New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers (-3)*
It doesn’t happen often, but every time the Patriots are underdogs, it is worth taking note. Remember the game against the Bengals? Or the Colts? Both times, New England was getting points. Both times, they would have covered double digit spreads as favorites in the end. Both times, we rode them to wins.
Now, we go opposite the streak.
Speaking of streaks, the Patriots have now won an unprecedented seven consecutive games. Of these seven, the last four have each been won by a margin of victory of at least 21 points. In games against the Lions, Colts, and Broncos, the Patriots could have given up another three touchdowns in each and still won.
This sounds eerily similar to another team cruising to easy victories – the Green Bay Packers entering Week 12. Promptly, they played a much more competitive game than they should have against the Vikings, winning, but only by a field goal margin.
Perfect.
The Packers saw their ‘pullback game.’ The Patriots have not. As we preach every week, trends in the National Football League are always due for a reset, and the ridiculous winning streak and dominance as an underdog the Patriots are currently experiencing is due to come to an end. What team is better suited to go toe-to-toe with New England than the 8-3 Packers with a top-ten offense that leads the league with fewest turnovers?
Green Bay hands New England its first loss since Week 4, beating the Patriots by a touchdown and covering the spread.
