The New England Patriots’ odds of winning the Super Bowl lengthened slightly this week after Patriots head coach Bill Belichick decided to release veteran quarterback Cam Newton. BetOnline has changed the team’s outright chances of winning the Super Bowl at (+2500), although other sportsbooks, such as FanDuel, have been far more conservative placing New England at (+3700) or roughly the middle of the pecking order.

The perceptible change in the team’s odds reflects the Patriots’ own determination to rely on Newton as their ace this season. However, coach Belichick will now depend on rookie Mac Jones instead. Jones is not their first pick either, and yet he will be placed in one of the most responsible positions that can very well determine the fortunes of the team for the entire season.

2022 NFL Super Bowl Odds (Patriots)

The Rookie Becomes the Favorite

In explaining his motivation coach Belichick said that the silent rookie has proven to be capable of outperforming Newton and managed to do 36-of-52 for 389 yards and threw one touchdown, with 107 snaps to his record so far in the preseason. Essentially, Jones has outperformed other QBs on the current New England Patriots’ roster.

In comparison, Newton only had 39 snaps in the preseason and played 14 out of 21 for 162 yards. Newton’s release was not motivated just by poor performance on the field. It seemed like the veteran was already not truly into playing competitively, as he had to skip five days of practice for violating COVID-19 protocols.

What’s Next for the Patriots with a Fresh Rookie?

Jones obviously isn’t a superstar but he shows promising qualities. His overall performance isn’t too shabby and with the right team set-up, he may discover that he is capable of pulling off feats that far beat his own expectations. Actually, not much has changed in terms of odds alignment for the Patriots. Let’s have a look.

History is not on the side of the Patriots ‘quarterbacks with their last attempts proving a little misfortunate. New England have a proven track record, but they seem to have lacked the opportunity to successfully train new key players, especially on short notice.

Regardless of the abrupt Newton departure, it seems like oddsmakers remain fairly confident in the division and Super Bowl chances of the Patriots. They will have to go a long way to prove them, but so far, they managed to pull off two sterling wins and they are in a position to keep building upon that.