Super Bowl LI odds: Patriots open as 3 point favorites over the Falcons

If you thought the Falcons were going to be favored over the Patriots because of their long, difficult, and triumphant path through one of the hardest schedules in the NFL, perhaps you’re new here. New England faced the easier schedule this year, but they’re the Patriots, one of the great dynasties in NFL history. It’s no great surprise that they’re favored, if only by a field goal.

Most outlets opened things up at three points and the highest over-under in Super Bowl history at 57.5, both of which make perfect sense. I fully anticipate Atlanta will be able to win this one and that there will be plenty of offense on the board, but we’ve seen great teams ground to dust before New England before, and the oddsmakers know that. The fact that they have it so close suggests, as it should, that the Falcons will keep this one close. Of course, at the rate they’ve been going, betting on an Atlanta multi-score win might still be prudent.

We’ll see how this line evolves over the next two weeks, but expect to hear a lot about the greatness of the Patriots in the days ahead, and a lot about why they should be favorites. You won’t hear much of that here, though.