Unless you are a resident of the greater Boston, Massachusetts area, or are just simply a bandwagon “fan” that trolls along with whatever team is riding the current wave of success, chances are that Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the New England Patriots are not your favorite three professional sports entities on the planet.
Now that Tom Brady has moved on to Tampa Bay, winning Super Bowl 55 just last February, do fans across the United States have a new franchise to direct their hate toward?
The country’s top USA sportsbook sites will put those allegiances to the test when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football, and the current point spread favors the Bucs by a TD.
The Patriots and head coach Belichick are in year two of their efforts to replace Tom Brady under center, and their first-round selection of Mac Jones has led them to a record of 1-2 after three weeks of play.
Jones’ first nationally televised professional football game will be his opportunity to show fans, NFL bettors, and rival franchises that the Patriots are a team to be reckoned with in 2021-22, but will he?
Online NFL sportsbooks in the USA do suggest that the Patriots are within the realm of competitive relevancy, and with the current state of parity in the National Football League still alive and well, New England has the potential to surprise on any given week.
The NFL futures at Bovada grant New England the same odds to win the AFC East as they do the Miami Dolphins (+650), and also list them with a +2800 moneyline to win the AFC and advance to Super Bowl LVI.
That places the Patriots 9th overall, and two spots back of playoff qualification, but a win against the Buccaneers on Sunday will certainly change those projections for the better.
Other key NFL lines offered up for this weekend include contests that will impact the odds for betting on the NFL Playoffs, as franchises have the opportunity to reveal their grit against worthy opponents.
The winner between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams will attain an early edge in achieving NFC West superiority, and NFL betting sites are suggesting LA will win at home by 4.5 points.
The 2-1 San Francisco 49ers are favored to win by 3 at home against the 1-2 Seattle Seahawks, and another loss by Russell Wilson and company could spell doom for any Super Bowl hopes the team is currently clinging to.
The Kansas City Chiefs also find themselves in a 1-2 hole and favored by 7 on the road against a surprisingly pesky Philadelphia Eagles football team.
Two AFC West Division teams are already sporting 3-0 records, so KC needs to get their offense on the same page in order to simply keep pace as the first quarter of the 2021-22 season comes to a close.
Despite the early struggles of the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, they still find themselves leading the SB 56 futures odds alongside the Bucs and the surging LA Rams.
Bovada, Washington Post