Super Bowl 51 Patriots vs. Falcons betting preview

The New England Patriots overcame losing quarterback Tom Brady for the first four games of the 2016 regular season, going 3-1 straight up and against the spread. The Patriots have gone 13-1 SU and 12-2 ATS since Brady’s return – the best in the NFL during that stretch – prompting oddsmakers to open them as three-point favorites in Super Bowl 51 over the Atlanta Falcons.

Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

New England is making its record ninth appearance in the big game and has earned a split in the team’s previous eight trips, going just 1-4 ATS in the last five. Meanwhile, Atlanta is headed to the Super Bowl for only the second time, losing to John Elway and the Denver Broncos 34-19 in the second of their back-to-back titles following the 1998 season.

The Falcons closed as 7.5-point underdogs versus the Broncos, and they are 3-8 SU and ATS as underdogs in the playoffs dating back to 1991, losing five in a row.