Super Bowl Odds 2019: Props List and Betting Guide for Patriots vs. Rams

The offensive teams for the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams get most of the attention prior to the start of Super Bowl LIII, and that's not a surprise.

Start with Tom Brady and Jared Goff, and observers have the the quarterback who is often regarded as the best in the history of the game along with one of the NFL's top young guns.

Both passers are capable of lighting up the scoreboard, and the supporting running games are dangerous. Rookie running back Sony Michel has scored five rushing touchdowns in two playoff games, and Rex Burkhead has added three more.

Todd Gurley of the Rams was the top running back in the regular season, and he rushed for 1,251 yards while averaging 4.9 yards per carry and scoring 17 touchdowns. However, he missed the last two games of the regular season with a knee injury.

While the 24-year-old came back with a 100-plus yard game in the divisional playoff matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, he played an unproductive game against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC title game. He finished the game with just 10 yards.

Backup running back C.J. Anderson, who was signed mid-December, has 39 carries in the postseason while Gurley has 20 rushing attempts.

Super Bowl Betting Odds

Odds via OddsShark.

Spread: New England (-2.5) 

Over/Under: 56.5

Money Line: New England (-145; Bet $145 to win $100); Los Angeles (+125; Bet $100 to win $125) 

Gurley and head coach Sean McVay insist the running back is healthy and will not face any restriction in the Super Bowl. However, when the leading runner in the league has half as many carries as a running back who was signed in mid-December, it leads to questions.

The Rams are going to try to hinder Brady by making sure the New England running game does not get underway. The combination of Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh is capable of doing just that, and they will get help from linebacker Cory Littleton and safety John Johnson, the Rams' two leading tacklers during the regular season.

Donald is also a remarkable factor as a pass-rusher, as he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks. Suh had 4.5 sacks, and he is one of the strongest men in the game and capable of taking over at any time.

The Patriots are going to depend on middle linebacker Kyle Van Noy to slow down the Los Angeles attack. He led New England with 89 tackles during the regular season, and strong safety Patrick Chung was second with 81 stops.

Defensive end Trey Flowers had a team-high 7.5 sacks during the regular season, and he has 2.0 more in the postseason. Van Noy has also picked up a pair of postseason sacks.

The defenses for both teams don't get the same kind of pregame attention as the offenses, but if either can take the ball away two more times than its opponent, it will likely make a huge difference in the game.

The Patriots are 2.5-point favorites over the Rams, and the total is 56.5 points, per OddsShark. That number has held steady since the start of last week.

The Rams were initially made a one-point favorite in Super Bowl LIII, but the oddsmakers changed course 17 minutes after the initial line was release.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

The Patriots are -145 favorites on the money line, while the Rams are +125 underdogs. A New England backer risks $145 to win $100, while a Rams bettor puts up $100 to win $125.

Prop bets

In addition to betting on the spread and the total, fans have an opportunity to wager dozens of propositions on Super Bowl Sunday.

These prop bets are often as popular or even more so than betting against the spread.

Casual fans who are just looking for fun can wager on the length of the national anthem, the number of songs Adam Levine and Maroon 5 will sing at halftime, and the color of the Gatorade that will be dumped over the head of the winning coach.

Hard-core sports fans can bet on the game MVP, the yardage totals of Brady and Goff, as well as the number of field goals that will be kicked in the game.

There are also a number of prop bets that involve the Super Bowl game action as well as other sports propositions. These are known as cross-sport props, and OddsShark lists 19 of them in midweek.

One of those involves Burkhead's yardage total compared to the number of points Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving scores when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder at 2 p.m. ET on Super Bowl Sunday. Both options are offered at odds of -120.

Burkhead is averaging 26.5 yards per game in the two playoff games, while Irving is averaging 23.7 points this season. The NFL star has averaged 8.0 carries in the two games, but if he gets 10 or more carries he could easily go for 35 yards or more. Burkhead is the call from this corner.

The Boston Bruins are also playing on Super Bowl Sunday, as they travel to play the Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals. Fans can bet whether New England placekicker Stephen Gostkowski will have more field goals or the Bruins will have more goals.

Those taking the Bruins must lay -150, while those taking the New England kicker get that bet at +110. The Bruins regularly struggle against the Caps, so the play here is to take the Patriots man.