The NFL betting season is on the verge of officially beginning, and as we edge closer to that hallowed date multiple questions are arising. One question that has been plaguing fans – especially fans of the AFC East, is; how will the New England Patriots fare without their future Hall of Famer?
Anyone who considers themselves an NFL fan is well aware by now that Tom Brady will have to miss out on the first 4 games of the season due to serving his suspension for the now infamous ‘Deflategate’. The controversy arose in the 2015 AFC Championship Game were the New England Patriots faced the Indianapolis Colts. Tom Brady threw a pass that was intercepted by D’Qwell Jackson. Jackson took the ball to the sideline and handed it to the Colts equipment manager for safekeeping. Afterwards controversy arose regarding the pressure of that ball. The league conducted investigations and ultimately it concluded that it was ‘probable’ that Tom Brady was ‘generally aware’ of misconduct.
As NFL betting fans know the Patriots ended up winning the Championship game and went on to win the Super Bowl. Afterwards, tests were performed and text messages were released that culminating into the belief that Brady was well aware and promoted tampering with the footballs. New England fans feel that there wasn’t enough conclusive evidence and that their team got snuffed. That may be true to a certain degree; the evidence wasn’t explicit. However, after the ‘spygate’ debacle a few years back the entire NFL was calling for the Patriots blood. Goodell thought it was a good idea to punish a team that had already been caught cheating, and in all likelihood, was doing anything they could to get an edge.
There’s no denying that Brady is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. But after both spygate and deflategate his name will go down in history with a footnote. Peyton Manning, often considered Brady’s arch-nemesis, was quick to let the world know that at the recent Comedy Central’s Roast of Rob Lowe. For those who are unaware ‘Roasts’ are comics’ version of the Academy Awards. It’s a chance for someone with a historic career to be honored by comedians writing jokes directly about them. Peyton Manning was invited to get revenge on a tweet Rob Lowe had sent out several years ago, falsely announcing Manning’s retirement. Manning was quick to throw shade at both Lowe and his former rival with his closing monologue.
“…you tried to take the air out of my retirement announcement so fast, you could probably get a job as Tom Brady’s ball boy.”
The joke was just one of the many hilarious jabs ‘The Sherriff’ made that night. While Brady may never get out of the shadow cast by his many controversies, the Patriots will still have to move on.
Week 1 Odds
New England Patriots +6 (-105) 47 (-110) +210
Arizona Cardinals -6 (-115) 47 (-110) -260
New England will open the season by traveling to Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Jimmy Garoppolo will be leading the Pats in this contest against one of the better teams in the NFL. It won’t be an easy win and it’s unlikely Garoppolo will be able to do much against one of the best passing defenses in the league.
Week 2 Odds TBA
The following week the Patriots will host their first home game against their division rivals, the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are coming in with a brand new coaching staff and how the team will perform remains to be seen. Miami has the worst chances in the East according to the top sportsbooks, and in all likelihood the Patriots can probably ride out the home field advantage to scrape by a win.
Week 3 Odds TBA
After facing the Dolphins, New England will play another home game against the Texans. Houston is often favored by the NFL betting odds and they have plenty of talent to compete with the Pats. Without Brady, it’s unlike the Patriots will be able to win this contest.
Week 4 Odds TBA
New England will have to finish their Brady-less spree by facing another division rival, the Buffalo Bills. The Bills have a hard time finding consistency from one season to the next, and when they do it’s not the good type of consistency. The Patriots have more than enough talent to overcome Buffalo, even without Brady. After this game Brady will return and there’s no doubt he’ll be anxious to get that chip off his shoulder.
