Super Bowl Betting History —  These Dogs Came Up Big in the Big Game

By Charles Jay

The Cincinnati Bengals, as of Tuesday, were a four-point underdog to the Los Angeles Rams in the BetOnline Super Bowl betting odds, so it’s fair to say that if they won the game, they wouldn’t be one of the most overachieving underdogs in the game’s history, unless they completely destroyed the Rams. Let’s take a look a few of the top performances by teams getting points in a Super Bowl.

(1) NEW YORK JETS, Super Bowl III — Not only were the Jets facing the highest line ever in a Super Bowl game – anywhere between 17 and 19 points, depending on when you (or anyone you know) were able to jump on it, but it also included more of a culture clash than any other game before it. The Colts, then based in Baltimore, had crew cuts like Johnny Unitas and Earl Morrall throwing passes, while Joe Namath brought the brashness of a new generation and a different kind of celebrity to the table. He guaranteed victory at a banquet at the Miami Touchdown Club, and followed through on it. Even though Namath completed just 17 of 29 passes, he managed the game brilliantly, and the Jets defense did the rest.  Because there was the pride of a league (the AFL) at stake, and the merger of the two leagues was about to be executed, it can be argued that this was the most important game in the past fifty years.

(2) NEW YORK GIANTS, Super Bowl XLII –– Despite the fact that the Giants had played New England very competitively in a 38-35 loss at the Meadowlands, they were still 12-point underdogs (closing from a high of 14) and the total of 54.5 points was the highest ever posted, an indication of the respect oddsmakers had for the Patriots’ offense. The Giants’ defensive game plan kept pressure on Tom Brady all night long, and the Giants kept Randy Moss quiet, then mixed a running attack in with some late-game heroics to hang close and finally pull out a 17-14 win over a team that had averaged 37 points per contest.

(3) WASHINGTON REDSKINS, Super Bowl XXII — The Redskins went into Super Bowl XXII as only a three-point underdog behind Doug Williams, who had a reputation for being erratic. After spotting Denver a 10-0 lead, the ‘Skins went wild, scoring a record 35 points in the second quarter and simply putting the game away early. With 602 offensive yards, including 204 by a previously nondescript running back named Timmy Smith, Washington literally bulldozed the Broncos, contributing to the talk that John Elway could not win the “big one.” Williams became the first (and only) black quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Honestly, you could substitute the Los Angeles Raiders, who beat the Redskins 38-9 in Super Bowl XVIII as a three-point dog, and you wouldn’t be losing very much.

(4) KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, Super Bowl IV — A lot of people were evidently not convinced about the AFL, even after the Jets and Joe Namath had convincingly beaten the Baltimore Colts the year before. The NFL was out for revenge, and the Minnesota Vikings, in the era of the “Purple People Eaters,” were a 12.5-point favorite at kickoff, but they were rather clueless after that. The Chiefs forced five turnovers, held Minnesota to just 239 yards, and just about killed Joe Kapp. Kansas City led it 16-0 at the half, fueled by three Jan Stenerud field goals and a “65 Toss Power Trap” that sent Mike Garrett into the end zone. They drew away for good in the third quarter, when Len Dawson threw a short hitch to Otis Taylor, who broke a tackle and went 46 yards for the TD. That game evened things up at two Super Bowls apiece for the two leagues, who would come together in a newly-expanded NFL the next season.

(5) NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, Super Bowl XXXVI — This one was especially impressive because even though New England closed the season like a freight train, they were still thought by many to be in the Super Bowl on a pass. Or should we say, an alleged pass – saved by a controversial “tuck rule” call on a Tom Brady fumble against Oakland. Meanwhile, the Rams, just one year removed from a Super Bowl championship, were back and as explosive as ever under offensive mastermind Mike Martz. St. Louis went into the game as a 14-point favorite. However, Bill Belichick’s defensive game plan slowed down Kurt Warner and had the Pats ahead 17-3 going into the fourth quarter, but the Rams came back to tie it. Brady was in his first season as an NFL starter, but played like a veteran in the final dramatic drive, which led to an Adam Vinatieri field goal as time ran out, in what was one of the more suspenseful finishes in Super Bowl annals.

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