Patriots are favorites to go unbeaten the longest

[Who Dey]

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With legalized gambling slowly spreading from sea to shining sea, odds will emerge for just about anything. Now that the 2019 schedule has been released, odds have been set regarding the last team to be unbeaten.

Based on odds from the DraftKings Sportsbook, via Darren Rovell, the often slow-starting Patriots are surprising favorites to go unbeaten the longest, at +750 (bet $100 to win $750). The longest odds belong to the Bengals, at +12500.

The Chiefs come in second, at +900. The Chargers, Rams, Seahawks, and Eagles are +1100 each.

Here’s a sneaky attractive pick, given the odds: The Panthers at +2500. If quarterback Cam Newton fully recovers from should surgery (indications are that he will), the Panthers will be hard to handle — especially at home. They open with the Rams in Carolina; if the Panthers can get to 1-0 by taking down the defending NFC champs, that boost of confidence can carry over to wins against Tampa Bay at home, Arizona on the road, the Texans in Houston, the Jaguars at home, and then the Bucs in London.

That’s six games. After the bye, the Panthers go to San Francisco, host the Titans, and travel to Green Bay.

Ultimately, the identity of the last team standing depends on when the others fall, but Vegas doesn’t believe in the Panthers the way it should, and the notion of a healthy and motivated Cam carrying the Panthers to a strong start isn’t as ludicrous as 25-1 would suggest.