The New England Patriots are underdogs entering Saturday's AFC Wild Card playoff game against the Buffalo Bills, and not too many experts are predicting Bill Belichick's team will pull off the upset.
Even though the Patriots beat the Bills 14-10 at Highmark Stadium -- the site of this weekend's matchup -- in Week 13, most of the picks and predictions involve Buffalo defeating its AFC East rival.
Cassel: How Pats can take advantage of facing Bills for a third time
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Boston sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Oddsmakers also expect a Bills victory. Buffalo is favored by more than a field goal in the latest betting lines from PointsBet.
There's one interesting trend working against the Patriots.
Rookie quarterbacks are 0-6 outright in the postseason since 2010 (2-4 against the spread). The past three rookie QBs to reach the playoffs went 0-3 against the spread and outright.
The Patriots went 10-7 against the spread this season with rookie quarterback Mac Jones starting every game. However, Jones struggled over the final four games of the regular season -- he threw six touchdowns with five interceptions as New England went 1-3 during that span.
New England Patriots
Going into a hostile environment for your first taste of the NFL playoffs isn't an easy spot for Jones, but he's responded positively to these challenges before, like when he led Alabama to a national title last season.
Patriots Talk Podcast: Can Mac Jones flip his late-season script? Don't bet on it | Listen & Subscribe | Watch on YouTube