Sunday Night Football Odds — Patriots Want to Show That They Are Not Dead and Buried Yet

The New England Patriots have had to endure the media telling them all week that they are dead and buried and can pack it in, and if their recent history is any indication, that should be something that will serve as a rallying point. Do the Pats still have something left in the tank? Analysts of the football odds will find out on Sunday night as they play host to the Cincinnati Bengals in NFL betting action that begins at 8:30 PM ET on NBC.

The Pats, as BetAnySports customers know by now, were slapped around something fierce by the Kansas City Chiefs last Monday night, and in this game they will take on an undefeated team (one of only two left at the start of play this weekend) that has had the benefit of a bye week. Fundamentally, there would seem to be plenty of disadvantages. But will other factors creep into the mix? Is this one of those football betting games where a prideful team makes a meaningful “statement”? Or is the statement going to be on the part of the Bengals?

Does Tom Brady still have something to say about things as he duels it out with Andy Dalton? Can the New England offensive line protect him? And can the Patriots’ defense figure out how to tackle someone? These are all good questions, it would seem. In the Sunday night football odds that have been placed on this game by the folks at BetAnySports, the Bengals are the favorites:

 

Sunday night football odds Courtesy Of BetAnySports NFL Betting Sportsbook

Cincinnati Bengals -3 (+100)
New England Patriots +3 (-120)

Over 45.5 Points -110
Under 45.5 Points -110

There has been more and more action coming in on Cincinnati, and some of this is a by-product of the public’s perception as created in the media – as well as the Pats’ awful play on Monday, when they allowed the Chiefs to gain 303 yards in the first half. That spelled out death by halftime, or even before it. And it was ugly.

Prior to all of that, New England struggled on offense as well. Remember that they had less than 300 yards against Oakland, and sleep-walked their way through a 16-9 win. At no point in time have they looked explosive. Just look at Brady’s yards-per-attempt. It’s 5.8, and that’s the lowest of his career, by a wide margin.

BetAnySports customers know there are probably a lot of reasons to like the Bengals. But no one should make the mistake of expecting the Patriots to go quietly, especially as a home underdog. They have yet to fully use Rob Gronkowski in the offense, for example, and Brady may dial him up more than usual. The Bengals also allow 5.1 yards a carry on the defensive side, and we know the Bill Belichick wants the chance to get his running game going.