Gamblers are always looking for an edge and this is one of the more bizarre ones that I have found. Call it the animal factor. Half of the NFL teams, eight in each conference, have a nickname or emblem signifying an animal – Bears, Bengals, Bills, Broncos, Cardinals, Chargers, Colts, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Jaguars, Lions, Panthers, Rams, Ravens and Seahawks. The “animal” teams have made 28 Super Bowl appearances winning eight and losing 20. “Non-animal” teams have been to 48 Super Bowls and posted 30 wins and 18 losses. There has been just one “all-animal” Super Bowl (Broncos-Falcons) but there have been 11 Super Bowls with no “animal” team. In the 26 contests between “animals” and “non-animals”, the “non-animals” have prevailed in 19 games while losing just seven.Before leaping on the betting bandwagon, there is a catch – “animal” teams have won three of the last five meetings with ‘non-animals”.Where else can you find this kind of “inside” information?
