Super Bowl Odds: Judge’s Tom Brady Ruling A Major Factor For Patriots
As the New England Patriots await a U.S. District Court ruling on Tom Brady’s four-game suspension, the team prepares to face the New York Giants in Week 4 of the preseason as three-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The ongoing legal saga related to Brady’s suspension is expected to be resolved this week, with the ruling having potentially serious implications for the Patriots’ game lines and futures odds.
After claiming victory over Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX, New England opened with strong 6/1 odds at the sportsbooks to successfully defend its title at Super Bowl 50, trailing only the Seahawks, who opened as the slim 11/2 favorites.
However, the Patriots saw their Super Bowl 50 odds tumble to 12/1 following the announcement of Brady’s suspension for his alleged role in last season’s Deflategate scandal, before they rebounded to their current position at 10/1.
In anticipation of Jimmy Garoppolo taking over for a suspended Brady, the Patriots are also diminished favorites for next week’s regular season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, falling to three-point favorites.
In the Patriots’ first three preseason contests, Garoppolo received most of the work, taking 158 snaps to Brady’s 43.
A victory in the courts this week could also impact Brady’s NFL MVP odds, which currently sit at 20/1, well back of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who remains perched as a strong 11/4 favorite on that betting prop.
Regardless of who is taking the snaps, the Patriots will have their hands full this week against a Giants squad they have struggled against, both in the preseason and in recent big games.
The Giants have had difficulty scoring points during this preseason, tallying just 16.66 points per game while going 1-2 SU. However, the Giants have owned the Patriots in recent August meetings, going 4-1 SU and 2-1-2 ATS in their last five matchups, and are also 3-0 SU and ATS in their last three games against New England during the regular and postseason, including upset victories in Super Bowls XLII and XLVI.
Thumbnail photo via Jeremy Brevard/USA TODAY Sports Images
