The New England Patriots are fully in the middle of a franchise-wide reboot, sitting at 4-11 (.267) and at risk of posting their worst year-end win percentage since going 5-11 (.313) in 2000.
There is a glimmer of hope for Pats’ fans and Massachusetts sports betting customers, however, in the form of the team’s play of late in victories over Denver and Pittsburgh over the last three weeks.
On the heels of New England’s 26-23 road win over Denver over the weekend, it’s worth wondering whether the Pats’ can join other recent renaissance teams in the league by rebounding on the field next season.
BetMassachusetts.com took a look at the 15 squads that posted a losing record in 2022 to see where they went this season. Tampa Bay wasn’t included because it won the NFC South with a losing record.
Can Losing Teams Build Momentum?
ESPN BET Massachusetts lists San Francisco as the Super Bowl favorite at +225. Baltimore is second at +375.
Late Season Wins Don’t Necessarily Help
While few around New England will likely predict another championship run in 2024, it’s not out of the question the Patriots could surge back into playoff contention next year. Of the 15 teams with losing records last season, they saw a one-win improvement year-over-year, going from 4.9 wins on average in 2022 to 5.9 this season.
That total was tanked a bit by the nosedive suffered by Carolina, which went from 7-10 in 2022 to 2-13 this year. The Patriots playoff odds were among the first to fall off the board, as they got off to a 2-10 start after finishing 8-9 a year ago.
Conversely, NFL success stories include Houston, which went from 3-13-1 last year to 8-7 so far in 2023, while Cleveland (7-10 to 10-5), Indianapolis (4-12-1 to 8-7), and the L.A. Rams (5-12 to 8-7) are poised to rebound with winning seasons.
But it isn’t clear if winning late in a season has any carry over effect. Houston won two of its final five in a three-win season last year, but this season’s 8-7 record comes behind a new quarterback and a new coach. Indianapolis, which is +260 to win the AFC South on Massachusetts sports betting apps, lost seven straight to close last season.
