Over a two-game span New England lost the Super Bowl and quarterback Tom Brady, traumatic events for NFL betting fans who backed the Patriots. But those events are ancient history and there's nothing to suggest that New England, which has been superb both straight up and against the spread for more than a decade, won't dominate this division again. Teams are listed in predicted order of finish with 2008 regular season records and pointspread results in parentheses:
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (11-5 SU, 9-7 ATS, 9-6-1 O/U): With receivers such as Randy Moss, Wes Welker and newly minted Joey Galloway, Brady should have little difficulty regaining his 2007 form in which he threw for a record 50 touchdowns. Coach Bill Belichick has had to fill some holes on his defense but still should have enough for another Super Bowl run. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 4/1; AFC Championship 2/1; AFC East 1/7; Over/Under regular season wins 11 1/2.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2008)
SU: 119-57
ATS: 98-71-7
HF:36-34-4
HD:10-3-1
AF:28-18
AD:25-15-2
Sportsbook Buster: The visitor in the Patriots-Jets series is 17-3 ATS, the last 20 meetings between these AFC East rivals.
Sports Betting Angle: New England has covered five straight games against division foe Buffalo.
MIAMI DOLPHINS (11-5 SU, 8-8 ATS, 6-10 O/U): Just move a hyphen and you have Miami's incredible improvement from 1-15 to 11-5. But what do the Dolphins do for an encore? Miami got a fabulous season from QB Chad Pennington and confused some teams with its Wildcat formation in 2008 but this is a new year and GM Bill Parcells and Coach Tony Sparano will need some new tricks if they have any hope of getting back to the post season. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 28/1; AFC Championship 14/1; AFC East 11/2; Over/Under regular season wins 7 1/2.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2008)
SU:91-85
ATS: 85-85-6
HF:29-35-1
HD:10-13-1
AF:14-11
AD:32-27-4
Sportsbook Buster: The Dolphins have failed to cover five of their last six home openers.
Sports Betting Angle: Miami has covered its last five visits to San Diego.
BUFFALO BILLS (7-9 SU, 7-9 ATS, 9-6-1 O/U): Pairing Terrell Owens with Lee Evans certainly gives QB Trent Edwards some attractive targets but will the controversial Owens ruin the Buffalo locker room? The Bills hope that the return of Aaron Schobel and the presence of top draft choice Aaron Maybin will help them put pressure on opposing passers, a deficiency last year. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 30/1; AFC Championship 16/1; AFC East 15/2; Over/Under regular season wins 7 1/2.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2008)
SU:81-95
ATS: 88-82-6
HF:28-25-1
HD:16-16-1
AF:10-8-2
AD:34-33-2
Sportsbook Buster: The Bills are an impressive 14-3 ATS the week after playing the Patriots.
Sports Betting Angle: Buffalo has covered eight of its last 11 meetings with Miami.
NEW YORK JETS (9-7 SU, 7-9 ATS, 8-7-1 O/U): The Jets will be operating with a rookie coach in Rex Ryan and a rookie quarterback in Mark Sanchez, something that worked for the Ravens last season. The problem is that New York doesn't have Baltimore's sturdy defense, a liability that could make for a long and difficult season in the Big Apple. Future Book Odds Profile: Super Bowl 35/1; AFC Championship 18/1; AFC East 14/1; Over/Under regular season wins 7.
By the Numbers (Regular Season, 1998-2008)
SU:91-85
ATS: 88-79-9
HF:28-26-3
HD:14-16-1
AF:10-16-1
AD:36-21-4
Sportsbook Buster: The Jets have covered six straight games against the Buccaneers.
Sports Betting Angle: New York is 9-1 ATS in its last 10 games against division rival Miami.
Legend:
SU= Straight Up
ATS = Against the Spread
HF= Home Favorite
HD= Home Underdog
AF= Away Favorite
AD= Away Underdog
O/U = Over/Under
This is the first of an eight-part NFL preview series.
