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The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons game is set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET this Sunday, and what a matchup this could be. While the Patriots sport a statistically solid defense, this could be a show of offensive power in Houston, TX.
The spread for Super Bowl 51 has hardly budged since being set two weeks ago, and the Patriots are 3-point favorites to win the game. Shouldn’t surprise anyone considering how good the Falcons’ offense has been down the stretch. However, a 3-point spread is hardly going to move a lot of money. Some sport books ventured to 3.5 or 4-point spreads, all in New England’s favor, but that is as high as you will find with just days before the big game — barring injury of course.
A 3-point Super Bowl spread is pretty blah to me. You can see both teams winning this game straight up, and a field goal to the Falcons isn’t going to change my mind too much on the outcome of this contest. However, what I do find interesting is the Over/Under on this Super Bowl.
The number is currently set at 59.
For those who don’t know, the Over/Under bet is when you put money on whether the combined score will be over, or under, the designated number. For instance, if the final score Sunday is New England 31, Atlanta 30, you have 61 points and anyone betting the over would be winners.
The fact the Super Bowl Over/Under is close to 60 is both shocking and awesome. Most Super Bowls start off very conservative as teams look to get their feet under them and get rid of the jitters associated with playing on the NFL’s biggest stage. But will these two high-powered offenses be able to crank up the production in the second half to get over 59 points?
That is a tough call, and 59 is such a smart move by the sports books — they know what they are doing. If I were to put money down, I’ll go with the over in this game. I like the Patriots and Falcons to both light up the scoreboard, which is exactly what the NFL wants.