Super Bowl 57 Opening Kickoff Touchback Prop Bets & History
The opening play of the Super Bowl is one of the most wagered-on events in the entire game – but sports betting sites have a conundrum ahead of this year's Super Bowl opening kickoff. Will we see the extension of a 30-year trend in which Super Bowl opening kickoff touchbacks have been a rare occurrence? Or does last year's touchback signal the turning of the tide?
It likely won't rank among the most exciting Super Bowl prop bets you make this year, but wagering on the Super Bowl opening kickoff does come with a little extra intrigue in 2023.
Going into Super Bowl 56 between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals, Super Bowl opening kickoff touchbacks had been truly scarce. So much so, in fact, that most notable sportsbooks were at or near even odds for a touchback to happen despite regular-season trends skewing heavily toward the "Yes".
When Bengals kicker Evan McPherson sent the official Super Bowl game ball soaring into the end zone on the game's first play, the "Yes" crowd had its win – and nearly 12 months later, we're left wondering if last year is the new norm, or a one-year aberration.
Most of our Super Bowl odds and Super Bowl picks center around more traditional outcomes, but we're delighted to offer some background on the Super Bowl opening kickoff to help you score a victory on the first play of the Big Game.
Super Bowl Opening Kickoff Odds
We'll have opening odds for the Super Bowl opening kickoff soon; in the meantime, here's a look at the odds on whether the first play of Super Bowl 56 would result in a touchback:
Bettors need to consider a few points here:
- This line actually opened in most places at Yes (-170) and No (+150), give or take a few cents between sportsbooks. Heavy action on the No eventually pushed the odds to level.
- These odds differ significantly from the previous year, when the Yes for a Super Bowl opening kickoff touchback was listed at a whopping -285.
- Former NFL punter and current FanDuel personality Pat McAfee prior to Super Bowl 56 that the ball used for the opening kickoff wasn't broken in like a normal ball, making it stiffer and more difficult to kick a long distance.
Super Bowl Opening Kickoff Prop Bets
If you dig a little deeper, you can find other Super Bowl opening kickoff prop bets. Here are the odds on each team's kicker producing a touchback on the opening kickoff of Super Bowl 56:
There's one other notable market on the Super Bowl opening kickoff: Whether it will be returned for a touchdown. But not every sports betting site offers it – and predictably, the odds for this one are a bit on the extreme side. Here's a look at the Super Bowl 56 odds:
Before you go laying 100 dollars to win 50 cents on the "No", consider that there has been an opening kickoff returned for a TD in Super Bowl history. Chicago Bears return star Devin Hester brought back the opening kick for six points at Super Bowl XLI against the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 4, 2007 in Miami.
Super Bowl Opening Kickoff History
Here's a look at some of the most significant historical trends surrounding the Super Bowl opening kickoff entering the 57th edition of the Big Game:
- A whopping 28 of the previous 31 Super Bowl opening kickoffs have been returned; the only three to result in touchbacks were all kicked indoors.
- All three opening kickoff touchbacks listed above also took place after the 2010 NFL rule change which moved the kickoff spot from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line.
- No team has ever opened the Super Bowl with an onside kick attempt. Of course.
We also have a few facts from 2022 to help you with your Super Bowl opening kickoff bet:
- Just under 60% of kickoffs during the regular season resulted in a touchback, up slightly from a 57.5% rate in 2021 but still down from a 61.2% rate in 2020.
- Of the eight teams to advance to the NFL Divisional Round, only three (Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles) had a touchback rate above 59%.
- Three other teams – the San Francisco 49ers, Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars – all came in below 50%, with each team ranking in the bottom-seven overall.
Super Bowl Prop Bets
Prop bet enthusiasts have much more to choose from than wagering on whether we'll see a touchback to open Super Bowl 57; here's a look at some of the more popular Super Bowl prop bets among the best sportsbooks:
Need help keeping track of your Super Bowl prop bets? Use our printable Super Bowl prop bet sheet (available once the Super Bowl matchup is set)!
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