Prop bets are one of the best things about the Super Bowl each and every year. There's over 500 that you could have bet on before the game got underway. Many had to do with things that had no real effect on the game whatsoever, but on just about every single play, something is happening to affect multiple prop bets.
On Sunday, we just saw one prop fulfilled: Who will throw the first interception of the game? Well, Peyton Manning was just picked off by Kam Chancellor in the final minute of the first quarter. Cliff Avril got some pressure on Manning, which resulted in a bit of a duck throw to Julius Thomas. Chancellor is normally an in-the-box safety, but he was back in center field and made the play.
Manning was considered more likely to throw an interception in this game. That was likely the case for several reasons. He did have double-digit interceptions during the regular season, throwing 10, though he had an amazing ratio thanks to his 55 touchdowns, a single-season record for a quarterback. That interception total is one higher than Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wilson had just nine interceptions, but also "only" had 26 touchdowns. So why was Manning at -140 while Wilson was +110 close to gametime? Well, cornerback Richard Sherman, the NFL's interception leader, likely had something to do with it. Sherman is possibly the best cornerback in the game, and him picking things off is a smart bet.
On top of that, you have the fact that, during the regular season, Manning attempted a whopping 659 passes. That's over 200 more pass attempts than Wilson, who thew the ball 407 times over the course of the regular season. The numbers say Manning throws the ball more, throws more interceptions (barely) and is going up against a strong secondary.
The numbers were right!
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