The over/under in Super Bowl 53 between the Patriots and Rams opened at 59 right after New England finished off the Chiefs to win the AFC Championship.
By the end of Sunday night, the total had dropped a full point down to 58, and almost two weeks later, the over/under closed at 55.5.
By kickoff, 60% of the betting tickets were on the over, and coming out of the gate, those wagers never had a chance.
The first half included eight punts, a turnover on downs, an interception, a missed field goal and one made field goal in 12 total possessions.
In the end, the game finished with the Patriots winning 13-3, with the game going under the betting total by a whopping 39.5 points!
No Super Bowl side or over/under — 211 bets in total — has ever finished farther away from the closing number than this.
In short, the over was the worst bet in the history of the Super Bowl.
Prior to Super Bowl 53, an over/under had never finished even 30 points or more away from the closing total.
The largest over/under differential before the Patriots-Rams came in Super Bowl 13 between the Steelers and Cowboys.
The game closed with an over/under of 37, which makes sense considering an average of just 33 points had been scored in the 12 Super Bowls prior.
Pittsburgh and Dallas combined to score 66 points, which is still the fifth-most points scored in a Super Bowl in history.
