NFL Week 4 odds: Patriots open as heavy underdogs vs. Chiefs originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The New England Patriots have often played the "nobody believes in us" card over the last 20 years, even when they were among the NFL's top Super Bowl contenders and rarely underdogs entering any game.
But in Week 4 of the 2020 season, the Patriots should actually feel like no one believes in them.
Oddsmakers have pegged the Patriots as 7-point underdogs entering Sunday afternoon's road game against the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Patriots haven't been underdogs by this many points since Week 1 of the 2016 season when Jimmy Garoppolo started at quarterback against the Arizona Cardinals on the road in place of a suspended Tom Brady.
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New England won that game without Brady, but it's hard to feel optimistic about Sunday's showdown versus the Chiefs. In fairness to the Patriots, they have won two of three games against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, with the only loss during that stretch coming at Gillette Stadium in the 2019 regular season.
However, the Patriots are 3-6 against the spread (ATS) in their last nine meetings with the Chiefs, and they've enjoyed very little success at Arrowhead Stadium, where New England has won only two of its last nine games. The Pats' last win in Kansas City was the 2018 AFC Championship Game, but their most recent regular season victory at Arrowhead Stadium came in 2004.
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The Chiefs are 3-0 to begin the 2020 campaign after an impressive road victory against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night. Mahomes is having another MVP-caliber season, and Kansas City's defense also is playing at a high level.
Here are the opening betting lines for the Patriots vs. Chiefs matchup. Both teams are 2-1 ATS this season.
Spread: Chiefs -7 (-105), Patriots +7 (-115)
Moneyline: Chiefs -320, Patriots +250
Total: Over 54 points (-105), Under 54 points (-115)
Odds provided by our partner, PointsBet
