Patriots Odds To Win AFC East, Super Bowl Improve Slightly After Signing Cam Newton
BOSTON (CBS) -- With a changing of the guard at quarterback, the Patriots weren't expected to compete for a Super Bowl in 2020. Now that they've added Cam Newton to the roster, well the Patriots still aren't expected to compete for a Super Bowl in 2020.
But their reign atop the AFC East may continue. So they've got that going for them, which is nice.
New England's Super Bowl odds did improve slightly after Sunday night's surprise signing of Newton. For months, the betting masterminds in Vegas tabbed New England as Newton's likely landing spot, and now that it has come to fruition, they've bumped up the Patriots' chances at a Lombardi Trophy ever so slightly.
On Sunday night, the Patriots jumped from 25-1 odds to win the Super Bowl pre-Newton to 20-1 after signing the QB. That bumped them up to the eighth-best odds in the NFL, up from the 10th-best prior to adding Newton to their roster.
Bovada went a little deeper, improving New England's odds to win the AFC, AFC East and make the playoffs with Newton now in the mix.
New England's odds at winning a 12th straight AFC East title improved just about everywhere Sunday night. The Buffalo Bills had been the favorites for much of the offseason, but Sportsline now gives the Patriots a 55 percent chance to win the division (up from 28.2 percent with Jarrett Stidham under center). Sportsline also bumped up New England's win total to 9.3 with Newton at quarterback, up from 7.8 wins with Stidham.
Newton signed an incentive-laden deal for one season with the Patriots and was not guaranteed New England's starting quarterback job, so he'll have to prove he's healthy and a good fit in training camp. But it's clear that Vegas likes New England's odds with Newton at quarterback just a tad bit better than
