Bailey Zappe Fever? Bettors Love Patriots In Preseason Opener
New England has enticing odds entering the preseason
The Patriots have made it fairly obvious they don't intend on playing a ton of starters in their preseason opener against the Texans. Houston has done the opposite, signaling that C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, will get the start.
So, why does the betting public love New England so much?
The Patriots (+3.5) have commanded a majority of the bets placed on Thursday night's contest at Gillette Stadium, according to BetMGM Sportsbook data analyst John Ewing. That much makes sense, as the underdog will usually command the majority of bets on the spread, but it appears the public just likes New England outright.
The public has not only placed 68% of their bets on Bill Belichick's group to cover the spread, but they've also placed 70% of their moneyline bets on the Patriots to actually come away with a victory. It's an odd, but sensible trend, which is reflected in the fact that the smart money is on the Texans.
The handle on the spread is split at 50%, but a whopping 64% of the money is on Houston (-165) to win outright. Here's a look at the betting numbers entering the preseason opener, via BetMGM:
| PRESEASON WEEK 1 | SPREAD | BET% | HANDLE% | MONEYLINE | BET% | HANDLE% |
| TEXANS | -3.5 | 32% | 50% | -165 | 30% | 64% |
| @ PATRIOTS | +3.5 | 68% | 50% | +140 | 70% | 36% |
It isn't a huge surprise to see these wonky numbers, though they're a bit confusing at first. The Patriots have enticing odds in this game at +140, meaning a $100 bet would be rewarded with a $240 payout if they win. That same bet on the Texans would produce just a $160.61 payout.
If you're not math inept, you'd know that Houston supporters would need to put more money down to win the same amount. It's quite simple really.
It's hard enough to bet on regular-season NFL games, but the preseason is essentially a crap shoot. The Patriots could have their high-profile rookies play the entire game. They could also sit them after a quarter. There's really no way of knowing. The New England support could signal some belief in Bailey Zappe, but could also just be people playing the numbers.
The Zappe hype train would make things a lot cooler, though.
