It was a wild week in the NFL with COVID outbreaks, rescheduled games, and a few rather obscure upsets. With all of this craziness comes plenty of questions to be asked. The one on the top of the list is simple: has the Patriots success this season been fraudulent?
The easy answer is no – it hasn’t. Over the last eight weeks they’re 7-1 and have taken down the top two teams in the AFC in the Titans and Bills. They’ve played complimentary football and are still within reach of the conference’s one seed.
However, Saturday night’s game was New England’s worst showing this season outside of their week three loss to New Orleans. It was a huge reality check for a team that has had an abundance of injury luck and a monsoon against a team with no running back. There’s a chance this team was vastly over-achieving during this stretch.
But let’s take a step back. New England still has plenty to be excited about, and it would be silly to pull out the F-word after one loss to a viable Indianapolis team. After all, Mac Jones is still just a rookie, and although he turned the ball over twice on Saturday – he showed some promise in the fourth quarter by almost leading them to a comeback win. Despite his lackluster play over his last two games, Mac is still cemented as the Offensive Rookie of the Year. He is the heavy favorite (-800) over Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (+400) according to BetOnline.ag. Here’s what Jones had to say about the team’s performance this weekend:
Having said all of this, the Patriots will need to rally the troops this weekend and get their mistakes squared away with the Buffalo Bills coming to town. They’re not quite frauds yet, but they certainly have to look themselves in the mirror this week to figure out what kind of team they can be down the stretch.
The Patriots aren’t considered frauds from a betting perspective either. According to our friends at BetOnline.ag their odds hardly moved following Saturday’s loss to Indy. Here’s a look:
Super Bowl Odds
The Patriots (+900) still have the fourth best odds to win the Super Bowl behind the Chiefs (+425), Packers (+450) and Buccaneers (+600). The numbers shifted a little bit for everyone, but New England remains fourth.
The AFC has been rather underwhelming this season, so I can understand why a team like Tennessee or Buffalo has yet to jump ahead of them. Side note: could you imagine a Patriots vs. Bucs Super Bowl? That would be the most watched television program of all time.
AFC & AFC East Champion Odds
New England is still well positioned to win the AFC according to the oddsmakers at BetOnline. The red hot Kansas City Chiefs are now the favorites to represent the conference in the Super Bowl, but the Pats are right behind them at (+400). Here are the top five:
AFC Championship
Kansas City Chiefs +190
New England Patriots +400
Buffalo Bills +550
Indianapolis Colts +850
Tennessee Titans +950
Despite a New England win and a Buffalo loss this weekend, the Patriots are still the favorite to win the AFC East. These odds, however, could dramatically shift after this Sunday’s game. It is an absolute must win for both teams and will likely determine who wins the division. Here are the odds:
AFC East Champion
New England Patriots -185
Buffalo Bills +140
Miami Dolphins +8000
Bill Belichick Coach of the Year Odds
Throughout their 20-year dynasty, the Patriots were always penciled into playing meaningful games in January. Especially with Tom Brady at the helm, it was an after thought that they could ever miss the playoffs – or even the AFC Championship game. We expected this from Belichick and never thought twice about it.
Now? Well after a dud of a season last year – with abysmal quarterback play – I think it’s time we realize what Bill Belichick truly does for a football team.
The Patriots started the year 1-3 and frankly looked to be down for the count just a month into the season. Mistakes across the board from both players and coaches cost New England wins against Miami, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay.
After a nail biter in week five against Houston, Belichick clearly had seen enough.
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