Patriots move into top 10 in Super Bowl odds following 5th straight win

As we roll into Thanksgiving week, it’s fair to ask a question: What’s happened to the Buffalo Bills?

After starting 4-1, a team with as much buzz as any around the National Football League has dropped three of its last five games. This includes a shocking 9-6 defeat at Jacksonville and last weekend’s 41-15 drubbing at the hands (hooves?) of the Indianapolis Colts.

Bills are still in top 5 in Super Bowl odds despite freefall

The Bills, however, are still getting plenty of play in Super Bowl wagering. Currently, Buffalo sits as the fourth choice at +850, and the team is the second choice in the AFC behind the +750 Kansas City Chiefs. If you like the Bills to win it all, you’re getting a reasonable price, but there are plenty of legitimate doubts given the head-scratching losses they’ve suffered lately.

Red-hot Pats present tremendous value

In fact, the recent skid has dropped Buffalo out of first place in the AFC East. Instead, it’s the New England Patriots that are atop the division, and by contrast, New England is the ninth choice in the betting at +1300. At that number, I think the Patriots are worth a look.

It’s fair to say several teams in need of a quarterback misfired during the 2021 NFL Draft, where Mac Jones slid all the way to the Patriots. On paper, it would appear he had a rough start to the season, as New England started 2-4. However, one of those losses was to Tampa Bay, and two others came to decent teams (Dallas and New Orleans).

Mac Jones is finding his groove 

Since then, Jones and company have taken care of business with five straight victories, and in the last three, they’ve outscored Carolina, Cleveland, and Atlanta by a combined margin of 94-13. The rookie quarterback, for his part, has played well, completing more than 70% of his passes and averaging just north of 200 yards per contest. Add competent quarterback play to a defense ranked third in the league, and you have a recipe for success.

One thing’s for sure, we’ll find out a lot more about New England over the next two weeks. The Patriots host Tennessee this Sunday before a Monday Night Football clash with the Bills in Buffalo in early-December. If New England sweeps both games, which certainly seems possible given their recent play, that +1300 price figures to plummet... and haven’t we all learned that betting against Bill Belichick in big games usually isn’t the smart play?