The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons both posted lopsided victories last weekend to claim berths in Super Bowl LI, but sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com expect this year’s big game to be a close affair with the Patriots opening as 3-point betting favourites.
Super Sunday’s Patriots vs. Falcons betting matchup at NRG Stadium in Houston marks New England’s third Super Bowl appearance in six years, and the seventh with quarterback Tom Brady at the helm.
Brady powered the Patriots to a fourth-quarter comeback in their last Super Bowl appearance two years ago, when they got past the Seattle Seahawks 28-24 as 1-point underdogs. The Patriots pivot earned his third career Super Bowl MVP award in that victory, and leads the way on the Super Bowl MVP odds at -110.
Brady looked in Super Bowl form in New England’s 36-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers as 6-point home favourites in last Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. The 17-year veteran completed 32 passes for 384 yards and three touchdowns, and has now found the end zone on 11 occasions against just two picks over his past four appearances.
New England will need more of the same against the Falcons, who have continued to run up big point totals in the post-season after leading the NFL at 33.8 points scored per game during the regular season.
Atlanta stunned the Green Bay Packers with a 44-21 beating as 6.5-point home favourites in the NFC Championship Game to extend its current straight-up win streak to six games, during which they have tallied 39 points per game.
Like New England, the Falcons have leaned heavy on a prolific quarterback. Matt Ryan enjoyed a breakthrough campaign in 2016, throwing for 4,944 yards and 39 scores, making him a heavy -1000 favourite on the NFL regular season MVP odds.
Ryan also topped Brady’s performance last week with four touchdown passes and 392 yards while adding one scoring run against Green Bay, and closely trails on the Super Bowl MVP betting lines with +185 odds.
The 31-year-old’s performance has ended the Falcons’ previous stretch of playoff futility that saw them go 1-5 SU and winless ATS in six January contests prior to this post-season.
However, Atlanta faces the task of ending a four-game SU and ATS losing streak against the Patriots that dates back to 2001. The Falcons have surrendered over 27.5 points per game during that slide, most recently dropping a 30-23 decision to New England as 2.5-point favourites during the 2013 season despite a 421-yard, two touchdown performance by Ryan.
