Super Bowl LI Odds: Brady Suspension Equals Uncertainty for Patriots Futures

Breaking news of the NFL's victory in federal appeals court related to last year's Deflategate case has shaken up the Super Bowl LI odds at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

With the NFL now in a position to reinstate the four-game suspension of quarterback Tom Brady, which had been overturned by a federal court judge last September, the New England Patriots have been knocked from their perch atop the Super Bowl odds, dropping from +600 favorites to +900 at the sportsbooks.

While the suspension would not impact Brady's availability for next season's NFL playoffs, it would keep him sidelined for the first four weeks of the 2016 season, which includes a pair of crucial dates with AFC East rivals plus two games against defending division champions.

New England kicks off the 2016 campaign with a visit to the desert to face the NFC West champion Arizona Cardinals. These two teams last faced each other in 2012, with the Cardinals ending a five-game straight-up losing streak against New England with a 20-18 victory.

Since pegging New England as a slim one-point road favorite on the early NFL Week 1 odds, most sportsbooks have closed betting on the matchup at University of Phoenix Stadium on September 11 pending confirmation of Brady's suspension, which will certainly impact the NFL betting line.

The Patriots follow up with home dates against the Miami Dolphins and the Houston Texans, before hosting the Buffalo Bills in Week 4.

According to the Odds Shark NFL Database, New England is a solid 6-1 straight up and 5-2 against the spread versus Houston since 2003, including a 27-6 road win in Week 14 of last season.

New England is also undefeated in its past four home dates with the Dolphins and is 4-1 SU in its past five visits from the Bills, going a combined 6-2-1 ATS during that stretch.

Despite such favorable trends, oddsmakers have reacted tentatively to the news of Brady's likely suspension, listing the Patriots' win total over their first four games at just 1.5 with -120 odds attached to both the over and the under on that wager.

The Patriots' slip at the sportsbooks has lifted the Seattle Seahawks to the top of the Super Bowl LI odds at +850.

The Green Bay Packers, who finished the 2015 season in disappointing fashion after being listed as an early Super Bowl 50 favorite, are showing staying power at the sportsbooks with +1000 odds to win Super Bowl LI.

The Packers sit alongside the Pittsburgh Steelers, while the Carolina Panthers lag at +1200, just ahead of the Cardinals, who join the defending-champion Denver Broncos at +1400.