It didn’t take long for the first Super Bowl XLVIII point spreads to emerge from the sports books of Nevada, and it’s the AFC-champion Broncos who are getting the early support.
After defeating the 49ers 23-17 on Sunday evening, the Seahawks opened as narrow favorites of 1-to-2 points vs. Denver at multiple Nevada sports books, per Pregame.com.
However, as of this writing, the Broncos are now favored by by 1-to-2.5 points vs. Seattle at the bulk of Nevada books monitored by Pregame.
The Super Bowl usually has a clear favorite. Per VegasInsider.com archives, there have been only four Super Bowls with a favorite of less than a field goal. Two teams have been favored by one point in the Super Bowl, and both won, with the 49ers capturing Super Bowl XVI against Cincinnati and the Dolphins completing their unbeaten season against Miami in Super Bowl VII.
The Seahawks have never been Super Bowl favorites. They were four-point underdogs to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XL, according to Jim Feist point spread archives.
The Broncos, meanwhile, have not been underdogs in a Super Bowl since the 1997 season, when the Packers were favored by 11 points in Super Bowl XXXII, according to Feist records. The Broncos pulled the upset, defeating Green Bay 31-24. The next year, the Broncos were 7.5-point favorites in a 34-19 victory vs. Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII.