Super Bowl 2022: Get your prop bets here! Our top 5 plays, plus a bonus commercial one

One thing you can always bet on is that Super Bowl Sunday has a little bit of everything for everyone. That includes every prop bet you can think of. From the national anthem to halftime show, all those commercials, and oh, yeah, the game, if you’re wondering about a certain prop, the books have you covered. Here are my top 5 prop bets for Super Bowl LVI, plus a bonus one. (Props courtesy of OddsShark).

National Anthem: Over/under 1 minute, 46 seconds

I’m not familiar with country music artist Mickey Guyton, but based on the line being under 2 minutes, she must sing the anthem fast. The internet backs that up: the last time she sang the Star-Spangled Banner, at the National Memorial Day Concert last May, she needed just 1 minute, 23 seconds. That’s unheard of. Expect her performance this time to be longer than that, but it’s hard to believe it will be 24 seconds longer. Artists don’t get out of their comfort zone, so she should stick to her regular routine and breeze through this to secure the under.

The pick: Under (-120)

Which player will score the first TD?

This is all about finding the right value. Forget about taking each team’s star players because the odds aren’t juicy enough. Here’s who I stopped on: Bengals receiver Tee Higgins at 14-1. With Ja’Marr Chase being the Rams’ No. 1 concern, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Joe Burrow finds Higgins for the Bengals’ first score. Tyler Boyd, a talented yet under-the-radar WR for Cincinnati, also has good value at 18-1.

The pick: Tee Higgins (14-1)

Evan McPherson over 7.5 points (-150)

This one almost feels like easy money, which usually means you should think twice about it. I expect a 23-20 Bengals win, so that’s three field goals and two extra points for the rookie kicker. He’s 12-for-12 in the postseason. All he needs for you to win this wager is three field goals, or two field goals and two extra points. Based on the previous three playoff games, that feels like it will happen. McPherson also has great value at MVP (40-1). Hey, stranger things have happened.

The pick: Over (-150)

Who will the Super Bowl MVP mention first in his speech?

Speaking of MVP, Matthew Stafford (+135) and Joe Burrow (+225) are the big favorites. That’s always the case for the quarterbacks. I’m predicting a Bengals win, so this is all about who Burrow, the most likely MVP winner, will thank first. The options are teammates, God, city, family/family members, coach, owner or none of the above. Considering Cincinnati has never won a Super Bowl, my first instinct is to say Burrow will thank the city. He comes off as humble and always seems to say the right thing.

The pick: City (+400)

Will the game go to overtime?

This is always one of my favorites. There’s no value in saying no (-3000), so why not yes (+800)? Both teams’ previous two wins were decided late, with three of the four coming on walk-off kicks. The Bengals won at Kansas City in overtime, and the playoffs were full of down-to-the-wire games. So, considering neither team figures to dominate and this is an evenly-matched game, would it really shock you if the game went to overtime? It's worth a sh-OT.

The pick: Yes (+800)

BONUS PROP:

How many commercials will have a dog in them?

If football isn’t your game and you need a rooting interest, how about counting how many commercials feature a dog in them. Sounds like fun, right? Jeanine Poggi, an editor at Ad Age, a site that analyzes trends on advertising and commercials, was a guest on the CBS Morning Show and said that brands were focusing on more lighthearted commercials after two years of the pandemic. That made me think the over 6.5 would be a good play, but in a follow-up email with Poggi, she said of the commercials released so far there were only three spots featuring a dog (and one was a robot). So maybe I'm barking up the wrong tree.

The pick: Under 6.5 (+115)