Bet on the Super Bowl: Will the NFC South Rise Again?

ERF-544_BOS_NFL Futures_January 7, 2014Since the NFL realigned to its current 32-team, eight-division format in 2002, there’s one division with an interesting Super Bowl online betting experience– the NFC South.
The NFC South – made up of Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina and Atlanta – is a curious division to say the least. Since realignment, all four teams have enjoyed stretches of individual success but as a whole, the NFC South hasn’t exactly bestowed playoff dynasties upon the league.
Let’s take a look back at how this relates to Super Bowl betting odds, shall we?

Bucs Bust Loose

Tampa Bay scored the first big win of the ’02 expansion era, capturing the Super Bowl in 2003 with a resounding victory over the Oakland Raiders. In a game that marked the first time a Super Bowl had been contested by the regular season’s No. 1 offense (Oakland) and No. 1 defense (Tampa Bay), it was the defense that won out as the Bucs won 41-28, with a defensive player – safety Dexter Jackson – taking home MVP honors.
At that point in time, it looked as though the Bucs had something when it came to defensive prowess and something to pay attention to in terms of SuperBowl online betting. The Bucs were led by a unit stacked with Pro Bowlers (most notably, linebacker Derrick Brooks) and a future Hall of Famer in defensive lineman Warren Sapp – but what’s curious is Tampa Bay accomplished this amongst three divisional opponents that were offensively inclined. The New Orleans Saints (who finished 9-7 but missed the playoffs) finished third in the NFL with 432 points; Atlanta (which made the playoffs at 9-6-1) finished fifth in the league with 402.
So in a weird way, it was during Tampa Bay’s season of defensive dominance that the NFC South’s identity began to emerge – a division based on high-octane, high-scoring football. (And, to be fair, Tampa Bay did display an affinity for offensive in the postseason, scoring 31 points in a Divisional Round win over San Fran, 27 in the NFC Championship against Philly and the aforementioned 48 in the Super Bowl versus Oakland.)

Saints Maintain the Mold

New Orleans stayed true to this offensively-inclined approach during the NFC South’s second Super Bowl victory in 2010. That year, the Saints put on an offensive display for the record books, boasting 13-3 regular season mark on the strength of the NFL’s No. 1 offense (510 points scored).
(New Orleans wasn’t the only NFC South team putting up points that year. Atlanta put up 363 points, finishing 9-7, though failing to make the playoffs.)
In the playoffs, the Saints continued to light it up. The Drew Brees-led offense routed Arizona in the Divisional Round – 45-17 – then hung 31 on the stout Vikings defense in the NFC Championship.
For those that bet on the SuperBowl, New Orleans once again showed that offense can win rings. Brees put on a passing clinic in a 31-17 win over Indy, tying Tom Brady’s record for completions (32) in a championship game.

So, what’s to be gleaned?

The one big takeaway to add to your Super Bowl betting tips is, and continues to be this: NFC South teams know how to score points, but questions remain about their defenses when the time comes to bet on Super Bowl lines. This year, two teams are still alive – New Orleans and Carolina, one of the best defensive teams in the NFL – so it’ll be interesting to see if either club can change that perception.