The Patriots, unfortunately, ended up back on the losing side of things last weekend and (as usual) were defeated by the Dolphins in Miami.
They return home this weekend for game No. 9 as they welcome the Washington Commanders to Foxborough for a 1 p.m. kickoff from Gillette Stadium. Here are the odds, according to our exclusive wagering partners at FanDuel Sportsbook:
Odds – Patriots vs. Commanders
Spread: Patriots -3
Moneyline: Patriots -166/Commanders +140
Total: O/U 40.5
Storylines
We do the storylines segment here for a reason, and there may be no storyline bigger in the NFL this week than what Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio dropped on Wednesday. It’s long, but here’s what he had to say:
“I heard something over the weekend and I’ve been trying to think of the best way and the best time to talk about it, and it’s not a ‘report’.
Look, when you’re plugged into everything that’s happening, and talk to a lot of different people, you hear things. And you hear certain things that make you say, ‘Whoa, hmm, that’s interesting.’
And what I heard over the weekend from someone I know and someone I trust that made me say, ‘Whoa, that’s interesting’ is the possibility that the end result for the Commanders is a trade with the #Patriots for Bill Belichick.
And it makes sense when you think about it. And it puts in a new context that leak. That strange Sunday morning splash report about ‘Bill Belichick in the off-season signed a lucrative multiyear contract with the Patriots.’
My first thought was: ‘That’s Belichick’s camp getting out the idea that this guy ain’t gonna be fired during the season.’
The other explanation for it is, it’s the Patriots getting out the idea as owners throughout the league begin the process of figuring out who they want to hire next year.
It’s a reminder: ‘You’re not just going to be able to go hire Bill Belichick. If you want him, you gotta deal with us. We have his contractual rights for multiple years. We’re not gonna fire him. We’re gonna wait for somebody to call us up and offer us something for him. We’re gonna get back what we gave the Jets to get him. We’re gonna get value for this asset, even if we are done with it, we’re not just gonna roll it out to the curb. We’re gonna make you knock on the door and buy it from us.’
So that made sense. And when you throw in yesterday’s developments, No. 1: the Commanders clearly in, we’re preparing for the future without our current key employees mode. And No. 2: Josh McDaniels is available again. All the more reason to go get Bill because you can bring Josh McDaniels in as the offensive coordinator because nobody’s gonna hire him to be a head coach next year.
The bands back together. We’re off to Washington and here we go with Belichick and McDaniels. Hell, maybe they’ll bring back that Patricia and off, they go with the Patriot Way…
It’s not a report, but it’s definitely something that is making its way around the grapevine.
That is the National Football League network of insiders and employees and coaches and others who talk about stuff. That’s something they’re talking about.”
Could this actually happen?! Well, it’s not actually unprecedented. Just this past offseason, the Denver Broncos traded for head coach Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints and, ironically enough, Bill Belichick was traded to the New England Patriots from the Jets in 2000.
For now, we wait. Right now it seems much more likely than not that Belichick will finish the season with New England so ultimately, these are offseason problems.
Predictions and Picks
As for the game itself on Sunday, the Patriots are coming off of another tough loss to Miami where they just couldn’t get their offense going consistently enough. Washington, meanwhile, is coming off of a hard-fought contest (also a loss) and a hard deadline sell of Montez Sweat and Chase Young.
All of that being said, I think the Commanders inch it out this weekend in Foxborough. Sam Howell and his pass-catching corp prove to be too much for New England’s injury-depleted defense.
Washington +3 and the UNDER 39.5 feels like the play.
Score: Commanders 20 – Patriots 17
Side: Commanders +3
Total: UNDER 39.5
Make sure to follow Mike on Twitter @mikekadlick and head to FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook, for all of your sports wagering.
