King of Stats: The big digits on Super Bowl XLVII

It’s that Super Bowl time of year again. The King of Stats has been bitten by the bug that’s swept across the Atlantic and, ahead of a coffee-fuelled Sunday night that lasts way beyond bedtime, he’s highlighted where the money will be won and lost on the Greatest Show on Earth.

6 – Should the San Francisco 49ers beat the Baltimore Ravens, they will level Pittsburgh Steelers’ record of six Super Bowl wins; they’re 5/9 to do so and, ominously for the underdogs, the west coast franchise have never been defeated in any of their previous five appearances on the grandest stage of them all.

7 – Of the last 11 Super Bowl MVP’s, seven of them have been quarterbacks and, in typical American fashion, every single one has represented the winning team. With the 49ers Colin Kaepernick boasting a strong running game, as well as a strong arm, he stands the best pre-match chance of landing the award, reflected in his 11/8 favouritism.

853 – Kaepernick’s opposite number, Joe Flacco, was in fine fettle in Baltimore’s run to the Super Bowl, throwing an impressive 853 playoff yards. A price of 7/4 says a QB will launch over 300 yards in the NFL showpiece and, with Flacco averaging just shy of 300 yards per playoff game, he could easily up his game another notch and ensure this bet cops.

11 – For the Ravens to have any chance of upsetting the odds here they need explosive running back Ray Rice to come to the party with Flacco. Combining his regular and post-season records, he picked up 11 touchdowns on Baltimore’s run to New Orleans and a price of 7/1 is on offer for him to be the first player to score in the N-zone.

5 – This is the Ravens’ third appearance in the Super Bowl but, as a franchise, they are enjoying arguably the most successful period in their history. This is this fifth year in succession that they’ve made the playoffs and a price of 8/5 says they’ll ice this particular cake by claiming the richest prize in American Football.

3 – However, for them to do so they must halt a run of NFC Super Bowl dominance. They’ve won each of the previous three renewals, though the previous two have been run close. They were settled by four and six points respectively and a price of 7/2 says the 49ers will keep this trend going and win by a margin of 1-6 points.

8 – Recent history suggests that, if the San Franciscan outfit are to get the job done, they won’t run riot against the Ravens. Eight of the previous 12 NFC representatives in the Super Bowl have notched fewer than 25 points and this outcome can be backed at 5/6.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date