Oddsmaker Bovada has released their latest projections for the 2017 NFL season and the New England Patriots are the heavy favorites for the seventh time in the past decade.
Bovada set the over/under for the Patriots win total in 2017 at 12.5 wins. This seems like it should be a lock with the New England roster, but the team has only hit the “over” four times in the past ten seasons.
The league hasn’t had a preseason over/under of 12.5 since the New England Patriots in 2008, an indicator that Vegas oddsmakers believe the 2017 Patriots could challenge the 2007 team’s success.
Highest Pre-Season Win Totals Since 2009
2008: Patriots, 12.5
2009: Patriots, 11.5
2010: Colts, Saints, Chargers, 10.5
2011: Patriots, Packers, 11.5
2012: Patriots, Packers, 12.0
2013: Patriots, Broncos, 49ers, 11.5
2014: Broncos, 11.5
2015: Colts, Packers, Seahawks, 11.0
2016: Patriots, Steelers, Packers, Seahawks, Panthers, 10.5
2017: Patriots, 12.5
It should be noted that the Patriots probably would have had the highest pre-season win total in 2015, but Tom Brady’s status was up in the air due to DeflateGate. That same logic applies to why the team was only projected to win 10.5 games in 2016.