No matter the sport, a new season always begins with talk of how tough it will be for the defending champion of said sport to repeat. The winning team inevitably loses a few players who played a key role in the previous year’s success, and then you have the fact that every team who faces the champ raises their game to get one over on them, but the Patriots NFL betting odds to repeat are actually pretty good. If there is one team that has been successfully able to navigate this, it has been New England. They reload every single year, and always seem to be in a position to win the Super Bowl. Four weeks into the 2017 NFL season, the Patriots are not doing their usual great job of defending the crown. This is not the Patriots team that we have come to expect in the Brady/Belichick era, and there are some genuine concerns about their ability to dig out of their current hole. Things don’t get any easier in Week 5, as the Patriots will have a short week as they head to Tampa Bay to face the Buccaneers, but they come into this one as a 5-point favorite, and the O/U is set at 54 ½ points.
Are the Titans, Eagles & Jets Good NFL Week 5 SU Picks?
Why Are the Patriots NFL Betting Odds a Good Choice?
We all got the idea that things might not be as we are used to in Week 1 of the season, as that was when the Kansas City Chiefs rolled into Foxboro and spoiled the Super Bowl celebration party for the Patriots. Normal service looked to be resumed with a win over the Saints, but that was followed by a last-second win over the Texans and another home loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Patriots are 2-2 in a season where a lot of people thought they might go unbeaten. Tom Brady is still doing his thing, but he is being forced to throw the ball all over the field in an effort to keep pace with a defense that is springing some huge leaks. The Patriots have now given up a staggering 128 points, the second-worst total in the league, through the first 4 weeks, and now need to figure out a way to stop Jameis Winston. New England is 5-2 SU in their last 7 meetings with Tampa Bay, and are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games on the road.
Why Are the Buccaneers NFL Betting Odds a Good Choice?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were forced to sit out the opening week of the season after Hurricane Irma forced their game against the Miami Dolphins to be rescheduled. They have rebounded from that minor setback by winning 2 of their first 3 games, with both of those victories coming in their own stadium. Offensively, this Bucs team has not really been firing on all cylinders just yet, but going up against this struggling Patriots D may be just what the doctor ordered. These two teams are actually quite close in offensive and defensive proficiency, so we may be looking at a close one here. The Bucs have been very tough to beat at home, and are 5-0 SU in their last 5 home outings. They are also 4-2 ATS in their last 6 home games.