Super Bowl Underdogs : Super Bowl Betting Trends

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Roger Goodell is a busy man. He’s got a lot on his plate. But that won’t keep the NFL commissioner away from the most important day of his league’s season, Super Bowl LI in Houston, as the New England Patriots tangle with the Atlanta Falcons.

Goodell will have plenty to do there – handle league business, glad hand with sponsors, ensure his well-oiled machine gleams in the spotlight.
You know what Goodell doesn’t want to do on Super Bowl Sunday?

Hand the Vince Lombardi Trophy off to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

The two aren’t exactly the best of friends. It’s a safe bet that they didn’t exchange Christmas cards over the holiday season.

You might remember that Goodell suspended Brady a month for his role in the Deflategate scandal. Brady appealed his suspension, took the NFL to court and won his appeal at the District Court level. Goodell appealed that ruling and won a 2-1 verdict overturning it from the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversing Brady’s appeal victory.

Brady filed a petition to reverse that decision which was denied, and he sat out the first four games of the 2016-17 season under NFL suspension.

Bad blood? You could say that.

Goodell might be less popular in New England that the British were in 1776, and the feeling is mutual. You’ve got to think the NFL commissioner is tossing and turning at night over the thought of presenting yet another Super Bowl trophy to the Patriots, who are three-point favorites over the Atlanta Falcons heading into the game.
Luckily for him, favorites have performed miserably in recent Super Bowls.

The underdog has won five consecutive Super Bowls.

Could Atlanta make is six in a row?
Considering that the Super Bowl’s been such a graveyard for favorites of late, it’s entirely plausible that the Patriots could lose this game.

In fact, New England are 0-2-2 as a Super Bowl favorites when it comes to covering the spread.

They lost twice to the New York Giants as the favorite and failed to cover seven-point spreads in three-point wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers.

The underdog Falcons are no slouches. They are an offensive juggernaut of epic proportions. There’s already a groundswell of support for them to extend this run of underdog success stories.

So, it’s not farfetched to think that Matt Ryan will lead his underdog Falcons to glory, making Goodell a very happy man.

Then again, this is an extra motivated Brady. And revenge is better served cold. Look for the Patriots to lift Super Bowl 51, thereby ending the favorites five-game losing streak in the showcase game.