An exciting matchup

The Super Bowl is always one of the biggest events in the global sports calendar every year. It regularly sees the two best NFL teams battle it out for the crown of world champion. Going into the game, there are usually plenty of interesting storylines, and this year’s edition is no different.

Super Bowl LVI is setting up for a memorable battle

The Cincinnati Bengals have shocked almost everyone by reaching their first Super Bowl since 1989. They will face the Los Angeles Rams, who will benefit from playing the big game on their home field at SoFi Stadium. With the Bengals the clear underdogs, Super Bowl LVI is setting up for a memorable battle.

Bettors in the US and further afield have placed their wagers in advance of Sunday’s big game. In fact, the American Gaming Association recently estimated that 31 million Americans will wager on the Super Bowl this year, betting a total of $7.6bn combined:

As kickoff fast approaches, VegasSlotsOnline News has taken a look at some of the biggest bets placed on the game so far, along with the latest odds from sportsbooks. But first, how did the two Super Bowl rivals make it to this point?

Road to the Super Bowl

On their way to the most important game in American football, the Bengals and Rams successfully navigated through the tricky playoffs, taking numerous scalps along the way. Here is a brief look at their seasons so far:

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams ended the regular season 12-5, finishing on top of the NFC West division. They then defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Wild Card Weekend.

Rams defeated the Bucs 30-27 in Tampa

Next up came a matchup in the Divisional Round against the defending champs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rams defeated the Bucs 30-27 in Tampa, with the game proving to be Tom Brady’s last in the NFL.

Finally, the Rams claimed a spot in the Super Bowl after they defeated the San Francisco 49ers 20-17 in the NFC Championship Game.

Cincinnati Bengals

At the start of the season, not many would have backed the Cincinnati Bengals to reach the Super Bowl. However, they managed to disprove their critics at every turn, topping the AFC North with a record of 10-7.

They took out the Las Vegas Raiders and the top-seed Tennessee Titans in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Then, in one of the most exciting games this season, they upset the offensive juggernaut Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, overcoming a 21-3 deficit to win in overtime.

Major talking points

This year, the Rams are looking to add to the sole Super Bowl title in their trophy cabinet, secured in 1999. The team has made it to the final game and lost twice since then, in 2002 and 2019. In contrast, the Bengals have never won the Super Bowl, losing the game twice, in 1982 and 1989.

the Lions traded Stafford to the Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and draft picks.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is in his first season with the team after spending 12 tough seasons playing for the Detroit Lions. After the 2020-2021 season, the Lions traded Stafford to the Rams for quarterback Jared Goff and draft picks.

Unlike the experienced Rams quarterback, the Bengals have a young, fresh-faced QB in Joe Burrow. The 25-year-old is looking to become the first quarterback to win a Super Bowl ring, a college National Championship (at LSU), and the Heisman Trophy. Just two QBs, also named Joe, have ever won both a Super Bowl and a college title: Joe Namath and Joe Montana.

ESPN recently took to Twitter to highlight the differences between the opposing quarterbacks:

This year’s Super Bowl push has also featured a redemption story for one of the league’s most high-profile players – Odell Beckham Jr. He left the Cleveland Browns mid-season and has experienced a major resurgence in form since linking up with the Rams.

Mind-blowing wagers

The Super Bowl always attracts a huge amount of betting action, but some of these wagers stand out from the rest. Unsurprisingly, leading the way this year is well-known sports bettor and businessman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale. He has placed the biggest mobile bet of all time on the Bengals to beat the Rams. If successful, his $4.5m wager with Caesars Sportsbook will earn him $7.7m.

wagered CA$600,000 (US$472,540) on the Rams to win

Superstar musician Drake is also involved in the betting action. He revealed on Thursday that he has placed wagers worth CA$1.6m (US$1.26m) on the game through crypto betting site Stake. This includes CA$600,000 (US$472,540) on the Rams to win and CA$500,000 (US$393,783) on Odell Beckham Jr. to register over 62.5 receiving yards. Drake has also backed Beckham Jr. to score a touchdown with another CA$500,000 (US$393,783).

The Canadian rapper shared his Stake bets on Instagram:

Numerous sportsbooks have publicized details of other major Super Bowl bets. Caesars Sportsbook has accepted a $552,500 bet on the Rams to beat the four-point spread. A PointsBet user wagered $240,000 on the Rams to win the game, while a BetMGM bettor placed $200,000 on the Bengals +4.5 points. Another noteworthy bet includes a $7,500 wager on Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald to earn Super Bowl MVP at +1600 odds.

What do the odds say?

The Los Angeles Rams are solid favorites to win the Super Bowl on their home turf this Sunday. Most sportsbooks have them as four-point favorites, with DraftKings offering a moneyline of -200 and FanDuel -198.

BetMGM and PointsBet are offering Bengals odds of +165

But while the Rams are the favorites, the Bengals have managed to tear up the script in each playoff game this year. If you want to back the underdogs to win, BetMGM and PointsBet are offering Bengals odds of +165, while Caesars Sportsbook has them at +170.

Interesting Super Bowl Trends

With 55 previous Super Bowls already having taken place, a number of interesting patterns have emerged in former results. Before placing your bets for this year, here are a few eye-catching trends to consider:

• The team with the worse regular-season record has won 13 of the last 16 Super Bowls

• The underdog has won four of the last five Super Bowls with a point spread of four or five

• Overall, favorites have a 36-19 record in the Super Bowl

• The team with fewer players with Super Bowl experience has won 10 of the last 15 finals

• Underdogs have won four of the past five Super Bowls played in California