He’s back! I am of course referring to the New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, who has completed his four-game suspension for his involvement in Deflate-Gate. With his return, he gets to face off against none other than the laughing stock of the league, the Cleveland Browns. New England with their franchise quarterback in tow, head to Cleveland for NFL week five action.
The winless Browns are coming off, as you probably guessed, a loss last week, at the hands of the Washington Redskins in the Nation’s Capital. New England is coming off their first loss of the season, as they shutout at home against division rivals the Buffalo Bills.
So there is plenty of things to like about the Patriots this week. Obviously, the first part of that is the return of their biggest name player, Tom Terrific. After a few weeks of musical quarterbacks thanks to injuries to both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett, the team finally has stability under center. And upon his return, Brady gets to take on the Browns, a team that has given up at least 25 points in each of their games this season.
Speaking of the Browns, there is one possible reason for them to smile this week. Brady has been gone for four games, and he is an aging quarterback. So it is no given he returns in classic form. There is always the chance he comes out with a little bit of rust. So while I am not saying they will win the game, I do think 10.5 is a lot for a team on the road with a quarterback making his season debut.
Am I crazy to think the Patriots are not going to cover against the Browns with Brady in the lineup? Maybe I am. But guess what? If I am right, and you listen to me on this, you are likely going to hit for a pretty nice payday. It’s not going to be a game you want to watch, but simply check the final score. It is called gambling for a reason.
For all week five NFL Spreads and Over/Under’s, check out our NFL week 5 Betting Odds master-sheet here.
Line: NE -10.5, O/U: 47
Pick: Browns and the under
Result: NE 33 – Cle 13, Patriots and the under