Time To Buy Low On Patriots? Where Odds Stand Amid Panic In New England

Expectations for the New England Patriots were tempered to begin the 2022 NFL season.

After a Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins, in which New England’s offense looked as advertised (and not in a good way), the Patriots feel like a team trending in the wrong direction.

Perception often is linked to value in the betting world, though. And now might be a good time to buy stock in the Patriots if you truly believe Bill Belichick and company can turn around their fortunes.

The Patriots were 1-point favorites for their Week 2 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, as of Tuesday night. While surprising, this obviously means New England is expected to win Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, at which point its season-long odds on the futures market might become slightly less enticing.

NESN betting analyst Sam Panayotovich on Monday explored how only nine teams had worse Super Bowl odds than the Patriots (+8000), with the Minnesota Vikings, Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans, Steelers and Washington Commanders surpassing them at BetMGM after Week 1. New England sits just ahead of the Chicago Bears (+12500) and New York Giants (+12500) — two seemingly bad teams — on the betting board.

DraftKings Sportsbook had the Patriots at +7000 to win Super Bowl LVII, as of Tuesday night, meaning a $100 wager wins $7,000. That’s tied with the aforementioned Steelers.

Below are some other futures odds that DraftKings Sportsbook is offering on the Patriots after Week 1.

To win AFC: +3000
To win AFC East: +1000
To make playoffs: Yes +230, No -300
Regular-season wins: Over 7.5 (-140), Under 7.5 (+120)

The Buffalo Bills look destined to roll in the AFC East, removing most of the value from that bet, but perhaps you think the Patriots can sneak into the postseason as a wild card, at which point New England’s +230 odds to make the playoffs might be worth a sprinkle.

If you’re on the other end of the spectrum, with a more pessimistic outlook on the Patriots’ potential, look toward their regular-season win total, where you can grab under 7.5 victories at +120. A 7-10 season — or worse — feels very much in play based on New England’s Week 1 performance and its 2022 schedule.