What makes the Super Bowl one of the biggest spectacles in the world is the myriad of
prop bets available for the game. Even if you don't know a single thing about football, you can surely find something to wager on that will pique your interest in the biggest game of the year. Today, we'll take a look at how to attack the Super Bowl 51 broadcast on FOX after the first 30 minutes have been played.
Don't miss Super Bowl LI from NRG Stadium in Houston, TX at 6:30 p.m. ET on February 5, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on FOX.
Super Bowl LI Odds at BookMaker.eu
Atlanta Falcons +3
New England Patriots -3
Over/Under 58.5
The top scoring offense in the league, in the form of the Atlanta Falcons, is set to do battle with one of the more stingier defensive units in the New England Patriots. As good as each of these sides have been at doing what they do best, it’s tough to truly fall in love with either of these two sides. That is unless your dead set on how this game pans out and already have a plan of attack devised.
For many, that isn’t the case. They don’t know the difference between Matt Ryan or Jack Ryan who is the main character in most of Tom Clancy’s novels. Just so we’re clear, the former graduated from Boston College and is in the midst of his best ever NFL season. Jack Ryan is a fictional character that’s entertained us all on the Silver Screen in movies like The Hunt for Red October and Patriot Games.
With the betting line for Super Bowl LI only lined at -3 in favor of New England with the highest posted total of any season concluder, line makers expect this to be a high-scoring nip and tuck affair. That’s where paying attention to what goes down in the first half could pay off big time over the course of the game’s final 30 minutes.
New England was nauseatingly consistent in its pair of playoff games. Against Houston, it put 17 points on the board in the first half and followed it up with another 17 in the second. The Pats looked a bit rusty however with Brady only throwing two touchdowns and throwing as many interceptions as he did over the entirety of the regular season ( 2 ).
Against Pittsburgh, the Patriots looked much better in scoring 17 first half points and another 19 in the second half with Brady throwing for 384 yards and 3 touchdowns. Had the Steelers actually put up a fight, it’s likely New England would’ve hung a more crooked number on the board.
Either way, New England was much more fluid in the second half once the coaching staff had a chance to make adjustments and discuss them with both sides of the ball. The defense allowed a grand total of 11 points in the second half of each of its playoff games after conceding 22 total points combined in the first half. Should Atlanta have its way offensively over the course of the first half, it’s highly likely defensive coordinator Matt Patricia will cook something up over the extended break to put the clamps on the high-flying Falcons.
I’d look to hit the under on the halftime betting lines if in fact a ton of points hit the board in the first half.
Even though Atlanta scored a grand total of 80 points in its two playoff games against Seattle and Green Bay, the most impressive aspect of both wins was the play of the defense. After allowing the Seahawks to go right down the field and score a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, it buckled down the rest of the way in allowing just 13 points with the only other touchdown scored late in the fourth quarter when the game was already well in hand.
That effort was followed up by shutting the Packers potent offense out completely over the first 30 minutes of the NFC Championship Game. Green Bay did manage to put 21 points on the board in the second half, but it did absolutely nothing to threaten the Falcons for the overall lead with Atlanta owning a 31-0 lead before Aaron Rodgers and company finally got on the scoreboard.
As good a season as the Falcons had, whether it led or trailed at the break was an enormous indicator as to how their games played out. In its 13 overall wins, it led at the break and went on to cover 10 of those games. The only game it failed to come out on top of was the Week 7 meeting with San Diego whom it held a 27-17 lead over at halftime, but went on to lose to overtime. The other four defeats saw Atlanta trail at halftime and then go on to lose the game outright. Only one of those games was covered; a 26-24 loss at Seattle as 7 point underdogs.
If the Falcons find themselves trailing at the break, history won’t be on their side in pulling off a comeback win. Bet accordingly.
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