Sports Blog 02/02/2017: Super Bowl LI Preview – New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons, Sunday 5th February 2017

All eyes turn to Texas this Sunday, as the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons in the 51st Super Bowl!

When the Patriots take to the field on the 5th February it will mark their 8th Super Bowl in 20 years (and 9th all together), a level of consistency unmatched by any other team across that period. Victory on Sunday would take their number of Vince Lombardi Trophies to 5, drawing the Patriots level with the San Frabcisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys and taking them within 1 win of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 6 titles. A year after Deflategate, Tom Brady will also be looking to win his 5th Super Bowl ring by less dubious means; he heads to Houston at a Quarterback Player Performance spread of 101-109.



Bill Belichick’s side ended the 2016 regular season as the best team in both AFC and NFC divisions, losing just 2 of out their 16 games. They then breezed through the play-offs, beating the Houston Texans 34-16 before winning a record AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers (who incidentally now hold the record for most AFC Championship game losses).

As for the Falcons, this is their first final since 2008 and only the second in their history. In fact they were so unfancied at the start of the season that Spreadex were offering fixed odds of 80/1 compared to the Patriots’ 10/1 price.

They finished in 2nd place in the NFC behind the Dallas Cowboys, before beating the Seattle Seahawks in their divisional play-off. They then went on to smash the Green Bay Packers 44-21 in their final ever game at the Georgia Dome, their NFC Championship a fitting send of for their home of 25 years.

Yet despite their consistently surprising run the Falcons head into the NRG Stadium with their underdog status very much intact. Spreadex is offering a New England/Atlanta Points Supremacy spread of 2.5-4.5 with a Total Points spread of 58-61. The Falcon also lose out on the Binary Match Result index, sitting at 38-43.5 to the Patriots’ 56.5-62, and fixed odds prices, the New Englanders favourites at 8/13 to the Atlantans 13/10.