The New England Patriots don’t play until tonight, but there’s plenty of football to watch. Here are the early games and how the Patriots will hope every game turns out.
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Jets (-2.5) at Buccaneers: Do the Patriots want the Jets to lose to gain space in the AFC East? Or do they want the Jets to win for a potential double-whammy in the strength of schedule category? Division comes first, so go Buccaneers.
Steelers (-10) at Colts: This is impossible and won’t happen, but go Colts.
Saints (-3) at Bills: Go Saints, send the Bills into a tailspin.
Chargers at Jaguars (-3.5): The Patriots want the Chargers to win for the sake of strength of schedule, and to knock the Jaguars down a peg in the AFC.
Browns at Lions (-11): Woof. Go Browns, though, so the 49ers can get the top pick in the second round for the Jimmy Garoppolo trade.
Bengals at Titans (-5): Go Titans, take a lead over the Jaguars.
Packers at Bears (-6): The Bears are seriously the favorite? Yikes. Patriots want the Bears to lose so they stay ahead of the AFC East in draft position.
Vikings (-1.5) at Washington: This game doesn’t really matter to the Patriots.