MARK MAY contest: New England Patriots vs Atlanta Falcons ($50 Prize!)
"The Crowd" has Atlanta as (-0.8) favorites
Prizing:
1st Place: $50 Amazon gift card
2nd-10th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card
Top 10 Winners:
1. Carlton Lana (500 points)
2. Damien KD Word (500 points)
3. Steven Ellis (500 points)
4. James Chretien (500 points)
5. Ben Hunter (500 points)
6. Brian Wilson (500 points)
7. Don Brown (500 points)
8. Mason Frazier (500 points)
9. Robert Penley (500 points)
10. Mark Souza (500 points)
Overview:
On Sunday, February 5th, at 6:30 P.M. the New England Patriots will take on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.
Mark May:
Mark is going with “The Crowd” predicting a final score of Falcons 35 – Patriots 30.
The Crowd:
“The Crowd” projects a final score of Falcons 30.7 – Patriots 29.8 with an over/under of 60.5. The Vegas Line has a final score of Patriots 31.3 – Falcons 28.3 with an over/under of 59.5.
2016-17 Regular Season Statistics (32 total teams):
Yards per game: Falcons 415.8 (2nd) > Patriots 386.2 (4th)
Points per game: Falcons 33.8 (1st) > Patriots 27.6 (3rd)
Turnover margin: Patriots +12 > Falcons +11
Fewest yards allowed per game: Patriots 326.4 (8th) > Falcons 371.2 (25th)
Fewest Points allowed per game: Patriots 15.6 (1st) > Falcons 25.4 (27th)
Summary:
It’s no surprise that the Patriots (+191) and the Falcons (+131) are meeting in Super Bowl LI as they were the top two teams in point differential. New England is averaging 35.0 points per game in the postseason and have allowed 16.5. Atlanta, by comparison is averaging 40.0 points per game and have allowed 20.5 points per game. Atlanta (+4), leads New England (+2), and the rest of the NFL in turnover margin throughout the playoffs. Certainly, the experience of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will give them an advantage. Belichick has the highest postseason winning percentage (.714) of any coach in NFL history.
These teams are comparable offensively, but New England has clearly been the superior team defensively. With these two teams allowing fewer than 21 points defensively in the postseason, I would bet on the under (60.5) that “The Crowd” is currently projecting. Atlanta ranked 16th in sacks (34) so they will have to send extra players if they want to get pressure on Tom Brady. Because of this I think Brady will be able to exploit the one on one matchups. I think the Patriots defense can slow down the Falcons just enough and Brady will take care of the ball as he has all season. Ultimately, I like New England to win by a touchdown.
**LISTEN HERE** to the latest edition of “The Berger Shop” podcast, sponsored by The Crowd’s Line. This week’s episode features an in-depth discussion with Sporttechie.com senior writer Mark Burns.
Note:
To be eligible to enter a Crowd’s Line contest you must be over 18 years of age, a resident of the United States/Canada, and submit your score prediction on our prediction tool (blog widget). The winner will be selected according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score the winner will be selected by random drawing. Only one prize will be awarded per contest and that winner will receive their prize in 5-7 business days.
