the NFC and AFC championships.

In a game as tight as this, the deciding factor will often be a crucial play somewhere along the line such as a key conversion on fourth down, or a costly turnover deep in a team’s own territory. The previous time these two met in the Super Bowl, it came down to a circus catch by wide receiver David Tyree to extend a late-game scoring drive.

The edge in certain key matchups within the overall contest go to a certain team, but the bottom line come Sunday is that this game is already destined to be an ‘instant classic’ that goes down to the final gun.

OFFENSE

New York finished the regular season ranked eighth in the NFL in total yards per game. It averaged 295.9 yards passing the ball, which was ranked fifth, but only managed 89.2 yards a game rushing the ball, which was ranked dead last. The Giants were ranked ninth in scoring with an average of 24.6 points a game

New England finished the season with the second-ranked offense in the league in total yards. It racked-up an average of 317.8 yards passing, which was ranked second and 110.2 yards rushing, which was ranked 20th. New England put up an average of 32.1 points a game, which was the third highest total in the league. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

ADVANTAGE- New England

DEFENSE

The Giants defense was ranked 27th in total yards allowed. They were 29th against the pass; giving-up an average of 255.1 yards a game. They were somewhat better against the run; giving-up an average of 121.2 yards, which was ranked 19th. New York finished the season ranked 25th in points allowed with their opponents averaging 25 points a game

The Patriots had issues across the board on defense with the exception of points allowed. They finished 31st in both total yards and passing yards allowed and were ranked 17th against the run. The defense surrendered an average of 21.4 points a game, which was ranked 15th.

ADVANTAGE: New York

OVERALL

New York has made a habit of battling through adversity and relishes the role of being the underdog. New England has basked in the lime light of being one of the most successful teams in the NFL for well over a decade, but its last Super Bowl victory was back in 2005. Tom Brady will undoubtedly come into this game with a huge chip on his shoulder after what happened in Super Bowl XLII, which swings the overall advantage this time around to the Patriots.

ADVANTAGE: New England

PREDICTION

This is going to be a three-point or less type of game for all four quarters as each offense will consistently be able to answer any scoring drive from the other. That being said, take New England and give the 2.5 points as it clips the Giants on a late-game field goal to win the game.

The Pick: New England 31 New York 28

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By Dave Schwab

David Schwab is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. While not cheering for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles David can be found working on his blog at www.eaglesinc.com. David wants to hear from you so please comment below.