Super Bowl 51 will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday, February 5 with kickoff scheduled for 6:35 PM eastern. The home of the Houston Texans, NRG Stadium features an artificial playing surface known as UBU Sports Speed Series S5-M Synthetic Turf. Both the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons play their respective home games on artificial surfaces. The current line is New England minus -3 with the O/U set at 59. There is tremendous 2-way action on the game so don't expect much line movement. Any line movement won't happen until about 2 hours before kickoff. Here are Jeff's (JH-Sportsline) top 10 reasons each team will win Super Bowl 51 in no particular order. Below is a free selection from your 18-year documented winner.


10 reasons the Atlanta Falcons will win Super Bowl 51


1) The Falcons own the league's best scoring offense (33.8 ppg) during the regular season.

2) The Falcons ranked 2nd in yards per game (415.8) this season.

3) The Falcons' offense scored the eighth-most points in NFL history.

4) In 12 games on artificial turf, the Falcons went 8-4 SU and 7-5 ATS while scoring an average of 35.7 points per game.

5) Dan Quinn is a talented coach with a Super Bowl victory in 2013 as defensive coordinator with the Seattle Seahawks.

6) The Falcons went 4-2 SU and 5-1 ATS as underdogs this season.

7) Lots of team speed on both sides of the ball. Atlanta ranks 3rd in overall team efficiency by Football Outsiders.

8) Matt Ryan will be playing knowing he's the NFL MVP of the regular season and his chemistry with Julio Jones is off the charts.

9) The underdog has covered the point spread in an impressive 13 of the past 16 Super Bowls. Additionally, the underdog has won outright in five straight and eight of the past nine Super Bowls.

10) The Falcons enter this Super Bowl with a plus +15 turnover differential, including the postseason.


10 reasons the New England Patriots will win Super Bowl 51


1) The Patriots own the league's No. 1 ranked scoring defense, allowing foes to 15.6 points per game this season.

2) In 13 games played on artificial turf, the Patriots went 11-2 SU and 10-3 ATS while scoring an average of 29.2 points per game.

3) The Patriots will face a Falcons' defense that allowed the sixth-most points of any NFL team and ranked 25th overall.

4) Tom Brady looks to be on a mission this season after his four-game suspension to begin the year.

5) Bill Belichick is a future first-ballot Hall of Fame NFL head coach.

6) The Patriots are 15-4 SU when playing with an extra week to prepare under Belichick.

7) Experience. New England has 22 players on its roster that have played in a Super Bowl.

8) In the previous seven contests in which the No. 1 scoring Defense faced the No. 1 scoring Offense in the Super Bowl, the No. 1 ranked scoring defense has posted a record of 6-1 SU and 6-1 ATS.

9) The Patriots enter this Super Bowl with a plus +14 turnover differential, including the postseason.

10) The Patriots are ranked No. 1 in overall team efficiency by Football Outsiders.


Jeff went 31-16-3 ATS in the NFL season after ranking No. 2 in 2014. Get Jeff's 5* Super Bowl 51 Best Bet with all the reasons why at this site right now. You will be glad you did! Jeff is 4-1 ATS the past five Super Bowls, including two straight winners.


Jeff's free selection in Super Bowl 51 is the UNDER 29 points in the first half. The first half will played more conservatively by both teams. Look for a lower-scoring first half than most people expect. Enjoy the game! Good luck, Jeff Hochman/JH-Sportsline