Unlovable dogs?
The Falcons ended their recent playoff drought with the victory over Seattle on Sunday, but the betting public still doesn’t have much respect for them.
The 49ers are favored over the Falcons by 4 1/2 points at most major sports books. According to R.J. Bell of Pregame.com, the Falcons are the biggest home underdog of any No. 1 seed in any round since the NFL playoffs expanded to 10 teams in 1978.
Bettors have been eager to take San Francisco and give the points: Kevin Bradley, the sports book manager for Bovada.lv, said 75 percent of the money bet on the game at his site is on the 49ers.
Bradley said he opened the line at San Francisco minus-4 but “instantly got pounded” on that number and moved it to minus-4 1/2. He said it’s “pretty rare” for a road team to be an underdog in a conference championship game.
“But bettors have a short memory, and the way (the 49ers) handled (Green Bay) and how (the Falcons) almost blew a big lead last week, I am not surprised,” Bradley wrote in an email.
Fans love them
If outsiders aren’t giving the Falcons much respect, their fans seem to be rallying behind them.
Fanatics.com said sales of Falcons merchandise were up 120 percent last week, and Atlanta gear was the top seller among NFL teams at the site Sunday. The jerseys of Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones jersey were among the top five sellers at the site Sunday and Monday.
Tickets
The game is officially sold out, but there were still lots of tickets available on the secondary market as of Tuesday. StubHub.com was offering more than 9,000 tickets starting at $185 and the NFL’s official reseller at Ticketmaster had about 6,000 tickets with a starting price of $170.
View from San Francisco
Dylan Kruse of the San Francisco Examiner didn’t hold back in predicting an easy 49ers victory:
“If we learned anything after 16 regular-season games and last week’s divisional playoff round, the 49ers will be making travel arrangements for New Orleans and Super Bowl XLVII about 3:30 p.m. (Pacific time) Sunday.
“While San Francisco still has to beat the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome on Sunday, it’s a mere formality at this point.
“That’s not pandering to the hometown crowd. Facts are facts. Matchups dictate games. And come Sunday, Atlanta will be exposed by a diverse, explosive 49ers offense and thoroughly manhandled by an aggressive, physical San Francisco defense.”
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