Patriots Odds: New England Substantial Favorites Over Visiting Seahawks
“Sunday Night Football” features a clash between the top two teams on the Super Bowl LI odds, as the New England Patriots welcome the Seattle Seahawks to town as 7.5-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
New England returns from last weekend’s bye riding a four-game straight-up win streak that has strengthened its position as the Super Bowl favorite with +200 odds ahead of Sunday night’s matchup at Gillette Stadium.
The Patriots return home after posting three of their four recent wins on the road, including dominating victories by double-digit margins over a pair of longtime rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills.
New England has tallied an impressive 36 points per game during its current tear, powered by quarterback Tom Brady, who has tossed 12 touchdown passes in four appearances since returning from a four-game suspension.
The Patriots’ defense also has pulled its weight, holding opponents to 17 or fewer points in four of the team’s past five games, paying dividends for bettors taking the UNDER on the totals, which is 4-2 over their past six.
The Seahawks are on the rise on the Super Bowl LI odds, joining the Dallas Cowboys at +800 after posting a 31-25 win over the Bills in primetime on Monday night.
That win ended a two-game SU winless stretch, but after pushing as 6-point chalk the Seahawks have tumbled to 1-2-1 against the spread over their past four games according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
Seattle also has endured struggles on the road this season, emerging victorious just once in four contests away from CenturyLink Field.
The Seahawks have been held to single-digit point totals on two occasions, falling 9-3 in Los Angeles as 5.5-point chalk in Week 2 and settling for a 6-6 draw as 1.5-point underdogs under the lights at Arizona in a Week 7 matchup.
While the Seahawks have surrendered fewer than 19 points per game over their past three outings, opposing offenses have produced worrisome numbers during that stretch, tallying at least 425 total yards on two occasions and an average of 139 rushing yards per game during that stretch.
Seattle also has enjoyed little success in recent dates with the Patriots. These two teams last met in Super Bowl XLIX, in which New England claimed a 28-24 upset victory as 1-point underdogs, lifting the Patriots to 3-1 SU in their past four games against Seattle and 2-2 ATS.
The Patriots also picked up a 30-20 win in their last home date with Seattle in October 2004, covering as 3-point chalk and ending the Seahawks’ four-game SU win streak in Foxboro.
Thumbnail photo via Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports Images
