Underdog Wins In the NFL – Great Betting Opportunities.

Betting on the NFL is a popular activity amongst Canadians as well as other bettors around the world. The NFL is one of the premier sports leagues in North America, providing its followers with a number of emotional moments throughout the season. As with all sports, many of the games have a strong favourite and an underdog, which can provide the sharp Canadian punter with a great betting opportunity. There have been a few memorable games where the underdog rose victorious, much to everyone’s surprise, and made a number of punters exceedingly happy with their outside bet.

Super Bowl IV

Super Bowl IV was the last AFL – NFL championship before the two leagues merged in 1970. The day dawned bright and sunny, with punters from all over the world eagerly waiting for the kick off between the Chiefs and the Vikings.

Bookies had set a 13 point spread between the two teams, making the Vikings a clear favourite. Their star player Frank Tarkenton was warmed up and ready to take his team to victory, but unfortunately for the Vikings that was not to be. The Chiefs managed to terrorize Frank the entire game, blocking most of his moves and ultimately coming out on top by final whistle.

New Orleans Saints Versus Seattle Seahawks 2011

In 2011 the New Orleans Saints were already former Super Bowl champions. When they were slated to play the Seattle Seahawks in a shootout match, they were not overly worried as although the Seahawks had won the division, they had done so with below .500. this made the Seahawks the first sub .500 team to reach the playoffs. The mighty Saints were in for a horrible surprise however when they ended up losing 11 to 5. The Seahawks became the first sub .500 team to ever win the playoffs, and in the process made some lucky punters very, very happy.

Super Bowl XXXVI

After 9/11 the 2002 Super Bowl or Super Bowl XXXVI was the first NFL final to be played in February. The St Louis Rams and the New England Patriots lined up on the field to take each other on in a match which was eagerly watched by punters all over North America including Canada. The St Louis Rams were appearing for the second time in the finals in three seasons, and were expected to win again, quite easily.

Little did they know that an injury substitution early on in the season by the Patriots would have set the stage for one of the most surprising Super Bowls to date. The Rams had the most lethal offense in the NFL at the time, but despite this with 1.30 left on the clock and no timeouts remaining the score was tied. At this point the injury substitute for the Rams, 23 year old Tom Brady, calmly led his team down the field, setting up Adam Vinatieri’s game winning 48 yard field goal perfectly just as the clock expired.

Super Bowl XLII

The New England Patriots would find themselves in another incredible Super Bowl upset a few years later. This time they were the undefeated champions of the league, looking to dethrone the 1972 Miami Dolphins for the record. They came into the match as 12 point favourites against the New York Giants, and everyone expected them to produce the goods.

To the bitter disappointment of many punters who had eagerly backed them, the Patriots fell rather short, losing to the Giants 17 – 10 after a thrilling last minute goal by Plaxico Burress, sealing one of greatest upsets in NFL history. If NFL betting is not for you then perhaps you can give NZ sports betting a go!