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The New England Patriots are 8-0 straight up and 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games on the road. After compiling a perfect road record in 2016, the Patriots will try to keep things rolling away from home on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
New England is a 6.5-point road favorite in New Orleans at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Patriots have been favored in each of their last 19 games and are 16-3 SU and 15-4 ATS over that stretch.
New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints
When: Sunday, Sept. 17, 1 p.m. ET
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
Betting Line / Total: New England -6.5 / 56 Points
New England Patriots
Just like that, talk of a perfect season was over. The Patriots entered their Thursday night game against Kansas City on a 10-0 SU and 9-1 ATS run and with a seemingly improved roster from 2016.
But as 8-point favorites against the Chiefs, nothing looked right in New England's 42-27 loss. It was a perfect storm of a rare off night for Tom Brady, a career night for Alex Smith, and a bad night all around for New England's wide receivers and defense.
Historically under Brady and head coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots have bounced back nicely from these rare defeats. New England is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games coming off a loss per the OddsShark NFL Database.
New Orleans Saints
New Orleans also had a dud of a performance in Week 1, losing on the road to the Minnesota Vikings 29-19 on Monday. The loss continued New Orleans' recent history of getting slow starts as the Saints are 0-8 SU and 2-6 ATS in their last eight games played in the month of September.
The Saints' supposedly improved defense allowed 470 total yards, the second worst performance of Week 2; better only than New England's allowing 537 yards to Kansas City.
Sunday's total is set at 56 points. The OVER is 7-2 in the last nine games between these two teams.
While both of these teams are hoping to bounce back from bad performances, New England has the clear advantage from a scheduling perspective. The Patriots played at home on Thursday and had a long week to prepare for this game, while New Orleans had to travel and now prepare for this game on a short week after playing on the road Monday.
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