Patriots Odds: Can Bill Belichick Save Season Before It’s Too Late?
A longtime Vegas oddsmaker has doubts
The New England Patriots are on the verge of missing the NFL playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
After a head-scratching home loss to the mediocre Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football,” the Patriots find themselves at 3-4 and in dead last place in the surprisingly loaded AFC East. And American sportsbooks are paying real close attention to the team’s uphill battle to reach the postseason.
DraftKings Sportsbook is dealing “No Playoffs” at -400 ($400 wins $100) and “Yes” at +300 ($100 wins $300). So if you’re willing to buy the dip and invest in the Pats to clinch a berth, you’ll be rewarded with a $300 win and $400 payout if they can silence the doubters and make it happen.
There’s no way I would bet the “Yes,” even with Bill Belichick roaming the sideline.
“Neither would I,” legendary Las Vegas oddsmaker Kenny White told NESN. “I thought Belichick would be prepared for a young, inexperienced Justin Fields the other night and the Patriots had nothing to throw at him. The defense has played above expectation a few times, but when that unit isn’t playing well, it’s tough for the offense to overcome with two young quarterbacks.”
Belichick has historically received the benefit of the doubt after rough starts to seasons past, but numerous red flags from before the season are coming to a head as we approach November. There doesn’t seem to be a tangible plan at quarterback, a defensive coordinator is still calling the shots on offense and the schedule is an absolute monster from Week 12 ’til the finish line.
And while Belichick is the closest thing to coaching magic, but there may not be any rabbits left in his hat.
“He’s always made chickens out of feathers,” White said with a laugh. “And he’s done a great job for years. But if you don’t have a quarterback, you’re behind the eight ball. As great as Belichick has been, he hasn’t been as successful without Tom Brady. The Patriots are 20-20 since he left.”
The stunning truth is that the Patriots have three wins this season over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns. That’s far from murderer’s row (all those teams are in last place) and as mentioned above, the schedule only gets tougher down the stretch. There aren’t many free spaces in remaining games against the upstart New York Jets (x2), Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Buffalo Bills (x2), Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals and Miami Dolphins.
It’s wild to say this, but Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium feels like a must-win.
“I made the Jets a small favorite myself,” White explained. “I’ll take +3 if the market gets there. New York is playing better football right now and I don’t know if the Patriots have enough to bounce back on a short week. They were not good whatsoever against an average Bears team.”
