The New England Patriots, and gamblers everywhere, took advantage of a soft matchup against another winless team. This time, it was the Washington Redskins. The Patriots defeated the now 0-5 Redskins, 33-7 on Sunday.
The New England Patriots were a 16.5-point favorite, and easily covered. It was the second of three times the Patriots have covered a double-digit spread and against a winless team. The other time was against the Miami Dolphins, when they were laying 18 points.
The Pats failed to cover two weeks ago against the New York Jets. They were 21-point picks against the Jets, and won by 16, 30-14. Overall this season, they are 3-2 against the spread.
The Washington game was actually close in the first half. The Redskins had the lead after the first quarter, 7-6. The Patriots took the lead at halftime, 12-7.
In the second half, New England outscored Washington 21-0. That fueled speculation that Redskins coach Jay Gruden was on the sideline for his last game. That proved true on Monday, when the team fired Gruden. The team released a statement about the move.
“Through the first five games of the 2019 season, the team has clearly not performed up to expectations, and we all share in that responsibility,” the team said in a statement. “Moving forward, we are committed to doing all that we can collectively as an organization to turn things around and give our Redskins fans and alumni a team they can be proud of in 2019 and beyond.”
New England Patriots Big Favorite Next Sunday
The New England Patriots are again double-digit favorites for his Thursday’s home game against the New York Giants. The line opened at 14, but was quickly bet up to 16.5 points.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick said after the Washington victory that there are challenges in playing with less than a week to prepare.
“We will do the best we can on short notice, and the players will do the best that they can to get ready in the less amount of time that they normally have,†Belichick said. “It’s the same time the Giants have, it’s the same for both teams. [We will] do the best we can to be ready to go.â€
Philadelphia Cashes as Big Favorite
Another team with a line of more than 10 points on Sunday was the Philadelphia Eagles. They hosted the New York Jets, and were picked by 14 points.
The Eagles easily covered, winning 31-6. It was the second time Philadelphia was favored by 10 or more points, but the first time they covered. In Week 1 the Eagles were 10-point picks against Washington, but only won by five, 32-27.
There was no doubt in Sunday’s game against the Jets. New York’s offense was bad, and Jets coach Adam Gase acknowledged it after the loss.
“We should, we haven’t been,†Gase said. “We haven’t been doing anything right, right now. We’re playing bad.â€
Kansas City Fails to Cover 11 Points
The Kansas City Chiefs were the final team with a spread of 10 or more points. Kansas City opened at eight points, but the spread jumped to 11.
The Chiefs lost outright at home to the Indianapolis Colts, 18-13.
Those fortunate enough to put a moneyline bet on the Colts got a nice +450 rate of return.
Stat of the Week
Per Bet Labs: Since 2003, when two winless NFL teams play each other, the underdog has gone 54-32-4 (63%) against the spread. Arizona was +3 at home against Cincinnati. The Cardinals won, 26-23.