NE Patriots v KC Chiefs: Pats to keep up strong opening day record
Published:
Super Bowl holders face Reid’s men
2016 Super Bowl winners New England Patriots begin the defence of their title at Gillette Stadium against Kansas City Chiefs.
The hosts are 2/9 favourites for victory against the Missouri franchise. Coral News take a delve into the stats to discover if they justify that price – and where the best value lies in this clash.
Head-to-Head
The most significant stat here is that KC haven’t won in New England since way back in 1990. Since then, they’ve lost on six occasions, with the last meeting a 27-20 victory for Bill Belichick’s men at Gillette Stadium in January 2016.
Kansas have had occasional joy in this fixture, with three wins in the past 10 meetings, but all of those have taken place in Missouri, and only one has come during the last decade.
Recent form & stats
The Pats were relentlessly high-scoring last term, racking up 30 or more points in 10 of their 20 outings, including all three playoff games. With KC shipping a combined 70 points in their last two Regular Season matches of 2016, the home side could well rack up a pretty high score.
When Belichick’s side win, they tend to do so pretty convincingly. They won by nine or more points on 12 occasions during last season. A similarly comfortable victory could be on the cards yet again.
New England are also nigh-on unstoppable on the opening weekend, winning 11 of their previous 12 season openers, including a win away at Arizona Cardinals last year.
Top Bets:
NE Patriots: Total Points – Over 29.5 @ 20/23
Spread: NE Patriots – 8.5 @ 10/11
The key men
Pats tight end Rob Gronkowski has caused the Chiefs untold misery in this fixture, chalking up four touchdowns in the three previous meetings between these teams.
As for Kansas, Quarterback Alex Smith showed his ability to sneak in for a TD from close range. That means he could prove to be an inspired longshot.
Top Bets:
First TD Scorer – R. Gronkowski @ 5/1
First TD Scorer – A. Smith @ 40/1
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing
