2020 NFL Odds: Brady's Bucs at 9, Patriots at 8.5 and More Win Totals Revealed
April 16, 2020
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are projected to outperform the New England Patriots, Brady's old team, in the latest win-total lines posted by Caesars Palace for the 2020 NFL season.
ESPN's Ben Fawkes noted the Bucs are forecast to win nine games and are favored to earn a playoff berth with -155 odds (wager $155 to win $100). The Pats check in at 8.5 wins, their lowest oddsmaker projection since 2003.
"My raw number on the Patriots is less than eight [wins]," Caesars' head oddsmaker, Jeff Davis, told ESPN. "Outside of the secondary, which is one of the best in the league, the rest of their roster, I think, is one of the worst in the NFL."
Brady left the Patriots to sign a two-year, $50 million contract with Tampa Bay in March.
He joins a high-upside Buccaneers offense that features wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, tight ends Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard, and running back Ronald Jones II. When paired with a defense that tied for sixth in yards allowed per play last season, expectations for the Bucs are high in 2020.
Meanwhile, New England must find a way to fill a massive void at the sport's most important position. Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer are the options on the roster, though it's possible the Pats add another competitor for the starting job during the draft or in the latter stages of free agency.
The Buffalo Bills (nine wins; +100 to win AFC East) are favored to win the AFC East over the Patriots, per Fawkes. Buffalo hasn't won the division crown since 1995.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters April 2:
"The team to beat in the East is the Patriots. And until somebody beats them, they are the team to beat. And as long as Bill Belichick's there, you're talking about probably the greatest head coach of all time that was paired with the greatest quarterback of all time. So until we beat them, we've done nothing, and we've got our work cut out for us."
Here's a look at the projected win totals for all 32 teams from Caesars, via ESPN:
- Baltimore Ravens: 12
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12
- New Orleans Saints: 10.5
- San Francisco 49ers: 10.5
- Dallas Cowboys: 9.5
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9.5
- Seattle Seahawks: 9.5
- Buffalo Bills: 9
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9
- Minnesota Vikings: 9
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 9
- New England Patriots: 8.5
- Cleveland Browns: 8.5
- Indianapolis Colts: 8.5
- Tennessee Titans: 8.5
- Los Angeles Chargers: 8.5
- Chicago Bears: 8.5
- Green Bay Packers: 8.5
- Los Angeles Rams: 8.5
- Houston Texans: 7.5
- Denver Broncos: 7.5
- Atlanta Falcons: 7.5
- Arizona Cardinals: 7.5
- Las Vegas Raiders: 7
- New York Jets: 6.5
- Detroit Lions: 6.5
- Miami Dolphins: 6
- New York Giants: 5.5
- Carolina Panthers: 5.5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 5
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 4.5
- Washington Redskins: 4.5
Davis told Fawkes the lines are likely to shift after the NFL draft, which kicks off April 23.