We'd like to cut to the chase here, as all of our last-minute analysis takes us to our Super Bowl prediction for Sunday. In case you don't know - or previously did not care - it's the New England Patriots going after their second straight world championship against the Philadelphia Eagles, kicking off at 6:30 PM ET at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Remember that if you are a BetAnySports customer, you get some value on the odds when you take advantage of reduced juice, and then, after the game has started, you can place wagers in real time with Live Betting Ultra.

Let's just say off the bat that we like the Patriots, who are a four-point favorite with a total of 48.5 points. But allow us to explain, if you will. There are so many handicappers who will just throw out a play that we feel compelled to tell you WHY.

Here we go:

1) While we concede that the Patriots are going to let the Eagles advance the ball between the 20s, because they have allowed more yards per drive than any other team in the NFL - believe it or not - we expect that they will slow Philly down considerably once they get to the red zone. Again, we realize that the Eagles have been good over the course of the season, scoring TD's on 66.7% of red zone trips. And Nick Foles has been a 60% passer without an INT in the red zone. But the Pats are second-stingiest in the league in the red zone, on a per-trip basis; they have allowing just 46.7% completions and 2.6 yards per carry (the Eagles run for just 2.2 ypc in the red zone). Settling for field goals isn't going to be a winning scenario for Philadelphia.

2) BetAnySports patrons might know that the Eagles have been great in the last two minutes of a game, not allowing a point all season, but you have to admit that the Patriots are the more serious threat in the fourth quarter. They have allowed thirteen touchdowns in the final period - far more than they have in any other quarter - and they are only 14th in the NFL in fourth-quarter DVOA (a metric called Defense-Adjusted Value over Average). Meanwhile, if you look at the last nine playoff wins for the Pats, Tom Brady has had a 138.0 passer rating in the fourth quarter, and no receiver of theirs has dropped a pass.

3) The Philadelphia defense has been pretty damn good against #1-level wide receivers, but they have been rather average against slot receivers and tight ends. And that is just where the Patriots can nail them on a consistent basis with Danny Amendola, who has 18 catches in the two playoff games, and Rob Gronkowski, who needs no introduction.

4) While the season numbers may look a certain way, it looks as if the Patriots' run defense is making progress at about the same time the Eagles are fading a bit in that area. Over the last four games, the Eagles have a total of 354 rushing yards (88.5 per game), while the Pats have allowed just 290 yards (72.5 per game, which is lower than the Eagles' league-leading 79.2 ypg). And during that stretch the Pats have surrendered just three yards a carry on first down, while the Eagles have gained just 3.3 ypc. Philadelphia will have to do well on first down to set up favorable situations for Foles, so if they can't run all that well they'll have a big problem.

5) Even though BetAnySports customers must recognize that the Eagles have made very creative use of analytics, it is New England who may benefit more from "situational football." Let's illustrate that. Philadelphia has had some interesting difficulties when it comes to dealing with the no-huddle approach; they have allowed a 102.4 quarterback rating and eight yards a pass, with only one sack for every 30 plays in no-huddle situations. Coincidentally, the Pats are obviously very good in a no-huddle offense, although they don't employ it that often. However, we know that Bill Belichick is very flexible, in the sense that he does not marry himself to a game plan. He's got a lot in the arsenal, and he will do whatever works. No-huddle may work because the Eagles love to rotate their defensive linemen in and out of a game, and this would preclude that from happening.

We're not stopping there. The Eagles are much more generous when the other team is in a shotgun, so look for some of that from the Pats. And when the opponent has an empty backfield, Philadelphia get pressure on the quarterback only 27% of the time. Because Brady has a passer rating of 96.6 when pressured, this should put the Eagles and their defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, in a "no man's land" of sorts.

It's very tough to get away from the idea that the Patriots are going to figure things out in the fourth quarter. You watch last year's Super Bowl and the game against Jacksonville two weeks ago and you can see that. It's backed up by numbers as well. And this team doesn't beat itself with a lot of penalties (insert your own snide remark about favoritism from the officials).

At the same time, we keep in mind that New England somehow feels compelled to make all these Super Bowls close. All of them with Brady and Belichick have been decided by six points or less. And the Pats have won three times by a field goal, once by four points and once by six, but in overtime. So to lay the points, we're wary. Instead, we are actually going to grab the -200 price on the money line with the Pats in Super Bowl 52.

BetAnySports opens things up with a great free play bonus, then keeps you happy with reduced juice, so you can avoid laying -110 on the Super Bowl........ After the kickoff, place wagers in real-time through Live Betting Ultra, and remember that you can use Bitcoin to open an account, where you pay NO transaction fees!