Patriots Open 3 Point Favorites Against Falcons

After one of the most dominant regular seasons in NFL history, the New England Patriots (16-2 SU, 15-3 ATS) are headed for their seventh Super Bowl in the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady era. And they’ve opened as 3-point favorites against their opponents at Super Bowl 51, the Atlanta Falcons (13-5 SU, 12-6 ATS). Kick-off from NRG Stadium in Houston is at 6:30 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, February 5, with FOX providing the television coverage.

Super Bowl 51 opened with a total of 59 points, the biggest total in the history of the Big Game. The previous record of 57 points was set at Super Bowl 44, when the New Orleans Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Miami. The OVER is 15-2-1 for the Falcons this year; they even managed to hurdle the 62-point total in their NFC title win over the Green Bay Packers, winning 44-21 as 4-point home faves.

The Patriots, on the other hand, have the UNDER at 10-8 this season. But they went nuclear in each of their two playoff games, including last week’s 36-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (OVER 51) in the NFC title game. New England was a 6-point home chalk in that matchup.