The New England Patriots’ NFL preseason betting record itinerary (next stop: Detroit) has already yielded as many losses as the entirety of the 2016 regular season. Of course, the preseason and the regular season are worlds apart – kinda like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie and the series based on it. That may all change on Friday, though, as it is widely agreed that the third game of the preseason is the only one that really matters.
- Date: Friday, 25th August
- Time: 7:05 PM
- Venue: Ford Field
Online Sportsbook NFL Preseason Odds:
Patriots -1 (-115) 44 (-105)
Lions +1 (-105) 44 (-115)
A Bizarro ticker tape parade
The Pats returned to the site of Super Bowl LI on Saturday and here’s what they found:
Back at the scene of the celebration and…there's still confetti in the phone bank. pic.twitter.com/wclp6MRmJC
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 19, 2017
Let’s hope that’s biodegradable. New England lost 23-27 to the Houston Texans to drop their preseason record to 0-2, as they had previously lost to the Jaguars the week prior. “You’re able to evaluate your basic fundamentals against another team’s basic fundamentals,” head coach Bill Belichick said of those two games via the Boston Herald. “So, it’s not an X-and-O game. So, we win some, they win some, but along the way, even if you’re losing on a fundamental matchup on a particular play, hopefully you’re improving, you’re gaining experience and you’re correcting mistakes and moving forward on it for the next player and the next game.” Belichik started the switch from training camp to a game week regimen with player position meetings and film study at Gillette Stadium on Monday and ahead of the game with the Lions on Friday. Accordingly, the team will be transitioning “into a more regular season routine getting ready for Detroit.” This will be pretty much the last chance for the Fosters, Luciens, and Grissosm of the world to snatch a place among the Bradys, Cookses, and Gronkowskis (not Glenn though).
The Lions own the Patriots
Talking exclusively about NFL preseason betting, that is. The Lions are 6-2 straight-up against the Pats in eight exhibition games. The last time they met in similar circumstances was in Week 3 of the 2013 preseason when Detroit beat the New England 40-9 on August 22nd, 2013 at Ford Field. Friday’s game will also mark the third occasion since 2011 that the Patriots and the Lions play in the third preseason game at Detroit. The Lions won 34-10 on August 27th. What has Detroit got in store for this ninth encounter? Like the last piece in your uncle-with-the-gambling-problem’s coin cup, wide receiver Golden ‘Gate’ Tate looks to be headed into the slot. Tate has been among the Lions’ best pass-catchers in the last few seasons, but the emergence of rookie Kenny Golladay – who is on the cusp of making the starting lineup, and who at 6-foot-4 seems more appropriate for the outside – could push him toward a slightly different role.
“I think it shows confidence from Jim Bob (Cooter), Coach (Jim) Caldwell and Coach (Ron) Prince in myself and Kenny to have that confidence to put us in there, and interchange us,” Tate said per MLive.com. It remains to be seen how this switch would affect the Lions’ NFL preseason betting outlook.