Super Bowl Box Game: Wacky Occurrences That Will Screw Up Your Squares

If watching the biggest game of the year wasn't enough to keep you interested, having money on the Super Bowl certainly is. While betting on the game outright is one way to do that, another is by partaking in a Super Bowl squares game.

When it comes to Super Bowl squares, you simply look at the last numeral of each team's score following each quarter. If your numbers correspond then you win a prize, normally monetary in nature. Generally, you're looking to have numbers like zero, three, four and seven since they are the most common.

There are a few things that can really mess up some good numbers, though. Here are three occurrences you don't want to see in the Super Bowl if you drew advantageous numbers.

Safety

While it is one of the rarer plays in football, a safety can certainly throw your chances of winning some money for a loop. Since a safety is worth two points it can create an number of different possibilities. If you're stuck with normally terrible numbers like two or five, then this is precisely the kind of thing you want to see. If you have common numbers, though, then this is your worst nightmare.

Luckily, there have only been six safeties in Super Bowl history, and most of them came quite a long time ago. The last one was three years ago in Super Bowl XLIII as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Justin Hartwig was called for holding in the end zone, resulting in two points for the Arizona Cardinals. In that instance, though, it didn't mess with the score as the Steelers ended up winning 27-23. It isn't likely, but a safety could really screw things up.

Two-Point Conversion

It usually doesn't come into play until later in the game, but a two-point conversion is something that can radically change your fortunes as far as your squares go. This is true of a made or missed two-point conversion as the odds are that either outcome will produce a strange number. If the game is nip-and-tuck throughout, then a two-point try is unlikely, but a team trying to make a comeback could utilize it.

There is nothing worse than when your numbers are shaping up great and a late-game two-point conversion messes it all up. If you have good numbers, then the best thing that can happen is a very close game that doesn't feature anything out of the ordinary. Even a blowout would be fine as a team wouldn't be worried about going for two. If there is some sort of intermediate margin between the teams, though, then you could be in big trouble.

Missed Extra Point

This is the most unlikely of all occurrences, but if a team misses an extra point, then it could lead to a very excruciating loss for you. NFL kickers make extra points at an incredible rate, so it's no surprise that only two have been missed in the 45-year history of the Super Bowl. The last was by San Francisco 49ers kicker Mike Cofer in Super Bowl XXIV in 1990. That made the score 55-10 for the Niners over the Denver Broncos, so it helped somebody who figured they had no chance.

Both Stephen Gostkowski and Lawrence Tynes are sure-footed kickers, so the odds of it happening this year are low, but you never know. All it takes is a botched snap or a block and it could change the whole complexion of your Super Bowl pool odds. Perhaps the only person who would be as demoralized by a missed extra point as the kicker is somebody who has numbers ending in zero, three or seven.