Will the Patriots Have a Winning Season? Vegas Oddsmakers Weigh In
The New England Patriots knew that they would face several challenges during the 2020 season - a new quarterback, and a defense lacking several key players who opted out due to COVID-19 concerns, just to name a few.
The season has been up and down, with a lack of consistency as a result of injuries to the offensive line and positive COVID-19 tests. If the Patriots are unable to redeem themselves after their loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday, the season might be a wash.
Despite a 2-3 start to the season, BetOnline has the Patriots favored to have a winning record this season (-200) as opposed to a losing record (+150).
The oddsmakers believing New England will finish with a winning record likely has two do with two factors: 1) The Patriots still have Bill Belichick 2) The Patriots are still in the AFC East and have two games against the Jets and one against the Dolphins remaining on the schedule.
The last year that the Patriots did not have a winning record was in 2000, Bill Belichick's first year as head coach, when the team finished 5-11.
Now, will the Patriots win 10 or more games this year? Oddsmakers say that will be unlikely, setting the odds for nine wins or less at -300. For the past 20 years, the Patriots have only had two seasons with less than 10 wins - 2000 (5-11) and 2002 when the team went 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
There's no doubt that things haven't gone New England’s way this year. Despite replacing Tom Brady with another star in Cam Newton, the offense just hasn't been able to keep a consistent rhythm so far. The defense has also looked a little flat at times, but they have played well enough to keep the team in games recently.
A win against the San Francisco 49ers this weekend and no more COVID speed bumps could allow the Patriots to get some much-needed momentum for the rest of the season. Although the success of this season is in question, there is still a chance the Patriots could make the playoffs if they can start winning consistently and produce better statistics across the board.
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