With Antonio Brown onboard, Patriots become Super Bowl favorites in Vegas
A month of chaos and humiliation for the Oakland Raiders resulted in All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown joining the New England Patriots following his requested release.
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As you can imagine, adding a player like Brown has oddsmakers liking the defending Super Bowl champions’ odds to repeat this season.
Patriots are now Super Bowl favorites
At 4/1 odds, the Patriots are the new Super Bowl favorite at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, oddsmaker Jeff Sherman announced Saturday.
Behind the Patriots are their AFC rival Kansas City Chiefs at 6/1, the New Orleans Saints at 10/1 and the Philadelphia Eagles at 12/1.
NFL Super Bowl updated
NE 4/1
KC 6/1
NO 10/1
Phi 12/1
LAR, GB 14/1
LAC, Pit 18/1
Chi, Min, Dal, Sea, Cle 20/1
Atl, Jax 30/1
Bal, Hou, Car, SF 40/1
Den 60/1
Ind, Ten, Det, NYJ, Buf 80/1
Oak 100/1
TB 150/1
NYG, Cin 200/1
Wsh, Ari 300/1
Mia 500/1— Jeff Sherman (@golfodds) September 7, 2019
The Patriots leapfrogged the Chiefs from the last set of odds released by Sherman on Monday, in which the Chiefs topped all teams at 5/1 while the Patriots sat in second at 6/1. The Patriots still aren’t a Golden State Warriors-esque runaway favorite, but their status as Super Bowl favorites seems cemented at this point.
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It’s understandable why the Patriots would make such a move up the board. Brown might have incinerated all goodwill and prompted serious concerns about his mental well-being over the last few months, but he remains one of the best wide receivers in NFL history.
Good lord, Antonio Brown is really joining the Patriots
Over the last five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown has averaged 115.2 receptions, 1,529 receiving yards and 11.8 touchdowns per season. His 59 touchdowns in that span tops the NFL by 14.
And now, that is joining a Patriots offense that was already poised to be one of the best in the league this year. In a four-wideout set at some point this year, Tom Brady could choose between passing to Brown, Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman and Demaryius Thomas, with James White, one of the league’s best receiving backs, as his checkdown. And that doesn’t even include 2019 first-rounder N’Keal Harry, who is starting the season on injured reserve.
Brown remains beyond volatile and this whole Patriots saga could go up in flames by next week, but he is still the best route-runner of his generation and one of the few available players that could make the Patriots this much better.
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