If the spread numbers are both 5.5, there is no middle ground for both teams to win/lose. If the San Francisco 49ers are +3.5 on the spread, they can’t lose by more than five points to win the bet. If the Los Angeles Rams are -3.5, they need to win by six points or more to win the bet. Spread betting sounds confusing, but it really isn't. The underdog will be displayed with positive odds, which is plus sign (+) followed by a number (+5.5).

The favorite will be displayed with negative odds, which is a minus symbol (-) followed by a number (-5.5). In spread betting, you have two options: the favorite or the underdog. 15% of games are won by 3 points, the value of a field goal and without the extra half point, the betting result would have been a 20-20 push with stakes returned. The importance of half points was also highlighted in the NFC Championship game between the Rams and 49ers. When the very best of teams plays the very worst, points spreads can be upwards of 17.5 points, which gives a big underdog, perhaps on an upward curve, a real chance to cause an upset against the spread playing a dominant team who may go in to the game with one eye ons future challenges. More obviously, the spread gives an equitable betting opportunity to both teams even when the game appears to be a large mismatch. The NFC Championship spread achieved this aim, with the SF 49ers “winning” by just half a point after the 3.5 points had been added.

The first objective of a spread is to bring the sides much closer to a coin toss odds compared to the price for a side to merely win the game. The Rams were priced at -182 simply to beat the 49ers and advance to the Super Bowl, requiring a stake of $182 to be risked to return a $100 profit, with an implied winning probability of 64.5%. The NFC Championship game gave a masterclass in how point spread betting can enhance the usual money line betting, where a side may be an unattractively short priced favorite.

Average point spread nfl games