Review Journal
A late
touchdown pass by quarterback Donovan McNabb did not win the Super Bowl
for the Philadelphia Eagles. It did produce a super Sunday for the
sports books, however.
New England, which closed as a 7-point favorite over Philadelphia, led
by 10 at the two-minute warning and was in position to cover the
spread.
But a lot of money changed hands after McNabb's 30-yard scoring throw
to Greg Lewis with 1:48 remaining helped the Eagles get the back-door
cover.
The Patriots held on to win 24-21, and the final score came in under the total of 47 1/2.
"Almost every book probably needed New England to win but not cover,"
Las Vegas Hilton sports book director Jay Kornegay said. "The worst
scenario would have been for the Patriots to cover and it go over the
total.
"It was probably one of the bigger back-door touchdowns we've had in
the Super Bowl in a long, long time. If we didn't get that last
touchdown, we probably would have broken even on the game."
The Nevada Gaming Control Board will release the total amount wagered
on the game late this week. The handle might not set a state record,
but the books are expected to record a significant win.
A record $81.2 million was wagered on last year's Super Bowl, with the state's books winning a record $12.4 million.
"I would be surprised if the total handle throughout the state exceeded
last year," said Stardust sports book director Bob Scucci, who
predicted two marquee teams would attract significant wagering.
"It came close to what we expected. I anticipated more because of the matchup, but we haven't seen that."
The NFL's policy against Super Bowl parties forced Las Vegas hotels to
move the traditional game-day gatherings from bigger ballrooms to books
and other areas of the casinos. The weekend crowds at various locations
around town appeared to be smaller than they were last year.
"That was probably the only thing that prevented it from being a record," Kornegay said.
The most popular parlay bets were on the Patriots to cover and over the
total, Scucci said. He also said his book took a lot of wagers on the
Eagles to win at plus-210 on the money line.
"All week, New England had a 4-1 ratio in terms of dollars wagered, but
a lot of money came in late on Philadelphia," Scucci said.
The Patriots were minus-270 to win straight up, but Scucci said, "Nobody really wants to lay that price."
New England squandered two scoring chances, one when quarterback Tom
Brady lost a fumble in the red zone. The Patriots also were forced to
settle for a 22-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri with 8:40 left,
making their lead 24-14 and opening the door for Philadelphia to beat
the spread on McNabb's late TD pass.
By winning three of the past four Super Bowls, New England is being
declared this decade's dynasty team. The only fact detracting from the
Patriots' dominance is that all three of their victories were by just
three points.
New England also failed to cover in last year's Super Bowl, beating Carolina 32-29 as a 7-point favorite.
The Hilton offered more than 250 proposition bets on Sunday's game, and Kornegay said the results were good for his book.
The total rushing yards for the Patriots' Corey Dillon opened at 91 1/2
and was bet up to 100 1/2. Dillon finished with 18 carries for 75
yards.
New England, which had scored first in 25 of its last 26 games, was a
minus-180 favorite to score first in the Super Bowl. But Philadelphia
got the first score on a McNabb pass to L.J. Smith in the second
quarter.
The Eagles' Terrell Owens played surprisingly well despite a bad right
ankle. The Palms posted props on Owens' receptions (three) and
receiving yards (48 1/2). Owens made nine receptions for 122 yards.
