In last year’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we saw one of the highest numbers in Super Bowl over/under history.
Given that it was a matchup between two of the highest-scoring teams in the NFL, there was plenty of reason to expect plenty of offense and excitement. However, that did not quite come to pass. In a dominant 31-9 win, the Bucs defense harassed and frustrated Patrick Mahomes into one of the worst performances of his NFL career.
With only 40 points scored, the game fell well below the set Super Bowl over/under of 56. That marked the third straight Super Bowl in which the under hit.
What will be the over/under result be this year when the Los Angeles Rams meet the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl 56 on Sunday, Feb. 13? As the game nears, the over/under remains at 48.5. It opened at 50 but has mostly been at 48 or 48.5 since.
Did the Super Bowl Go Over or Under?
With the Rams defeating the Bengals 23-20, Super Bowl 56 went under the over/under of 48.5. For the fourth straight year, the under hit in the Super Bowl.
2022 Super Bowl Over/Under Result: UNDER 48.5
Super Bowl Over/Under Odds for 2022 (as of Sunday, February 13, 2022 at 4:15 p.m. ET)
- BetMGM: OVER 48.5 (-110), UNDER 48.5 (-110)
- Caesars Sportsbook: OVER 49 (-110), UNDER 49 (-110)
- FanDuel Sportsbook: OVER 48.5 (-112), UNDER 48.5 (-108)
- BetRivers: OVER 48.5 (-109), UNDER 48.5 (-105)
Super Bowl Over/Under History
In the first Super Bowl, there was no posted total. But based on the fact that only one total was no more than 43 in any of the first 15 Super Bowls, we can call Green Bay’s 35-10 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl I an over in spirit.
After a win for the over in Super Bowl II the next year, which was another big win for the NFL’s Packers over an AFL champion–a 33-14 win over the Oakland Raiders–unders dominated for the next decade.
It wasn’t until the late 1970s and early 1980s that there was an uptick in scoring. With it came a rise in Super Bowl betting totals. Since a run of 12 consecutive totals under 40 from Super Bowl IV to Super Bowl XV, the Super Bowl over/under has been below 40 only four times in four decades.
Whatever the result of this year’s Super Bowl, the outcome will break the current tie between overs and unders. And if the under hits, it will be the third time in Super Bowl history that the under has hit in four or more games in a row.
All-Time Super Bowl Over/Under History
- Super Bowl Over/Under History: 27-27-0
- Longest Over Streak: Four (Super Bowl XIX to Super Bowl XXII)
- Longest Under Streak: Seven (Super Bowl III to Super Bowl IX)
- Highest Super Bowl Betting Total: 57.5 (Super Bowl LIII, 2019)
- Lowest Super Bowl Betting Total: 33 (Super Bowl VII, Super Bowl VIII & Super Bowl IX)
- Highest Super Bowl Game Total: 75 (Super Bowl XXIX – San Francisco 49ers 49, San Diego Chargers 26)
- Lowest Super Bowl Game Total: 16 (Super Bowl LIII – New England Patriots 13, Los Angeles Rams 3)
Recent Super Bowl Over/Under Results
2021 (SBLV) – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Total: O/U 56
Result: Bucs 31, Chiefs 9 (Over/Under Result: UNDER 56)
Entering last year’s Super Bowl, the Chiefs had scored 31+ points in six of seven playoff games with Mahomes. But Tampa Bay’s defense kept Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense out of the end zone all night, which was the first time that had occurred in his NFL career.
As a result, this game finished far short of its total.
2020 (SBLIV) – San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Total: O/U 54.5
Result: Chiefs 31, 49ers 20 (Over/Under Result: UNDER 54.5)
Super Bowl LIV came far closer to hitting its total than Super Bowl LIII did, but it was on its way to being a fairly low-scoring game. But trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter, Mahomes and the Chiefs scored three straight touchdowns over a five-minute period to rally and seal their first championship in 50 years.
Unfortunately for over bettors, the Super Bowl over/under still fell short of the over.
2019 (SBLIII) – New England Patriots vs. Los Angeles Rams
Total: O/U 57.5
Result: Patriots 13, Rams 3 (Over/Under Result: UNDER 57.5)
Super Bowl LIII had the highest total in Super Bowl history but ended up being the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever. In an unforgettably forgettable (or is it forgettably unforgettable?) matchup in Atlanta, the Patriots scored the only touchdown of the game midway through the fourth quarter.
2018 (SBLII) – Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots
Total: O/U 49
Result: Eagles 41, Patriots 33 (Over/Under Result: OVER 49)
In a wild game in Minneapolis, the over hit with over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. When all was said and done, Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles prevailed in the second-highest scoring Super Bowl of all time.
2017 (SBLI) – New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons
Total: OVER 57
Result: Patriots 34, Falcons 28 (Over/Under Result: OVER 57)
At the time, Super Bowl LI tied Super Bowl XLIV for the highest over/under in Super Bowl history, since being passed by Super Bowl LIII.
It took overtime and the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history–sorry, Falcons fans–for the over to cash. But cash it did, thanks to James White’s walk-off touchdown run, which capped the Patriots’ comeback from a 28-3 deficit. Again, sorry, Falcons fans.
Super Bowl Over/Under Trends
- If the number does not hit 50 before Super Bowl Sunday, Super Bowl LVI will be the 19th Super Bowl with an over/under between 45 and 49. In the previous 18 times the over/under has been between 45 and 49, the over is 11-7, with the last six totals in that range all going over.
- Since the NFL added a 32nd team and went to eight four-team divisions, the Super Bowl matchup has pitted the AFC North against the NFC West three times–Steelers vs. Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, Steelers vs. Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, and Ravens vs. 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. The over is 2-1 in those three previous matchups.
- Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, the NFC has been favored in the Super Bowl 22 times prior to this year’s big game. In those 22 games, the over is 11-11. For what it’s worth, all 11 overs have happened in the past 17 games, as the under had a five-win head start.
- The Rams (four) and Bengals (two) have a combined six previous Super Bowl appearances. The over has hit in only one of them. In Super Bowl XIV between the Rams and Steelers, the over/under was 36 and went over in Pittsburgh’s 31-19 win.
