Even heavier underdogs
The Falcons opened as a four-point underdog. That line moved to minus-4 1/2 after early betting, and now it’s at minus-5 at several sports books.
That hasn’t stopped bettors from continuing to take the 49ers and give the points.
“It’s not really making a difference as 75 percent of the money is still coming in on them,” Kevin Bradley, sports book manager for Bovada.lv, wrote in an email.
Even at 4 1/2 points the Falcons were the biggest home underdog of any No. 1 seed in any round since the NFL playoffs expanded to 10 teams in 1978.
By contrast, Bradley said 70 percent of bettors are picking the Ravens as 10-point underdogs against New England in the AFC Championship game. He said lots of bettors backed New England as a 10-point favorite against Houston last weekend, and the Patriots’ 41-28 victory “cost the book a pretty penny.”
Bradley’s hypothetical Super Bowl lines have the Falcons as a 1 1/2-point favorite against the Ravens and a six-point underdog against the Patriots.
Tickets
As of Thursday afternoon there were more than 10,000 tickets for the Falcons-49ers game available on the secondary market, with prices starting at about $170.
The Falcons are urging fans to be cautious about counterfeit tickets. Among their suggestions are don’t be lured away from a web site by the seller, choose a seller with a long history of satisfied customers and avoid paying with a cashier’s check or by wiring money to the seller.
Confidence game
On ESPN’s “First Take” Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith argued over whether the Falcons’ come-from-behind victory against Seattle would give the team confidence.
Bayless contended that the narrow escape would cause the Falcons to second-guess themselves.
“Maybe we are not that good,” he said. “Maybe we lucked up and stole one from the Seahawks.”
Smith countered that the Falcons gained confidence from winning in a pressure situation and can use the continued skepticism about their worth as motivation.
“They are going to look at that and say, ‘All right, we’ll see. Let’s get it on. Y’all are sleeping on us’,” Smith said. “Which fits the M.O. of a Roddy White, for example, who never hesitates to point out how the Atlanta Falcons have been underestimated, and he might be on the verge of being absolutely correct.”
View from San Francisco
Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle reported on an odd motivational ploy by 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh this week.
Players found plastic placards with their high school picture and recruiting rankings hanging about their lockers.
“It’s funny,” 49ers tight end Delanie Walker told Lynch. “It’s kinda unique and different. … I laughed to see how we all looked back then and just to go around the room and see what everybody looked like. … Randy Moss has a black-and-white picture.”
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