Patriots vs. Bengals Week 1 Opening Odds Forecast Disastrous Start for Jerod Mayo
By Ryan Bunton
With the NFL schedule now completely revealed, we now know the Patriots' first opponent on their 2024 slate. And, we also now know what sportsbooks think about New England's chances in that game.
The Patriots will kick off their season with a visit to Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. New England is currently 8.5 point underdogs on FanDuel Sportsbook, which doesn't show a lot of confidence in Jerod Mayo's club. The Patriots moneyline is also set at +360, and the over/under at 42.5. The 8.5 line is the largest spread of any Week 1 contest.
The Bengals are coming off of a 9-8 season in which they finished in the basement of the AFC North, but star quarterback Joe Burrow missed the final seven games of the season with a wrist injury. Prior to last season, Cincinnati had made back-to-back AFC Championship Games and made a trip to Super Bowl LVI. With Burrow expectedly healthy again, the Bengals should return towards the top of the AFC's top dogs.
The Patriots are coming off of their most losses since 1992, leading them to part ways with legendary coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick this offseason. There are some reasons to be optimistic about New England's future, as the team drafted some intriguing prospects and retained key contributors. Even so, Eliot Wolf and co. have shown an appetite for a prolonged rebuild, after failing to make any major splashes in free agency or the trade market. None of this points to a strong 2024 season.
The Patriots have the longest odds to win their division out of any team in football (at +2400) and are even +3400 to go 0-17. If New England fans are looking for reasons to be optimistic about the 2024 season, sportsbooks are not your place to go.
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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.