For the Washington Football Team, which he imagine is still in search of a real nickname, the season starts Thursday. The pre-season, that is. The WFT, as we will refer to them, proved the best in the NFC East last season. And the perception is that they are perhaps a step away from Super Bowl betting contention and they will get things going at Gillette Stadium at 7:30 PM ET as they take on the Patriots.
NFL Pre-Season Betting – Here are the numbers…
Washington Football Team vs. New England Patriots Odds by BetAnySports
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Football Team | -2 ( -108 ) | 34 ( -115 ) | – |  |
| New England Patriots | +2 ( -112 ) | 34 ( -105 ) | – | |
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NFL Pre-Season Betting – Where does the WFT go from here?
Last season Ron Rivera’s team emerged atop a mediocre East division. And they did so with rather an unsteady quarterback play, even with the storybook comeback of Alex Smith.
In fact, they were forced to go with Taylor Heinecke in the playoff game against Tampa Bay. So things were a little chaotic.
Based on what their defense can do, the WFT has the door open for an NFC East repeat. The Dallas Cowboys are +115 to win the division, with Washington second at +270.
The stop unit was second overall in the NFL. But the offense was dead last. Wide receivers Adam Humphries and Curtis Samuel were added to team with the estimable Terry McLaurin.
Heinecke is back at quarterback, but it looks as if the WFT will cast its lot with veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has not proven to be a playoff-level signal-caller but a pretty good bridge over to what’s next. Fitzpatrick threw for 2091 yards and 13 TD’s in Miami last season. But he has a fiery presence.
NFL Pre-Season Betting – A comeback for the Patriots?
Coach Bill Belichick was not expecting his team to wind up 7-9 last year. And Cam Newton did not exactly prove to be a worthy successor to Tom Brady. After impressing many people with his ability to run out of the spread, he threw just eight touchdown passes. There just wasn’t enough of an air threat to keep defenses honest.
They’ve brought back Newton, and the outlook doesn’t appear rosy. In the AFC east, the Pats are priced at +365, which makes them third choice in the division.
But Belichick isn’t a guy who thinks about how to “rebuild.” Instead, he may be in the process of taking things in another direction. In the first round, he drafted Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, who led the Crimson Tide to a national title.
Some people were distrustful of Jones’ ability to get the ball down the field. But the truth is that he had an unusually high percentage of completions on passes more than 20 yards past the line of scrimmage.
It is Belichick’s intention to use a double-tight end attack as much as possible. Or so it appears. Obviously he had a lot of success with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.
This time around it’s Jonnu Smith (who is also taking some snaps at running back) and Hunter Henry, who might miss the rest of training camp with a shoulder problem. When all is said and done, this could work for them.
And BetAnySports patrons should expect that Jones is going to be given the chance to win the QB job during this pre-season.
NFL Pre-Season Betting Patriots Conclusion
Both of these teams will have veteran backup quarterbacks playing who know the system. And then there is Jones, who played like a veteran at ‘Bama.
Should we handicap the coaches? Ron Rivera is 20-16-1 ATS in the pre-season. Belichick is over the .500 mark, though not necessarily notorious for wanting to win exhibition games.
The Patriots, at home, get our vote, as Jones looks good.
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