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New England Patriots Slot Machine

42 43 Against the Oakland Raiders one week later, Welker became the first player in Patriots history, and the eighth in NFL history, to have back-to-back 100-reception seasons; the previous player to do it was his teammate Randy slot receiver new england patriots Moss, while he was a Viking, in 2002 and 2003, and Brandon Marshall.

The Kansas City Chiefs will be looking to improve their record to 4-0 as they face the New England Patriots on Monday night. Unfortunately, the Patriots will be missing their starting quarterback, Cam Newton, who tested positive for COVID-19 this week. While this game now lacks a great quarterback matchup, it still features an exciting matchup between two of the best head coaches in the NFL.

Here are five things to watch for when the Chiefs host the Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium:

Bill Belichick’s ability to get the most out of his players

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Bill Belichick is known as one of the best coaches to ever do it in the NFL. He is currently third in all-time coaching wins with 275 thanks to his ability to put his players in the best position possible week in and week out.

At the start of the 2020 season, it wasn’t clear if New England was going to be as successful as they were in recent years. They had the most COVID-19 opt-outs. They parted ways with longtime starter, Tom Brady. Still, they have played very well through the first three weeks of the season with their only loss being to a red-hot Seattle Seahawks team.

Belichick will need to be at the top of his game if he wants to beat the Chiefs as he faces one of the best teams in the NFL, but he is also missing his starting quarterback. He has won with a backup quarterback in the past, so the Chiefs need to be careful not to be overzealous in this one.

Brian Hoyer starting for the Patriots

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Since Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19, the Patriots will be starting QB Brian Hoyer this week. Playing for the Indianapolis Colts last season, Hoyer went 35-of-65 for 372 yards, with four touchdowns and four interceptions in two games. He would end the season with a total QBR of 14.2, which isn’t good.

Hoyer signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent back in 2009, spending three years as the backup to Tom Brady. Given the history between Hoyer and Belichick, he opted to sign on to play back up to Newton. It’s hard to imagine Hoyer making the same impact on the ground as Newton at the ripe age of 34. Hoyer will need to find success throwing the ball to give New England an opportunity to win this game. However, this leaves a perfect opportunity for the Chiefs’ defense to force a few turnovers adding onto their strong week 3 performance.

Chiefs thin cornerback group

AP Photo/Nick Wass

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The Chiefs secondary was already thin with Bashaud Breeland being suspended through the first four weeks. In Week 3, they lost L’Jarius Sneed due to a fractured collarbone. He’s been placed on IR and will miss some time. The Chiefs will be relying on an injured Charvarius Ward, Rashad Fenton, Antonio Hamilton and BoPete Keyes to get the job done for at least one more week until Breeland returns.

New England likely won’t have too much success throwing the ball with Hoyer starting. They also don’t have any reliable receiving options outside of Julian Edelman to give the Chiefs cornerbacks too much trouble. Still, it’s always a tough test when two of your top players at any position group are sidelined.

Will the Chiefs be able to stop the run?

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Unless Hoyer surprises Kansas City with a big game, New England’s game plan will likely center around their running back group that includes Sony Michel, Rex Burkhead, J.J. Taylor, and James White. Together this season they have a combined 348 yards and three touchdowns. When you take Newton’s rushing yards out of the equation that number is good for 18th in the NFL.

The running backs could still be a problem for the Chiefs since they still haven’t found their rhythm defending the run. Kansas City is allowing 5.3 yards a carry which ranks 27th in the league, so if they can’t come out with an early lead or stop the run it may not matter who starts at quarterback for New England.

Facing the Patriots secondary

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The Chiefs’ offense is one of, if not the best offense in the league. However, if there is one secondary that can keep up with them it would be the Patriots. They have pro-bowlers in Jason and Devin McCourty along with one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Stephon Gilmore. Although each of those players are highly talented, New England’s secondary has struggled to begin the season. They are 23rd in passer rating allowing an average 103.9 to opposing quarterbacks. They also are ranked 28th in completion percentage.

This has been a down year so far for a secondary that is usually among the best in the NFL. If they don’t find their groove against the Chiefs, it could be a big day for Patrick Mahomes. The New England secondary has had success against Mahomes in the past as they are currently 2-1 when facing him in his career. If Belichick is able to scheme up some plays to trick Mahomes into a few interceptions, it could be a long day for Kansas City.

New England is a proud sporting region and by the end of November 2018, residents will be able to place sports bets at two casinos in Rhode Island, which passed a sports betting bill in June 2018.

The first place where legal sports betting will be at the old dog and horse racing track at the Twin River Casino, in the form of a betting window. It is set to be open by Thanksgiving weekend, with a temporary offering.

During December, the casino will be constructing a state of the art lounge for its sports betting offering, with many screens showing the live games and their respective odds. There will be food and bar areas where bettors can relax and unwind as they watch how their sports bets fare.

Rhode Island gambling laws

The New England area contains six different states: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. People there are very passionate about their sports, particularly so with the New England Patriots. The region was also the place where volleyball and basketball were created.

Rhode Island is the only state in New England to pass sports betting legislation to date. It is the smallest state in the country in terms of its area, but the second in terms of population density.

Traditionally, Rhode Islanders embrace various forms of gambling. The state lottery has been running since the 1970s, providing funds to many great causes over the years.

Horse race betting has been legal since the 1930s. The two racetracks in the state also have slot machines, which has helped them to survive financially.

The state has two casinos in operation currently. In 2012, casinos got the green light to open their doors in Rhode Island. Online casino and daily fantasy sports are still not legal, but sports betting is being embraced.

Highest tax rate on sports betting

The state legalized sports betting officially on June 20. The authorities are levying a hefty 51% tax rate on sports betting revenues.

This is the highest tax rate among any of the states that offer legal sports betting. It may very well act as a disincentive for the casinos to push their sportsbooks products to Rhode Islanders.

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Rhode Island will be able to capitalize on New England residents not currently having any other states in which to legally bet on sports. However, if other states that are contemplating legalization themselves, such as Massachusetts, decide to offer online gambling, this could undermine Rhode Island’s offering. Currently, the state has no provision for online gambling.

The Rhode Island Lottery is in charge of choosing sports betting partners for the state. It has gone with International Game Technology (IGT), which is well known for being a sector innovator. It is also are turning to European bookmaker William Hill. The two companies are working together to have the sportsbooks open in the region by December.

Fitchburg Sentinel And Enterprise

This partnership is in place for the next five years, with a provision in place to extend this for a further two terms of five years. IGT is looking after the gaming platform and William Hill is looking after the operations and risk management systems.

A concrete opening date?

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The Tiverton Casino Hotel and Twin River Casino have been planning on having their sportsbooks open by the end of November. According to recent reports, they are on track to meet this target.

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The same company owns both of the casinos. Their head of operations, Mike Barlow, recently spoke about the opening of their sportsbooks. He said: “I see folks from Connecticut, from Massachusetts all coming. New Hampshire. Why not? We’re the only game in town.”

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There is no doubt that the other New England states will be watching closely to see how Rhode Island’s new sportsbooks perform. If they prove to be a success, there likely will be a raft of newly proposed sports betting bills in the other states come the opening of the 2019 legislative session.