In an NFL season that has been full of upsets and surprises, it is no wonder that no top seeds reached Super Bowl 56. Instead, it is a pair of #4 seeds in the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, who will face at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, February 13. The game is at the Rams’ home stadium, but that doesn’t automatically mean that they are a heavy Super Bowl spread favorite.
So, as kickoff for the big game draws closer, who is favored to win the Super Bowl?
Unsurprisingly, the Rams, who went 12-5 in the NFL regular season, have an edge over the Bengals, who went 10-7 in the regular season. But oddsmakers don’t expect the Super Bowl matchup to be a blowout. Wherever you look for Super Bowl betting odds, the Rams are favored by slightly more than a field goal.
Here’s a look at Super Bowl spread odds from several regulated sportsbooks. If you are betting on the Super Bowl spread, we have several suggestions for books with great Super Bowl promos.
Did the Los Angeles Rams Cover the Super Bowl Spread?
Down 20-16 late in the fourth quarter, the Rams drove down the field and took the lead with a late touchdown, then stopped the Bengals on their final drive to secure a 23-20 win. The Rams won their first Super Bowl since the 1999 season, but they did not cover the spread.
2022 Super Bowl Spread Result: Cincinnati Bengals +4.5
Super Bowl Spread Odds for 2022 (as of Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 4:15 p.m. ET)
- BetMGM: Los Angeles Rams -4.5 (-110), Cincinnati Bengals +4.5 (-110)
- Caesars Sportsbook: Los Angeles Rams -4.5 (-110), Cincinnati Bengals +4.5 (-110)
- FanDuel Sportsbook: Los Angeles Rams -4.5 (-106), Cincinnati Bengals +4.5 (-114)
- BetRivers: Los Angeles Rams -4.5 (-107), Cincinnati Bengals +4.5 (-107)
Host Rams in Rare Super Bowl Spread Spot for NFC Teams
If the Rams can do that, they will become the first Super Bowl betting favorite from the NFC to win the title since the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
As it is, them playing at home puts them in a group featuring only themselves and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And as the Super Bowl favorite, this is a rare sight for an NFC team over the last two decades.
There have been few recent favorites from the NFC, as the AFC champion has been favored in eight of the past ten Super Bowls. This year breaks a five-game run for the AFC, thanks to the numerous playoff upsets that occurred in January.
And since the Rams were a two-touchdown favorite over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002, only three NFC teams have been favored in the big game: the Packers in Super XLV, the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 against the Denver Broncos.
Do Super Bowl spread history and recent spread results turn up anything positive for the Rams?
Super Bowl Spread History
Did the favorite cover in the Super Bowl last year? No, the favored Kansas City Chiefs were routed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55. But while the Bucs took down the Chiefs last year as a three-point underdog, Super Bowl favorites continue to have an all-time edge.
To date, only one Super Bowl matchup has been a pick’em. That occurred in Super Bowl XLVIII between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. And the game memorably came down to the waning moments, with the Patriots holding on for a 28-24 win when the Seahawks inexplicably threw the ball at the 1 instead of hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch.
In the other 54 Super Bowls, favorites have a substantial edge in terms of Super Bowl moneyline wins. However, there is much less of a gap against the spread.
All-Time Super Bowl Spread History
- Favorites vs. the Super Bowl Spread: 28-24-2 ATS
- Longest ATS Win Streak for Favorites: Five (Super Bowl V to Super Bowl IX)
- Longest ATS Win Streak for Underdogs: Four (Super Bowl XXXVI to Super Bowl XXXIX)
- Favorites Straight Up: 36-18 SU
- Longest SU Streak for Spread Favorites: Ten (Super Bowl V to Super Bowl XIV)
- Longest SU Streak for Spread Underdogs: Three (Super Bowl XLVI to Super Bowl XLVIII)
Recent Super Bowl Spread Results
2021 (SBLV) – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Spread: Chiefs -3
Result: Bucs 31, Chiefs 9 (Super Bowl LV Spread Result: Bucs +3)
Kansas City, who was seeking back-to-back Super Bowl wins, was favored at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. But the Bucs shut down Patrick Mahomes and dominated to make Super Bowl history.
The result of the big game wasn’t the only underdog win in Tampa. In a Super Bowl Gatorade color upset, blue Gatorade got the honor of drenching Bucs coach Bruce Arians for the celebratory shower.
2020 (SBLIV) – San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Spread: Chiefs -1
Result: Chiefs 31, 49ers 20 (Super Bowl LIV Spread Result: Chiefs -1)
Playing in their first Super Bowl in 50 years, the odds were slightly in Kansas City’s favor. But the 49ers were bound for their first title in 25 years until the Chiefs scored three unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to overturn a 20-10 deficit.
Mahomes threw two interceptions but received Super Bowl MVP honors after leading the fourth-quarter rally.
2019 (SBLIII) – New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams
Spread: Patriots -2.5
Result: Patriots 13, Rams 3 (Super Bowl LIII Spread Result: Patriots -2.5)
In the lowest-scoring Super Bowl of all time, the Patriots produced the game’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter on the way to capturing their sixth title. The less said about this game, the better.
2018 (SBLII) – Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots
Spread: Patriots -4
Result: Eagles 41, Patriots 33 (Super Bowl LII Spread Result: Eagles +4)
After losses in their two previous Super Bowl trips, the Eagles finally got over the hump by upsetting the Patriots in Minneapolis. Nick Foles cemented his place in Eagles lore with an MVP-winning performance.
2017 (SBLI) – New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
Spread: Patriots -3
Result: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (Super Bowl LI Spread Result: Patriots -3)
The Patriots were favored as they played for their fifth Super Bowl title and went on to cover the Super Bowl spread. But it took the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history and, for the first and only time to date, overtime.
Super Bowl Spread Trends
- Super Bowl favorites of four or more points have not only failed to cover the last six times, but they have all failed to record a single SU (straight-up) win.
- The last time a favorite of four or more backed it up was Super Bowl XLI in 2007. In that game, Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts saw off the Chicago Bears 29-17.
- The last NFC team that was favored by four or more and went on to cover was the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. The 49ers were favored by 18.5 points–which was and still is the biggest spread in Super Bowl history–over the San Diego Chargers and covered in a 49-26 win. To date, that remains the highest-scoring Super Bowl in history.
- Since the AFL-NFL merger, the NFC champion has been favored in the Super Bowl 22 times. NFC favorites have a 12-8-2 ATS record but have covered only once in the past eight instances.
