Patriots' Betting Guide Ahead of 2022 NFL Season

Foxborough, MA - August 8: Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks onto the practice field at Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo by Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

The New England Patriots failed to win the AFC East in two straight years for the first time since 1999 and 2000 when they finished second to the Buffalo Bills in 2021.

The Patriots still made the playoffs, but the gap in quality between themselves and the Bills was on display throughout the 47-17 wild-card round defeat.

New England enters the 2022 NFL season as the clear No. 2 in the AFC East behind the Bills, and it may be hard for the Patriots to reclaim the top spot that they occupied for so much of the last two decades.

Bill Belichick and his staff would love to have the divisional title come down to a Week 18 clash in upstate New York, but the Patriots have a long way to go to even be tied, or within one game of the Bills by that point of the season.

New England has two different stretches in which it plays three of four games on the road, and it plays consecutive home games just once in Weeks 16 and 17.

The Patriots could make a divisional title push if Mac Jones improves in his second year and DeVante Parker turns into a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver, but those are big question marks at the moment.

Regular-Season Win Total

Foxborough, MA - August 8: Patriots quarterback Mac Jones walks off the practice field at the Patriots Training Camp at Gillette Stadium. (Photo by Carlin Stiehl for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Over: 8.5 (-125; bet $125 to win $100)

Under: 8.5 (+105; bet $100 to win $105)

The oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook have the bar lower than usual for the Patriots in 2022.

The Patriots failed to record a double-digit win total once since 2003, so history is on your side if you bet the over on the regular-season win total.

Of course, all but one of those seasons came with Tom Brady at quarterback. Mac Jones led the Patriots to a 10-7 record last season.

New England's road schedule is not planned out in favor of the franchise, but it may win a few games during the arduous stretches of three road trips in four games.

The Patriots open the season on the road against the Miami Dolphins and the Pittsburgh Steelers, two incomplete teams that may not look like the new versions of themselves until midseason.

The Week 4 road trip to Green Bay will be tough, but if the Patriots at least split their first two road games, they should be in good shape.

After the Green Bay game, the Patriots have an easy five-game run-up to their Week 10 bye. They play Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, the New York Jets and Indianapolis. More than half of the wins needed to cash the regular-season-win-total over could be found in that stretch.

New England does not play Buffalo until December 1. The break after that Thursday night game could be vital in helping the Patriots recover. The 11-day layoff essentially serves as a second bye week.

The Patriots come out of the first Buffalo game with clashes on the road against Arizona and Las Vegas. They could leave Allegiant Stadium with nine wins and make a push at the end of the season against Cincinnati, Miami and Buffalo.

Even if the Patriots do not win the division, they should challenge for a playoff spot with so many mismatches in the middle of their schedule. The weak middle should allow the Patriots to cruise past their win total.

Division and Playoff Odds

Foxborough, MA - August 3: Patriots running back Damien Harris catches a pass during a drill at training camp. (Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

To Win AFC East: +500

To Make Playoffs: +160

There is money to be made if you believe the Patriots have a chance to reclaim their position atop the AFC East.

A divisional title run is dependent on winning a majority of the games between Weeks 5-10 and beating Buffalo at least once.

Playing Buffalo at home on December 1 in their first meeting of the season could be the advantage that the Patriots need to get an upper hand on the AFC East favorite.

Getting Cincinnati and Baltimore at home and playing Pittsburgh and Cleveland on the road is a schedule break the Patriots must take advantage of. Buffalo has the exact opposite home-road split against the AFC North.

If the Patriots take advantage of their schedule advantages, they could be in the mix for the AFC East crown in January.

As for the playoffs, the same thought process from the division has to be applied. New England needs to beat its potential playoff rivals at home and take care of business against the weaker squads on the schedule.

New England could definitely hit the double-digit win mark and qualify for the postseason with its schedule.

The division might be a reach, but Buffalo does play a tougher schedule, and it would be silly to count out Bill Belichick.

Notable Player Props

Mac Jones

Passing Yards: Over/Under 3950.5

Passing Touchdowns: Over/Under 23.5

DeVante Parker

Receiving Yards: Over/Under 695.5

Receiving Touchdowns: Over/Under 3.5

Hunter Henry

Receiving Yards: Over/Under 575.5

Receiving Touchdowns: Over/Under 6.5

Mac Jones produced 3,801 passing yards and 22 touchdowns in his rookie campaign.

The second-year quarterback should eclipse those marks in 2022 with an improved wide receiver group at his disposal. DeVante Parker was brought in from Miami in an offseason trade to potentially give Jones a No. 1 wideout to work with.

Even if Parker does not live up to expectations, Jones has Nelson Agholor, Jakobi Meyers, Kendrick Bourne and rookie Tyquan Thornton to work with at wide receiver. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith give him good options across the middle at tight end.

The abundance of passing targets should help Jones maintain his level from 2021, and that should lead to the cashing of at least one of his season-long player props.

Henry led the Patriots with nine touchdowns last season. He will once again be a reliable asset in the red zone, and his touchdown over is worth a look because the Patriots did not add any significant scoring vultures to the passing game.

Henry's yardage may be cut a bit by Parker's arrival, so the better play is to take his scoring prop because of how often he could be targeted in that area of the field.

Parker's production is the big question mark in the Patriots offense. He has a single 1,000-yard receiving season and scored six times over the last two seasons.

If he becomes the true No. 1 wide receiver, he could cruise past his season-long receiving yard prop. The touchdowns may be harder to come by with Henry on the field and a strong running back duo of Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson on the roster.

All Parker has to do is ask Jakobi Meyers how hard it is to score a touchdown in the Patriots offense. Meyers waited three seasons for his first touchdown catch.

Gambling problem? Call (877-8-HOPENY) or text HOPENY (467369).

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visiting ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), visiting OPGR.org (OR), or calling/texting TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).

Odds and lines subject to change. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.