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Best bets for the Pro Bowl

Don Juan Moore / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Pro Bowl is another money-making opportunity for bettors with a week until the Super Bowl. Here are our favorite bets for Sunday's AFC-NFC tilt at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

Over 55

It wasn't long ago when the Pro Bowl featured a defense-optional approach, similar to any NBA or NHL All-Star Game. But as of late, defenses have ruled the NFL's annual showcase.

The average point total between the AFC and NFC has declined from 92 points between 2009-12 to 51.8 over the previous five Pro Bowls. Toss in some potential rain and wind for Sunday's game and it's easy to see why the total has moved from 59 all the way down to 55 in some places. For an event that's tough to cap, the public tends to latch on to trends, a la the under on this one. We're going the other way, however.

It feels as though there's been a slight overcorrect in the market after a string of four unders in the previous five years, which covered by an average of nearly 24 points. The total is higher than the Super Bowl's, but there's no denying the wealth of talent under center and in the skill corps - it is the Pro Bowl, after all.

NFC ML (-110)

Originally opening up as a 1.5-point underdog, the AFC money quickly came in following the release of the odds to move the game to a pick 'em in most shops. Underdogs in the Pro Bowl are the hot commodity in the market, as teams getting points in the Pro Bowl have covered 12 of the previous 15 games while nine of the previous 14 have won the game outright. Capping the game - let alone the spread - is a ton of guesswork, but we feel the NFC has an overall advantage on defense and in special teams.

Alex Kolodziej is theScore's betting writer. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 11 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AlexKoIodziej.

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