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The New England Patriots are favourites for Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta this Sunday , with Vegas bookmakers giving them 2.5 points over the Los Angeles Rams on the handicap.
While the Philadelphia Eagles memorably defeated the Patriots last year as 4.5-point underdogs, the oddsmakers are keen to keep future Hall of Fame coach Bill Belichick and five-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady onside.
For much of the NFL regular season it has been the Rams who have been Super Bowl favourites, but the market has soured on them a little since Cooper Kupp's injury in midseason and there remain questions over Todd Gurley, an MVP candidate earlier in the season but who has been benched recently for back-up running back C.J. Anderson.
So Vegas has settled on a line of 2.5 points for this game, with plenty money backing the Patriots but unlikely to move the line to three points.
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2018 NFL season in picturesShow all 35 1 /352018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The 2018 NFL season was full of fireworks as ever
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Tom Brady guided New England into the play-offs once again
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season JJ Watt enjoyed another fine year for the Texans
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Matt Ryan couldn't save the Falcons' season
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Saquon Barkley was sensational in his first season in New York
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Denver failed to make the play-offs
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Rookie Baker Mayfield shone for Cleveland
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Larry Fitzgerald continued to roll back the years
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Chicago showcased a new-look offense
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season James Conner deputised for LeVeon Bell in fine style in Pittsburgh
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Jon Gruden had a season to forget in Oakland
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The Seahawks earned a wild card in the NFC West
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The Steelers missed out on the postseason at the very last
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season George Kittle shattered records in San Francisco
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The Seahawks couldn't beat the Cowboys in the Wild Card round
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Ezekiel Elliott was outstanding once again for Dallas
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The Ravens roared into the play-offs
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Lamar Jackson became Baltimore's quarterback of the future
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Cody Parkey's missed field goal cost the Bears dear
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Andrew Luck couldn't beat the Chiefs
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Patrick Mahomes authored one of the best seasons in history
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The Chiefs earned the best record in the AFC
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Todd Gurley led the Rams to the play-offs
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season New England once again played host to a play-off game
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Philip Rivers helped the Chargers back to the postseason
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Brady turned on the old magic to help the Pats beat the Bolts
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Michael Thomas was a force for the Saints
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Drew Brees ended the Nick Foles fairytale in NOLA
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Jared Goff saw off the Saints in the NFC title game
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season The Rams were helped by a late blown call
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Greg Zuerlein hit the winning field goal in overtime
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Sean McVay is the youngest head coach in Super Bowl history
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Tom Brady was at his very best against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Rex Burkhead scored the winning TD in overtime
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2018 NFL season in pictures 2018 NFL season Brady earned a spot in his ninth Super Bowl
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Three-point handicaps are something of a magic number in the NFL because of the frequency of winning by a single field goal. It means that despite the clamour to back the Pats for the Lombardi trophy, the line is almost certain not to move unless millions are wagered on the Foxborough franchise in the hours before kick-off.
What is the handicap? The line is 2.5 points currently and is unlikely to move.
Unlike some of the wild variations seen in the playoffs, this price opened around the same mark and hasn't seen much deviation. 'Sharps' and larger syndicates appear to be on the side of New England.
Typically the odds on either side of the line will be 20/21 - as found on RedZoneSports .
What are the moneyline prices? The moneyline price - who will win the Super Bowl outright - has the Patriots as 5/7 favourites (1.71 for those who prefer decimals and -140 for American odds).
The Rams are odds-against at 2.20 (6/5 in decimal, +120 in American).
What is the over/under? With all-time great Tom Brady helming one of these offenses and the Rams boasting a high-powered, brilliantly schemed offense full of versatile weapons, we are expecting points.
The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, rankedShow all 10 1 /10The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – 2008 No frills, just good old-fashioned rock and roll. Tom Petty’s performance is often omitted from rankings of the best Super Bowl halftime shows, but we’re including it here because he absolutely crushed it. Kicking things off with “American Girl”, he followed it up with “Won’t Back Down”, “Full Moon Fever” and the emotional “Free Fallin’”, rounding off with a stirring rendition of “Runnin’ Down a Dream”.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked U2 – 2002 U2 had the unenviable task of trying to raise everyone’s spirits just six months after the 9/11 attacks, but they did an admirable job, with performances of uplifting tracks like “Beautiful Day”.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Paul McCartney – 2005 McCartney preceded the pop stars trying to outdo one another with extravagant stage designs and lavish costumes. Instead, he offered four beautifully played songs, of which the final one, “Hey Jude”, prompted an epic singalong with the crowd at Jacksonville’s EverBank Field Stadium.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Madonna – 2012 One of the few to outdo Katy Perry’s 2015 entrance was Madonna, three years earlier, who appeared on a giant golden chariot led by about a hundred buff men dressed as Roman soldiers. She brought out Nicki Minaj and MIA for “Give Me All Your Luvin’” and also performed hits “Like a Prayer”, “Music” and “Express Yourself”.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Katy Perry – 2015 There are few entrances as grand as standing on top of a giant golden lion with glowing eyes. Katy Perry went all out for her halftime show in 2015 with performances of “Roar”, “Dark Horse”, “California Gurls”, “Firework” and “Teenage Dream”. And who can forget the notorious Left Shark and his poor coordination?
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Bruce Springsteen – 2009 “Put the chicken fingers down and turn your television all the way up,” the Boss ordered. Springsteen’s 12-minute set started out with “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and also included “Born to Run”, “Glory Days” and “Working on a Dream”.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake – 2004 Janet Jackson delivered a blistering, brilliantly choreographed show that ended with “Rock Your Body”. But the moment Justin Timberlake ripped away her costume, and exposed her breast for approximately half a second, overshadowed all of that. The incident, dubbed “nipplegate”, even inspired the creation of YouTube. Jackson was turned into a scapegoat for the ensuing controversy, while Timberlake didn’t receive anywhere near as much scrutiny.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Lady Gaga – 2017 One of the most outlandish halftime shows in recent memory, Lady Gaga began her performance by hurtling herself from the top of the stadium (attached to a harness, of course) – sparking a thousand memes. Once safely on the ground, she thrilled audiences with her biggest hits: “Poker Face”, “Born This Way”, “Telephone”, “Just Dance”, “Million Reasons” and “Bad Romance”.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Beyonce – 2013 Beyonce basically ties with Prince for the greatest all-time Super Bowl performance. It was bold, it was fierce, it was virtually flawless. Bursting onto the stage with “Crazy in Love” after an a capella “Love on Top”, she threw down some of her best dance moves, before moving on to other hits including “End of Time” and “Baby Boy”. Lastly, there was a hysteria-inducing Destiny’s Child reunion with Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland – a performance so powerful, the lights at the stadium cut out when it ended.
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The 10 greatest Super Bowl performances, ranked Prince – 2007 The greatest. Of course, the Purple One wasn’t responsible for the rain that began to pour during his hair-raising 12-minute performance, which included covers of “We Will Rock You” and “All Along the Watchtower”. But the timing was so perfect, you wanted to believe he was. Following renditions of “1999/Baby I’m a Star”, Prince closed on “Purple Rain” in what has to be ranked among one of his greatest live performances of that song.
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While sometimes the occasion of the Super Bowl can impact points totals, last year was a high-scoring bonanza and this year's is tipped to go the same way.
Consensus over/under is 56.5. You can bet the over with RedZoneSports at 2.01 or the under at 1.83.
What about prop bets? Well there are always some great prop bets to be had, from the colour of the Gatorade bath the winning coach will get to the length of the national anthem and everything in between.
The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performancesShow all 18 1 /18The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 1991 - Whitney Houston For her rendition of the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl Whitney Houston wore a white tracksuit with red Nike trainers and her hair held back by a headband
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 1993 - Michael Jackson For what is arguably the most memorable halftime performance to date, Michael Jackson wore a gilded military-inspired jacket over a white button-down shirt, black trousers and a pair of aviator sunglasses. He also sported his iconic white socks and black loafers
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 1996 - Diana Ross For her halftime performance, singer Diana Ross wore a number of standout ensembles including this extravagant orange and pink gown. Earlier on in the show, she also sported a pink catsuit with a billowing gold cape
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 1997 - James Brown For his Super Bowl performance, the 'Godfather of Soul' wore a tonal red suit that featured embellished detailing on the lapels
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2000 - Tina Turner Tina Turner chose a leather jumpsuit with a halter neck and flared trousers for her appearance at the Super Bowl in 2000
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2001 - Britney Spears and Steven Tyler When Britney teamed up with Aerosmith, *NSYNC and Nelly for the 2001 halftime show, they all wore customised Aerosmith jerseys
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2003 - Shania Twain In 2003, Shania Twain wore a crystal-encrusted bra and mini skirt with a Matrix-style coat for her Super Bowl performance
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2004 - Janet Jackson The infamous 'nipplegate' ensemble, Janet Jackson wore a PVC outfit consisting of a high-neck studded corset, trousers, longline jacket and boots
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2007 - Prince Prince wore a turquoise suit with an orange shirt at the 2007 Super Bowl
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2011 - Usher For his performance alongside the Black Eyed Peas, Usher wore an all-white outfit with matching sunglasses
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2011 - Black Eyed Peas Fergie and the rest of the Black Eyed Peas sported futuristic outfits at the 2011 Super Bowl in Texas, featuring crystal-embellished shoulder pads and LED accents
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2012 - Madonna Madonna performed alongside Nicki Minaj and M.I.A wearing a black dress, gladiator-style belt and gilded head dress which she later traded in for a set of cheerleading pom poms
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2013 - Jennifer Hudson One of the most subtle outfits seen at the Super Bowl, Jennifer Hudson performed wearing a black Monika Chiang top, L’wren Scott skirt and Saint Laurent shoes in 2013
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2013 - Destiny's Child That same year, Kelly, Beyoncé and Michelle wore complimentary leather ensembles
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2014 - Bruno Mars For his Super Bowl performance, Bruno Mars wore a gold suit jacket with a white shirt and black tie to match the rest of the band
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2015 - Katy Perry With a series of outfits designed by Moschino's creative director Jeremy Scott, Katy Perry commanded attention at the 2015 Super Bowl. Some of the best looks included a beach-ball inspired mini dress and a silver floor-length gown covered in stars
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2016 - Beyoncé In 2016, Beyoncé paid homage to Michael Jackson's 1993 look with a black bodysuit and gold harness. Meanwhile, her dancers wore black berets in reference to the Black Panthers
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The most iconic outfits from Super Bowl halftime performances 2017 - Lady Gaga For her performance at the Super Bowl, Lady Gaga descended from the sky wearing a sparkly bodysuit with shoulder pads and knee-high boots
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You can even bet on how many typos we'll see in tweets from the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump.
Our favourite is to bet the over on those, with a generous line set at 0.5 and Trump's recent tweeting setting off some alarm bells.
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