Make The Line: ’92 Patriots vs. ’23 Patriots… Who’s Favored?

We’ve officially reached the point of Bill Belichick’s storied regime where the New England Patriots are losing to bum teams and backup quarterbacks.

It’s quite ugly.

The Pats are currently 2-8 and third-year starter Mac Jones was benched again, proving he’s not the future of the franchise. And if the season ended today, New England would select third overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

So now what?

It’s easy to lambaste the players and coaching staff, but that’s lazy. Rather than drag this bunch for the next two months, let’s have some fun.

Let’s pit the 2023 Patriots vs. the 1992 Patriots.

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I started the conversation Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter, during the fourth quarter of the Pats’ abysmal game overseas against the Indianapolis Colts. Then, my buddy “Big Jim” Murray from 98.5 The Sports Hub joined the party and re-blasted the question to his 100,000 followers.

Some of the responses were hysterical.

The conversation went next-level when ’92 Patriots quarterback and current 98.5 The Sports Hub host Scott Zolak chimed in from Germany.

Eyeballs.

My next move was to touch base with a Las Vegas source to set the record straight. If he was booking bets on this hypothetical matchup between a two-win team from yesteryear and the current two-win bunch, what’s the line?

“Both teams are very bad,” longtime oddsmaker Dave Sharapan told NESN from the desert. “Belichick is a small dog, though. I can’t believe I’m making Dick MacPherson the favorite, but it’s the right number.

“This present-day Patriots team has no heart.”

A better question revolves around the total. The ’92 team averaged only 12.8 points per game, while the ’23 team is a smidge higher at 14.1.

“You might need to use an Iowa number,” Sharapan cracked. “Iowa’s game against Rutgers last Saturday closed at (O/U) 27.5, the lowest ever in college football.

“And honestly, it might not be low enough.”