Carolina vs. Denver

In the 2015-2016 season, NFL games averaged 13.8 total penalties. But of course there is more. Is the Super Bowl any different than the average NFL game? Of course it is. Its 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 13.5, 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 51 playoff games have gone over 12 penalties (compared to 109 that have fallen below 13). In 2015, only three of ten playoffs games went over 12 penalties. That equates to far odds of -213. In games in which referee Clete Blakeman has presided, the average called penalties was 11.8 - below this posted total even before we take into account the magnitude of this game. So, the case is very strong for the number of called penalties in this game failing to reach 13. Take the UNDER on this prop.