Just About No One Betting Patriots To Win Super Bowl, Or Even AFC
The times they are a changing
There's a considerable lack of buzz around the New England Patriots entering the 2022 NFL season.
Bill Belichick's team is coming off a playoff appearance in 2021 and hopes to build on Mac Jones' rookie success as the quarterback enters Year 2. Yet, it doesn't seem there's a whole lot of optimism surrounding the six-time Super Bowl champions.
That's reflected to an extent in the NFL betting market, especially at PointsBet Sportsbook. PointsBet on Wednesday revealed an updated bet and handle count for every team in the NFL when it comes both Super Bowl and conference champions.
The Buffalo Bills unsurprisingly top the list. According to PointsBet, more than 18% of the bet count and nearly 20% of the handle are on Buffalo at +650. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos come in second and third on both lists, respectively.
You have to scroll all the way down to No. 24 when it comes to Patriots bet count. Just 1.1% of PointsBet Super Bowl future bets are on New England at 40-1. The Pats also check in at 24th of the handle with less than 1% of the money going their way.
It's not just the Super Bowl, either. In fact, the Patriots are the least popular bet in the entire AFC when it comes to winning the conference even at 24-1. For perspective, the next closest team is 50-1 Jacksonville, which has seen three times as many bets as the Patriots, who account for 0.7% of the bets. They make up even less of the handle with just 0.1% of the money.
It's pretty clear a dream run to the Super Bowl would not be a major liability for PointsBet, at least not where things stand right now.
So it's probably not a huge surprise, either, to see the Patriots' price to win the AFC East adjusted since open following the Super Bowl. New England opened at +325 to take the divisional crown, but they're now +475, behind not only Buffalo but an improved Miami team, as well.
All of this is pretty much in line with expectations for the 2022 Patriots, though. Jones seems good, and Belichick is an all-time great, sure. But there are major question marks about the rest of the coaching staff, especially on offense with Josh McDaniels gone. Then there's also general uncertainty about how good the roster actually is. Without Tom Brady to cover any team-building warts, the Patriots feel slightly vulnerable, especially with the rest of the conference getting better and better.
