New England vs. Seattle

In the 2014-2015 season, NFL games averaged 13.2 total penalties which is almost 14% lower than this posted total of 15. Granted, the odds on this bet (-195) are juiced to reflect that, but as a starting point we have good reason to believe that the number of penalties doled out won't exceed this very high total. But of course there is more. Is the Super Bowl any different than the average NFL game? Of course it is. it's a huge game and no one wants to see it decided by the referees. The refs know this and just like in other big games (NBA Finals, college football/basketball championship games, etc), the refs have a tendency to swallow their whistles. Everyone including the referees wants the game decided on the field by the players. While the average number of total penalties per game in NFL regular season games averages around 12.5 to 13, the average number of penalties in the Super Bowl averages just 10.5 to 11 - a huge drop. The bulk of regular season NFL gams see between 10 and 13 penalties called. In the Super Bowl, the most common numbers are 8, 9 and 10. Since 2001, only 10 playoff games have gone over 15 penalties (compared to 138 that have fallen below 15). Over the past 13 Super Bowls, only two have gone over 15 called penalties. In games in which referee Bill Vinovich has presided, the average called penalties was 12.82. So, the case is very strong for the number of called penalties in this game failing to reach 16. Take the UNDER on this prop.