Sharp bettors pick side, total in Bills-Patriots ‘MNF’ matchup
The last time the Patriots were swept by an AFC East opponent in the regular season was 2000.
Sharp bettors and the betting public expect New England’s 19-season streak without being swept to come to an emphatic end at home against Buffalo on “Monday Night Football.”
Circa sportsbook manager Chris Bennett said Monday morning that the sharps bet the Bills -7 and over 45½ on Monday morning.
Buffalo is a consensus 7½-point favorite at Las Vegas sportsbooks and the consensus total is 47.
“We were getting all Bills money over the weekend,” Westgate sportsbook director John Murray said.
At BetMGM, 80.8 percent of the money on the game is on Buffalo.
“The public loves the Bills against the inconsistent Patriots. The bookmakers will need New England to keep the game close,” BetMGM director of trading Matt Cosgriff said.
William Hill also has liability on Buffalo, which opened at -6½.
“We do have some liability, but it’s nothing major,” William Hill sportsbook director Nick Bogdanovich said. “Any time you have a team that’s eliminated (from playoff contention) like New England and the other team is playing for the No. 2 seed, you just hope that New England comes motivated with some professional pride.
”I think they will with (coach Bill) Belichick. But who knows, especially in 2020.”
The Bills (11-3, 9-5 ATS) are coming off of a 48-19 rout at Denver on Dec. 19 and have covered six straight games. The last time they didn’t cover was Nov. 1, when they edged the Patriots 24-21 as 4½-point favorites.
New England (6-8, 6-8 ATS) has lost and failed to cover its last two games, including a 22-12 defeat at Miami in Week 15.
The Patriots are on a 6-0 under streak and are one of the league’s best under teams at 10-4. The Bills have gone over in five of their last seven games and are the NFL’s third-best over team at 9-4-1.
Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.
