Oddsmakers view Patriots as just the third best team in the AFC East right now

With free agency winding down, DraftKings Sportsbook has published its first future win totals for the 2022 NFL season. And a look at the numbers show that the oddsmakers are not overly confident in the New England Patriots at this point of the offseason.

The Patriots are listed with an over/under of 8.5 wins, just the third best number in the AFC East. For comparison, the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins check in at 11.5 — tied for best in the league — and 9, respectively. Only the New York Jets’ 5.5 trails New England’s projected win total.

In full, the over/under numbers for 31 of the NFL’s 32 teams have been set as follows:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 11.5
• Buffalo Bills: 11.5
• Kansas City Chiefs: 11
• Green Bay Packers: 11
• Dallas Cowboys: 10.5
• Los Angeles Rams: 10.5
• Cincinnati Bengals: 10
• Denver Broncos: 10
• Los Angeles Chargers: 10
• San Francisco 49ers: 10
• Baltimore Ravens: 9.5
• Indianapolis Colts: 9.5
• Tennessee Titans: 9.5
• Arizona Cardinals: 9
• Miami Dolphins: 9
• Minnesota Vikings: 9
• Las Vegas Raiders: 8.5
• New England Patriots: 8.5
• Philadelphia Eagles: 8.5
• New Orleans Saints: 7.5
• Pittsburgh Steelers: 7.5
• Washington Commanders: 7.5
• Chicago Bears: 7
• New York Giants: 7
• Jacksonville Jaguars: 6.5
• Seattle Seahawks: 6.5
• Carolina Panthers: 6
• Detroit Lions: 6
• New York Jets: 5.5
• Atlanta Falcons: 5
• Houston Texans: 4.5

Obviously, there is still a long way to go before the start of the regular season — especially considering that the draft has not even happened yet. The numbers above should therefore merely be seen as a reflection of offseason movement thus far; looking at the Patriots through this lens makes the 8.5 win total a more reasonable number.

The only team not listed above, by the way, are the Cleveland Browns. While no concrete reason was given for the omission, it likely has to do with quarterback Deshaun Watson facing a possible suspension for conduct detrimental to the league. Watson, who was acquired in via trade from the Houston Texans, is facing 22 civil lawsuits over alleged sexual assault and might be suspended by the NFL as well.