The New England Patriots have been the most consistently excellent team in football literally since Tom Brady took over at quarterback over a decade ago. And of course, another piece of that puzzle has been coach Bill Belichick. These gentlemen have collaborated this season to make the Patriots to the #2 seed in the AFC. That entitles them to a home playoff game, which will take place on Saturday night at 8:15 PM ET at Gillette Stadium as they take on the Indianapolis Colts in NFL betting action that will send the winner to the conference championship game.
Going into Saturday’s action, the Patriots were priced at +610 to win the Super Bowl according to the people at BetAnySports. In the NFL odds that have been posted on this game, they are favored by more than a touchdown:
2014 NFL Divisional Playoff Odds @ BetAnySports USA Sportsbook
New England Patriots -7.5 (-105)
Indianapolis Colts +7.5 (-115)
Over 50.5 points -110
Under 50.5 points -110
Have people given Belichick enough credit for the way he has been able to adapt to all the player personnel issues he’s had this season? That’s a very good question for pro football bettors to ponder, in the respect that he has had to go without many of his key players for part of this season or all of it. We go all the way back to the off-season, when one half of his stellar tight end combination, Aaron Hernandez, was booked on murder charges. At the same time, Rob Gronkowski, the other tight end, was recovering from surgery. In the season opener, injuries to wide receiver Danny Amendola and running back Shane Vereen put two key performers on the shelf. They have since come back, and Gronkowski came back briefly as well, but then was lost once again, this time for the entire season. So New England has been without the combination that has worked so well on offense for the past couple of years.
Then, as BetAnySports customers were well aware, the injury bug hit the defense. Tackles Vince Wilfork and Tommy Kelly were ruled out of action, as was linebacker Jarod Mayo. This has hampered the Patriots’ ability to defend against the run. In fact, they are giving up 4.5 yards per rush (ironically, the same as the Colts).
For NFL bettors who are considering the underdog in this game, they are well served by thinking about the fact that the Patriots have cut a lot of games close this year. In fact, seven of their 12 wins have come by a touchdown or less. But as they were driving for this #2 seed, their last two wins haven’t even been close – a 41-7 victory at Baltimore (which was also competing for a playoff spot) and a 34-20 triumph over Buffalo.
It appears as if Belichick has adapted pretty well.
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