Brady’s injury alters the entire sportsbetting panorama

For the first time in about two years, the Las Vegas oddmakers have listed the New England Patriots as the underdog for the upcoming game vs. the Jets. The reason is Tom Brady’s recent knee injury, which has caused a general reaction among sportsbetting and New England fans hoping for another flawless season.

So far the spread hasn’t moved much since several sportsbooks in Las Vegas launched the odds yesterday afternoon favoring the Jets at -2½ to -3 for Sunday’s game (No totals revealed yet). This demonstrates that most oddmakers seem to consider Brady as the main reason behind the Patriots’ success, which in some way is true. No player in the NFL can organize the offensive lines as Brady does, besides, so far no one is sure if Matt Cassel, New England’s second QB, can throw 50 touchdown passes just like Brady did last year or simply hold the pressure of organizing a team that finished the last regular season with a 16-0 record.

Now let’s talk about what I found online, since Las Vegas released the odds, the numbers have been up and down in several online sportsbooks, however the difference is not that significant and varies from 1 to ½ points from one site to the other. BodogLife Sportsbook has the Jets at -2½ (-105), BetUS.com listed the Jets at -1½ (-110), Bookmaker.com listed the Jets at -2 (-110), same as Sportsbook.com and WagerWeb sportsbook.

This is the first time the Patriots are listed as underdogs since 2006, and who knows when was the last time they were underdogs against the Jets. In addition, most online sportsbooks have also adjusted the odds on the Patriots winning the AFC and the Super Bowl. New England opened the season at 8-5 favorites to win the AFC, however the numbers have been corrected and they’re now 6-1 to win the conference, creating a domino effect over the rest of the lines available. Steelers moved from 8-1 to 5-1 to win the AFC while the New York Jets went from 15-1 to 7-1, the Tennessee Titans from 20-1 to 15-1, the Buffalo Bills from 25-1 to 15-1 and the Baltimore Ravens from 50-1 to 30-1.