Pats favored in SB, but underdogs?

[Pats1989]

Pats fans have a habit of building up opponents to unreasonable levels.

Not that eagles dont have a chance. They do. But you read some of the stuff here and you would think its the 85 bears and foles is joe montana in his prime

The Eagles are better than any team NE has faced all season. They've beaten the Rams, Atlanta, Minnesota, whipped Dallas, and beat Chargers.

 

[WHPats]

The Eagles are better than any team NE has faced all season. They've beaten the Rams, Atlanta, Minnesota, whipped Dallas, and beat Chargers.

Agreed but we’ve beaten Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Chargers, Bills twice handily, Atlanta and Tennessee handily. They should fear us a lot more than we fear them imo

 

[Charlotte Pats Fan]

Agreed but we’ve beaten Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Chargers, Bills twice handily, Atlanta and Tennessee handily. They should fear us a lot more than we fear them imo

You forgot the Saints.

 

[WHPats]

You forgot the Saints.

Whoops another playoff team we beat...in their building

 

[Charlotte Pats Fan]

Whoops another playoff team we beat...in their building

Pats played 6 Playoff teams in the regular season with a record of 5-2. Philly played 2 playoff teams and were 1-1. Both Lost to KC.

 

[scott99]

This is an evenly matched game, the teams can’t be any closer. The Pats scored EXACTLY 1 point more than the Eagles. The Eagles incredible, ferocious, 1985 Bears like defense that will crush the Pats, gave up EXACTLY 1 point less than the Pat’s defense. They both had a 161 point differential during the regular season, but MOST of the damage done by the Eagles was with Wentz at QB, and that’s why I think the spread favors the Pats. No offense meant to Foles.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Spread is down to 4.5

 

[Nikolai]

Ten sacks for Philadelphia in the last six games.

My early analysis is looking like a close game; within one score, but we should win it and cover that 4.5 spread.

 

[wizwor]

Hey guys

Sorry for the potentially misleading title, but although the early line has Pats at 5, I feel like an awful lot of people think Philly will win. They are a good team, you don’t get this far with mediocrity...but picking a Nick Foles team to beat the GOAT? Having a very hard time imagining it. The argument is that Philly’s defense is the big equalizer and that that cancels out Brady. Even a superhuman effort by the Giants front four in SB 42 likely would have been for naught if not for the helmet catch and subsequent winning drive from Eli.

It actually feels like we might be underdogs this time, a position the Pats are almost never in. Worked out pretty well the last time we were underdogs ie SB 36. What do you guys think?

First, the betting line has nothing to do with the teams. It's a way to encourage people to be one way or the other.

Second, the Pats win. No doubt in my mind. Hoping for a blowout.

 

[PatsFanInLondon]

I see this game as being fairly even? Both are capable of winning it, and both are capable of making mistakes to lose it as well.

We’ve not been invincible, and there are weaknesses to our game - and Philly have played at a consistently high level all season. I’m not saying they are necessarily better than us, but they shouldn’t be discounted so easily..?

This is not Foles v Brady - it’s team v team, and this game could go either way IMO. We don’t do SB blowouts, after all...

 

[Observer]

The patriots are never the underdog. They are the very definition of top dog.

 

[luuked]

I think this is the game we unleash Gilleslie and Kenny Britt!

Britt will be unleashed directly to whereever the inactives will be seated.

 

[Soliel]

I bet he gets one snap, just so it’s like he played in the super bowl

 

[Vatahala]

Britt will be unleashed directly to whereever the inactives will be seated.

Mike and Kenny I like you to meet Mohammad, Jugdish, Sidney and Clayton.

 

[DarrylS]

In NOLA currently, last night was at a function and was speaking to a professional gambler who I know, he goes to Las Vegas during SB week as he gets "comps".. offered to make a bet on the Superbowl for me, told him no as already have enough anxiety during any SB.

He told me he bet against the Pats in 49 & 51 and will never bet against the Pats or #12....

Interesting note as much as people think the world is against us, most people in NOLA that I have spoken to really do not like the Eagles...

 

[RIpats88]

Ten sacks for Philadelphia in the last six games.

My early analysis is looking like a close game; within one score, but we should win it and cover that 4.5 spread.

thats really not alot considering the patriots have 11 in the 2 playoff games

 

[AllstonPatsFan]

...which, as you make clear yourself, is 100% about cash flow, not who they think will win.

Vegas makes its money by skimming a percentage off the top, and as long as they take in even money in both directions they can just pay out one side's losses as the other's winnings. The problem is that in the Brady/Belichick era, simply betting on the Pats to cover every single week has turned out to be a fabulous winning strategy. In recent years that fact has brought in vast amounts of money on the Pats' side of lines, leading to exaggerated point spreads to push some dollars the other way.

Which is all a long-winded way to say that Vegas spreads aren't "picks" so much as weather reports about how much money is falling from the sky. Actual predictions about who will win seem to be running pretty even.

While I agree with your logic, all the sites that I have seen that run heavy analytics on the matchups are giving the pats a 68% chance, just about where Vegas has it.

 

[Kdo5]

I wish Vegas picked the Eagles to win, and have us as the underdog. Will be glad to fly under the radar as the whole world gushes about how the Eagles trampled the #1 defense and so the Pats are no match.

Brady and Belichick will never fly under the radar. Those days are long since past.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

The Eagles are better than any team NE has faced all season. They've beaten the Rams, Atlanta, Minnesota, whipped Dallas, and beat Chargers.

The NFC is dogsh*t this year so I'm really not sure how impressive those NFC wins are. Atlanta probably would have beaten the Eagles in the divisional if Steve Sarkisian was an even marginally competent OC.

 

[TommyD4207]

The Eagles are better than any team NE has faced all season. They've beaten the Rams, Atlanta, Minnesota, whipped Dallas, and beat Chargers.

lol the Rams and Dallas