TEAM RICE (-1.5, 89.5) vs. TEAM SANDERS - 7:30 pm ET (NBC) #495

A completely new format and rules for this year's NFL Pro Bowl which makes handicapping this game extremely difficult. Instead of the normal AFC vs. NFC format, the game is now a combination of the two conferences with a player draft headed by Team Deion Sanders (HC Chuck Pagano - Colts) and Team Jerry Rice (HC Ron Rivera - Panthers). It is the fifth year now that the game is being played a week before the Super Bowl (instead of afterwards) which means players from the Broncos and Seahawks are not participating.

The rosters for both teams are talented and fairly even. Team Sanders will have quarterbacks Andrew Luck, Cam Newton, and Nick Foles. Team Rice will have quarterbacks Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and Alex Smith. It is an interesting situation as Indianapolis head coach Chuck Pagano will be coaching his own QB Andrew Luck, while Carolina head coach Ron Rivera will be coaching against his QB Cam Newton.

On the surface, Team Rice appears to have a more reliable QB rotation at the top with Brees and Rivers versus Luck and Newton, especially since Cam Newton was awful in his previous Pro Bowl appearance two years ago, going just 9-for-27 with 3 interceptions. This is most likely why the bettors have made Team Rice a current -1.5 point favorite in this game.

The movement on the Over/Under line in this game has been fascinating. It opened around 90 earlier in the week and then steamed up to 96 points on Friday, but has since come all the way back down to 89.5 at most sportsbooks. Recent Pro Bowls have been extremely high-scoring, however there are several new rule changes this year:

- Kickoffs have been eliminated and each team starts on their own 25-yard line - Two-minute warnings in all four quarters - Clock stops if offense gains less than a yard, but runs after an incomplete pass (except last 2 minutes 1H and last 5 minutes 2H) - Defenses can use multiple pass coverages now (instead of just man-to-man) - Possession changes at end of each quarter - Play clock lowered from 40 seconds to 35 seconds

Some of these new rule changes will help scoring, while others could lower scoring. The past three Pro Bowls have all gone easily Over with total scores of 97, 100, 96; however the six prior games all totaled 75 points or less (75, 51, 72, 59, 40, 65). The current total on this game is much higher than any other Pro Bowl in history as the past three seasons have seen closing Over/Under lines of just 79.5, 75, 66.5.

Too much uncertainty with the new format and rules to accurately handicap this year's NFL Pro Bowl.

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