Betting lines have started to come out (yes, already) for NFL games the upcoming 2017 season, and that also means we can write articles about how many times the Patriots are favored and the Browns are not.
So let’s get right to the facts that shouldn’t surprise anyone: the New England Patriots are favored to win every one of their games right now and the Cleveland Browns are unsurprisingly favored to lose every game.
According to ESPN, Sportsbook operator CG Technology released lines on Tuesday for the first 16 weeks of the season, revealing the favorable lines for the Patriots and not so favorable lines for the Browns. So really, the Patriots are favored to win their first 15 games and the Browns are predicted to start 0-15.
But this is where the odds for Week 17 tip in favor of the Pats and away from the Browns.
New England is slated to host the New York Jets in Week 17, which is a likely win for the Pats. Cleveland, meanwhile, is scheduled to visit the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 17, which will likely result in a loss for the Browns.
None of this is surprising when you look at the current Super Bowl odds. Right now, New England has the best odds at 3-1 while Cleveland sits at 300-1, tied with San Francisco for the worst odds.
This season, New England is also favored by an average of 6.5 points per game with a 12.5 point spread at home against the Los Angeles Chargers as their largest spread. The smallest spread is for both Week 11 against Oakland and Week 15 at Pittsburgh at 1.5.
The Browns are a touchdown-or-worse underdog in nine of 15 games.
[ESPN]
