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.
