NFL Betting Online: New England may have a rough start early on with Tom Brady serving his league mandated suspension, but the Pats will be in the middle of the playoff race by the end of the season.
2014 Season Record: 12-4 SU, 9-7 ATS, 9-7 O/U
2015 Regular Season Wins Total: 10, -121 O, +101 U
Odds to Win Super Bowl: +890
Odds to Win AFC: +360
Odds to Win Division: -173
It’s been a quiet offseason in Foxborough, hasn’t it? The Champs have had plenty to deal with other than getting ring sizes from everybody.
Setting aside the whole Deflategate debacle, it hasn’t been a pretty offseason for the Patriots.
It started when the team let long-time starter and fan-favorite defensive tackle Vince Wilfork go. He may have been too expensive for his age. Still, it’ll be odd not seeing him clogging up the middle of the Pats defensive line. It does however, pave the way for rookie Malcom Brown to step in.
Not long after that the Pats declined Darrelle Revis’ option, letting the star cornerback hit free agency only to watch him get scooped up by a hated division rival. The return of linebacker Brandon Spikes was short-lived after his involvement in a hit-and-run accident.
The talent drain has been pronounced for the Pats, with Brandon Browner, Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley and Akeem Ayers also heading elsewhere. Out for the first four games (and we’re still waiting on his appeal) is quarterback Tom Brady due to a league suspension.
But nobody does a better job of re-spackling their roster than the Pats, and it looks as if New England will again have to rely on contributions from a good bit of the youth within its decent draft class. Has the gap been narrowed in the division? Yes. Have the Patriots at last been overtaken in the East? Not yet.
The team brought in veteran Matt Flynn as a security blanket for Jimmy Garoppolo, who likely gets the starting nod while Brady serves out his suspension. Corners Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Derek Cox were all brought in to help out the depleted secondary.
The Patriots are pretty much what they’ve been over the years, a very talented team with great coaching and one of the best quarterbacks ever. Nothing is going to change this year.
Sure, Brady missing a few games could lead to a rocky start, but this is still a team that should win double-digit games and make the playoffs once again. The Patriots are still the team to beat in the AFC East and will always be a threat come playoff time with No. 12 leading the way. And remember, this was a team that opened 2-2 one year ago and still walked away with the Lombardi Trophy.
KEY ADDITIONS: LB Jabaal Sheard, CB Bradley Fletcher, TE Scott Chandler, CB Robert McClain, QB Matt Flynn.
KEY LOSSES: CB Darrelle Revis, DT Vince Wilfork, LB Akeem Ayers, CB Brandon Browner, RB Shane Vereen, CB Kyle Arrington, LB Jonathan Casillas, RB Stevan Ridley, CB Alfonzo Dennard, LB Brandon Spikes.
The rest of the AFC East has gotten stronger on paper, endangering New England’s grasp on the division. But it still belongs to the Patriots, who are listed at -173 favorites to win their seventh straight division title.
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