Patriots’ Marcus Jones Drives Stake Through Heart Of Jets’ Spread Bettors
Those who took New York +3.5 were dealt tough beat
Neither the New England Patriots nor New York Jets were going to score an offensive touchdown Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium. Football fans were provided proof of that over the course of 59-plus minutes.
That's exactly why the 84-yard, game-winning punt return touchdown by Patriots rookie Marcus Jones served as a brutal beat for all those bettors who took the Jets. New York opened the week getting 3.5 points while the spread closed at three points. Six total points were scored before Jones' run up the sideline earned the Patriots a 10-3 victory.
Given that the Patriots went three-and-out on three of their five first-half drives and did not have a possession of more than five plays in the second half, it's fair to assume Mac Jones and the offense weren't going to put together a 70-yard touchdown romp over the final 20-ish seconds. That's approximately what it would have been if the Jets' special teams were able to get Jones on the ground following the Braden Mann punt.
After all, even if the Patriots did get into field goal range for kicker Nick Folk, who missed two attempts from 44 and 43 yards earlier in the contest, those who took New York +3.5 still would have cashed their tickets.
And in the more likely scenario the contest went into overtime, a field goal for either side would have got Jets' spread bettors to the finish line. Heck, given the lack of offensive fireworks, the Week 11 contest might have even ended in a tie which would have done the same.
DraftKings Sportsbook shared Sunday morning that 64% of the bets and 63% of the handle were on the Jets +3.5. New York also was responsible for the majority of tickets at PointsBet Sportsbook at 54%.
