NFL Odds: Patriots Drop To 5.5-Point Week 1 Underdogs Vs. Cardinals With Tom Brady Out

The New England Patriots rarely have been betting underdogs with Tom Brady at quarterback over the last 15 years.

That said, the Patriots will be decent-sized ‘dogs when they open the 2016 NFL season on the road against the talented Arizona Cardinals in Week 1, per OddsShark.com’s Joe Osborne.

Brady has decided to end his fight against the four-game suspension the league gave him as part of the punishments stemming from Deflategate.

The Week 1 line is now +5.5 for the Patriots, with Jimmy Garoppolo expected to start at quarterback against a Cardinals team that won 13 games last season and lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Carolina Panthers.

Osborne noted that 75 percent of the last 36 Super Bowl champions won their Week 1 game, which doesn’t bode particularly well for the Patriots.

The only other time Brady has missed more than one game in a single season was in 2008, when he tore his ACL in Week 1 and missed the rest of the campaign. The Patriots went 11-5 with Matt Cassel under center but missed the playoffs.

Interestingly enough, the Patriots’ odds to win Super Bowl 51 have held firm despite Brady’s decision to end his fight with the league.