New England Patriots: Massive favorites to make playoffs for ninth consecutive season

The New England Patriots are the biggest favorites of any team to make the playoffs. So is there any value betting on them not to make the postseason?

As the defending Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots seem to be a lock to get back to the playoffs this year. At least that’s what oddsmakers think at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. The Patriots are overwhelming -5000 favorites (bet $5,000 to win $100) to return to the postseason, which would extend their streak to nine straight years.

The SuperBook released odds on every team’s chances of making the playoffs on Sunday. The team with the second-best shot of getting to the postseason is the Seattle Seahawks at -600. The Pittsburgh Steelers (-340) and Green Bay Packers (-310) are right behind them.

Of course the flip side to making the playoffs is missing out, something New England has not done since 2008. Even then, the team finished 11-5 despite Tom Brady suffering a torn ACL in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Matt Cassel took over under center and played well enough to ironically later earn himself a big contract with the Chiefs. But the Miami Dolphins won the AFC East with an identical 11-5 mark, winning a tiebreaker with the Patriots for the division title.

The odds of New England missing the playoffs this year are listed at +1500 (bet $100 to win $1500) at the SuperBook. For that to happen, Brady would likely have to get get hurt again and Miami or another AFC East team would need 10 wins or more.

The Dolphins are +375 to make the playoffs while the Buffalo Bills  are +550. The New York Jets are the longest shots of any team along with the Cleveland Browns at +2000. In fact, the Jets appear to be a bigger lock not to qualify for the postseason than the Pats to make it at -10000.

Next: Can the Patriots Run the Table in 2017?