Super Bowl 2017: Vegas Betting Odds, Updated Money Line for Patriots vs. Falcons

The New England Patriots have earned quite a bit of respect this season for their defensive play.

While they don't have a unit loaded with superstars, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has found the right players to man his scheme, and the results have been above and beyond expectations.

The Patriots have the No. 1-ranked scoring defense in the NFL and are also quite adept at limiting yardage. They rank eighth in yardage allowed, which indicates they are capable of coming up with big stops in key situations.

That may be the trick when it comes to competing with an offensive powerhouse like the Atlanta Falcons. Their offense is too much for any team to try to shut down—the Seattle Seahawks couldn't do it in the divisional round—but the Pats have been getting big plays from Malcolm Butler (21 passes defensed, four interceptions, two fumble recoveries), Trey Flowers (seven sacks, two fumble recoveries) and Logan Ryan (13 passes defensed, two interceptions) all season.

The Patriots are coming off one of their best defensive games, as they held the explosive Pittsburgh Steelers to nine points until Pittsburgh scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion in the dying minutes. 

Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	Point Spread	Total
New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons	Feb. 5	6:30 p.m.	New England (-3)	58.5

Holding Ben Roethlisberger and Co. to 17 points is a major achievement, but the Patriots have heard they have not faced high-level competition all season, and that criticism has fueled them.

"We try not to focus too much on the media, but we hear it, it's everywhere," safety Duron Harmon said to Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe. "We heard that we weren't tested all year."

If the Patriots have a tough task in trying to slow down the Atlanta offense, the Falcons may have an even tougher one against the New England offense.

Tom Brady spreads the ball around to Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and Martellus Bennett, and he also has a number of other targets including Danny Amendola and Dion Lewis. The Patriots ranked fourth in yards gained and have a powerful running attack led by LeGarrette Blount.

The Falcons have been an improved defensive team this year, as they have been able to pressure opposing quarterbacks. Vic Beasley has become a big-time pass-rusher with 15.5 sacks.

However, the Falcons don't resemble a dominant defensive team, as they rank 25th in yards allowed and 28th against the pass.

Brady may be capable of exploiting their weaknesses. The Falcons play a great deal of man-to-man coverage, and they also like to blitz.

If that maneuver does not result in significant pressure on Brady, the Patriots could light up the scoreboard.

Handicappers give the advantage to New England. According to OddsShark, the Patriots remain three-point favorites, and the website also favors them on the money line. 

The Patriots range from minus-150 to minus-165 favorites, while the Falcons are plus-130 to plus-145 underdogs.

It also figures to be a high-scoring championship game with the total set at 58.5 points.