Mac Jones Interceptions Bump One Of Four Patriots Bets To Make
It could be a tumultuous season for New England's signal-caller
The Patriots are a tough team to project given the wide range of outcomes for their season.
New England ditched the Matt Patricia and Joe Judge experiment and brought back a familiar face in offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. The Patriots added new weapons to assist Mac Jones, and the defense should remain consistent.
But there are still questions surrounding Jones' ceiling in the NFL and whether the defense and special teams can be good enough to keep the Patriots competitive against the league's best.
No Matchup Found
Click here to enter a different Sportradar ID.
There still are intriguing season-long props to wager on heading into Sunday's season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles at Gillette Stadium. New England's pass-catchers aren't high-profile enough to merit sportsbooks offering props on, so a loss for the true sicko bettors who wanted to take a position on Kendrick Bourne's receiving total. But let's get into the four most enticing props to take on the Patriots starting with Jones.
Mac Jones over 11.5 interceptions +102 (FanDuel)
The third-year quarterback threw 13 interceptions in his rookie season and got slightly better when he only threw 11 interceptions last season. So we're working with a median number for the 25-year-old. Bill Belichick and O'Brien certainly would like for Jones to not turn the ball over so much, but questions around the offensive line could prevent that from happening. Patriots receivers also generally lack the ability to create separation. That could mean tipped passes turn into interceptions if Jones throws up a 50-50 ball. But for our purposes, as long as Jones throws 12 interceptions, this bet pays out.
Mac Jones over 19.5 passing touchdowns +110 (DraftKings)
Despite the potential concerns about the offense, Jones should improve this season and has been getting rave reviews from his teammates and coaching staff. Jones suffered an injury last season, so he only played 14 games, but he threw 22 touchdowns his rookie season. That gives us reasonable expectation for Jones to go over this total even if New England wants to have a run-heavy approach.
Editor's Picks
Christian Gonzalez over 2.5 interceptions +125 (DraftKings)
The 2023 first-round pick only had four interceptions in college, and that all came in his final season at Oregon. This is more of a bet on the Patriots defensive unit, which has been in the top five in interceptions over the past five seasons. Gonzalez will be part of a rotation with Marcus Jones, Jonathan Jones, Jalen Mills and Jack Jones, who had his gun charges dropped Tuesday. He still should get enough weekly snaps to have the opportunity to pick three passes off.
Matthew Judon over 10.75 sacks +102 (FanDuel)
The eighth-year pass rusher is one of the best players on the Patriots defense, and his primary issue has been declining production in the second half of the season. That might not be an issue if he can accumulate the majority of his sacks at the start of the season. He'll get ample opportunities against teams like the New York Jets and Las Vegas Raiders for multi-sack games, so if Judon doesn't show any signs of decline, he should get his third straight season with double-digit sacks.
