Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots are entering Week 9 as one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Winners of five straight games, they are the current No. 2 seed in the AFC and have some of the best odds in the league to end up in the playoffs.
For comparison, their opponent, the Atlanta Falcons, is coming off back-to-back losses. And yet, a look at the odds presented by FanDuel Sportsbook shows that the game might be closer than the two teams’ respective 6-2 and 3-4 records might suggest.
The Patriots being listed as 4.5-point favorites is not insignificant, but the spread is much closer than it had been the last two weeks against Tennessee and Cleveland. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel was listed as 6.5- and 7-point favorites heading into those games, eventually winning in rather convincing fashion.
Does this mean Sunday’s game will be a nail-biter? That remains to be seen, but the Falcons — at least in the eyes of the oddsmakers — present a greater danger to New England’s win streak than the last two opponents did.
Kickoff between the Patriots and Falcons is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
