http://drf.com/news/article/54961.html
NFL Week 1 lines up for play.
By DAVE TULEY (DRF)
The eyes of the football world will be on the NFL draft this Saturday and Sunday, but for bettors, if you have waited until now to start your research on the upcoming season, you're already behind the learning curve.
Super Bowl futures have been up since before last season's title game, with the defending champion Patriots as the 5-1 favorites, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, followed by the Rams at 6-1, the Eagles at 7-1, and the quartet of the Buccaneers, Titans, Chiefs, and Colts all at 8-1.
Super Bowl futures aren't everyone's cup of tea, but of more immediate interest is the fact that the full NFL schedule was released last week, and by Monday, the Imperial Palace had already posted lines for the first weekend of games. In the next month or so, the odds on each division race, the ever-popular over/under season win totals, and all of the Sunday/Monday night games and select marquee games from each week will be available. That makes a lot of opportunities for the informed NFL bettor to get involved early.
As for the opening-week numbers, the season kicks off with the Patriots -3 over the Colts on Thursday night, Sept. 9.
Underscoring the current era of parity, there are no double-digit favorites, with the Rams -9 over the Cardinals as the highest line. The Eagles -7 over the Giants is the only other line that is even higher than 4 1/2.
There are only three road teams favored in the 16 games: Jaguars -4 over the Bills, Ravens -1 1/2 over the Browns, and Falcons -1 over the 49ers. Those final two games are among five that are at 1 or 1 1/2 points. The others are the Saints -1 1/2 vs. the Seahawks, Redskins -1 vs. the Buccaneers, and the defending NFC champion Panthers -1 vs. the Packers in the first Monday night game of the season.
Now that's parity.
The other lines are the Bears -4 vs. the Lions, Texans -3 1/2 vs. the Chargers, Dolphins -3 vs. the Titans, Jets -4 vs. the Bengals, Steelers -4 1/2 vs. the Raiders, Vikings -3 1/2 vs. the Cowboys, and the Broncos -3 vs. the Chiefs in the Sunday night opener.
NFL Week 1 lines up for play.
By DAVE TULEY (DRF)
The eyes of the football world will be on the NFL draft this Saturday and Sunday, but for bettors, if you have waited until now to start your research on the upcoming season, you're already behind the learning curve.
Super Bowl futures have been up since before last season's title game, with the defending champion Patriots as the 5-1 favorites, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, followed by the Rams at 6-1, the Eagles at 7-1, and the quartet of the Buccaneers, Titans, Chiefs, and Colts all at 8-1.
Super Bowl futures aren't everyone's cup of tea, but of more immediate interest is the fact that the full NFL schedule was released last week, and by Monday, the Imperial Palace had already posted lines for the first weekend of games. In the next month or so, the odds on each division race, the ever-popular over/under season win totals, and all of the Sunday/Monday night games and select marquee games from each week will be available. That makes a lot of opportunities for the informed NFL bettor to get involved early.
As for the opening-week numbers, the season kicks off with the Patriots -3 over the Colts on Thursday night, Sept. 9.
Underscoring the current era of parity, there are no double-digit favorites, with the Rams -9 over the Cardinals as the highest line. The Eagles -7 over the Giants is the only other line that is even higher than 4 1/2.
There are only three road teams favored in the 16 games: Jaguars -4 over the Bills, Ravens -1 1/2 over the Browns, and Falcons -1 over the 49ers. Those final two games are among five that are at 1 or 1 1/2 points. The others are the Saints -1 1/2 vs. the Seahawks, Redskins -1 vs. the Buccaneers, and the defending NFC champion Panthers -1 vs. the Packers in the first Monday night game of the season.
Now that's parity.
The other lines are the Bears -4 vs. the Lions, Texans -3 1/2 vs. the Chargers, Dolphins -3 vs. the Titans, Jets -4 vs. the Bengals, Steelers -4 1/2 vs. the Raiders, Vikings -3 1/2 vs. the Cowboys, and the Broncos -3 vs. the Chiefs in the Sunday night opener.
