The New England Patriots are overwhelming betting favorites entering their Week 6 game against the Denver Broncos at Gillette Stadium.
This game originally was scheduled to be played in Week 5, but the NFL had to reschedule it twice due to Patriots players testing positive for COVID-19. The matchup now is set for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET.
Oddsmakers are not confident in the Broncos' chances of leaving Foxboro with an upset win.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Report: Le'Veon Bell plans to sign with one of these three teams
One likely reason for that is Patriots quarterback Cam Newton reportedly is expected to return to practice Thursday, which improves the chances of him starting on Sunday. Newton tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 2 and missed his team's Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots have won two of the three games Newton has played this season.
Another factor is the Broncos have struggled this season. They are 1-3 and their only win came against an even worse New York Jets team. Denver could get its starting quarterback Drew Lock back in the lineup after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury, but Patriots head coach Bill Belichick rarely loses to rookie or second-year QBs.
Bean: Ranking the NFL's starting QBs entering Week 6
New England Patriots
The Patriots are 17-3 in their last 20 games at home, while the Broncos have lost nine of their last 12 matchups on the road.
Here are the latest betting lines for Patriots vs. Broncos.
Spread: Patriots -10 (-110), Broncos +10 (-110)
Moneyline: Patriots -470, Broncos +350
Total: Over 45 points (-105), Under 45 points (-115)
Odds provided by our partner, PointsBet