Westgate sees Super Bowl LIII between Rams and Patriots a closely contested game - Los Angeles Times
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Westgate sees Super Bowl LIII between Rams and Patriots a closely contested game

New England Patriots' Rex Burkhead (34) celebrates after scoring the game-winning touchdown to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime during the AFC championship game on Sunday.
(Patrick Smith / Getty Images)
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The expectation of a tightly contested Super Bowl between the Rams and New England Patriots was seen in the opening hour of betting on the game in Las Vegas.

Minutes after the Westgate Superbook established the Rams as a one-point favorite over the Patriots, bettors swarmed the windows with enough five-figure wagers to make the Patriots a one-point favorite.

By virtue of their overtime road victories Sunday, the Rams and Patriots will meet again following the teams’ 2002 Super Bowl meeting in New Orleans that launched the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick dynasty.

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“We’re expecting it to be a razor-thin margin,” Westgate Superbook Race and Sports Director Jay Kornegay said Sunday night after setting the line.

Kornegay also expects a high-scoring affair, making the over-under total 58, which ranks second to the 59-point over-under he set in the Patriots’ victory over the Atlanta Falcons two years ago.

Typically on NFL weekends, Kornegay factors in the onslaught of L.A. sports fans who gravitate toward their team when he sets the line.

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The Super Bowl is different.

“Everyone is on it,” Kornegay said.

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