Patriots Take Vegas on an Emotional Super Bowl Roller-Coaster

A game featuring the league's first and third highest-scoring offenses was everything we thought it could be. Who will ever forget the fourth quarter of the 2017 Super Bowl? 

Midway through the third, New England, going for its fifth Super Bowl title, was down 25 points. And in Vegas, plenty of bettors still believed Tom Brady could pull it out.

At Nevada's William Hill sports books, the Patriots money line – odds they'd win outright – was +1100 when the Falcons were up 28-3. That means you'd win $1,100 for betting just $100.

Six minutes later, with 2:06 to go in the third quarter, James White caught a touchdown pass to make it 28-9. Stephen Gostkowski's extra point doinked off the right upright and was no good.

The money line improved, albeit slightly, to +1000.

The Patriots opened the fourth quarter with a 33-yard field goal to close the gap to 28-12. Still, the money line remained +1100 -- the Patriots were just 11/1 to win the game outright.

We all know what happened next.

Donte Hightower had a strip-sack of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to give the Patriots the ball at Atlanta's 25 yard line. Five plays later, Danny Amendola hauled in a touchdown and James White ran in a two-point conversion to trim the lead to 28-20.

With 5:56 to go in the fourth, the Patriots money line stood at +575, half of what it was a quarter earlier.

The Falcons' next drive started off with a bang as Devonta Freeman hauled in a 39-yard reception to move the ball to midfield. Then Julio Jones made a spectacular catch at the Patriots' 22-yard line.

In Vegas, bookmakers thought that was the nail in the coffin and moved the Patriots money line all the way to +1600, or 16/1 to win outright.

Instead, Boneheaded plays by Atlanta ensued, including a 12-yard sack and a 10-yard holding penalty; the Falcons punted on 4th and 33. Anyone who bet at +1600 was licking their chops.

The Patriots rolled off a mesmerizing 10-play, 91-yard drive with a circus catch from Julian Edelman to tie the game, and the money line in Vegas moved to +130, or basically even money.

There were triple-digit tickets placed on money lines of +1000 or greater. Sports books lost every single one of them.

The Patriots won on the first possession of overtime, miraculously covering a three-point spread despite never leading until the final play. The in-game money lines changed a whopping 244 times at William Hill.

At 16-3 against the spread this season, they tied the 1989 San Francisco 49ers as the most profitable team for bettors in NFL history. Yet another bad beat for Vegas.

Brady was 16-for-21 for 196 yards in the fourth quarter, 5-for-5 for 50 yards in overtime. He earned his fifth Super Bowl title and was named Super Bowl MVP for the fourth time. 

Before the game, the Patriots were -149 to win the Super Bowl, meaning you'd need to bet $149 just to win $100. 

Anyone who jumped on the Patriots in-game money lines was handsomely rewarded. The Patriots engineered the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history and the third greatest comeback in post-season history. 

According to former Vegas bookmaker Micah Roberts, the Patriots covering and the Over hitting was not a good combination for sports books.

And if you had bet the Patriots against the spread every game this season for $100, you'd be up $1,270 right now.