The bell tolled midnight for the Cinderella New York Jets and their backers on Sunday. After making a killing in the final six weeks of the season and covering as an underdog in the first two rounds of the playoffs,
Underdog bettors thought they had another payday coming with the Jets holding a 17-13 lead at halftime.
But as any experienced sports bettor knows, there are two halves to every game (unless you took the first-half line). Peyton Manning would not be denied his second Super Bowl appearance, lighting up the Jets' top-ranked defense for two touchdowns in the final 30 minutes and giving
That second-half push also tipped the scales on the total, giving over backers enough points to eclipse the 40-point number. It was the Colts' fifth time going over the number in the last six games, improving their over/under mark to 10-8 on the year.
In the NFC Championship Game many bettors expected a great matchup with both the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings coming off blowout wins in the Divisional Round. And, with Sunday's tilt going into overtime, they were not disappointed – unless they gave the four points.
The Vikings did everything in their power not to come through for bettors. They fumbled five times and quarterback Brett Favre threw two picks – most notably an interception on the final drive of the fourth quarter, which would have given
Instead, the Saints got a big boost from the coin toss, grabbing the first shot at scoring.
Total bettors didn't need to sweat the overtime period for their plays to cash in. Adrian Peterson's two-yard touchdown run in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter pushed the final score over the 54-point total, giving the Saints their second straight over finish of the postseason.
Oddsmakers opened with
