Are you ready bettors? It all starts tonight, as the NFL officially kicks off the new season with a Thursday nighter, followed by a full Sunday of action, with the exclamation point to Week 1 coming as a Monday night double header.
It’s a good old NFC East battle that gets it all started in the Big Apple with the Washington Redskins visiting the defending champion New York Giants.
If being in the cross hairs of every other team in the NFL wasn't enough for the Giants, they will be without defensive spiritual leader Michael Strahan, who retired, and 2007 team sack leader Osi Umenyiora, who blew out his left knee.
The Giants are currently a 4.5-point favorite, as they have steadily been receiving more of the betting volume. As of Thursday morning, SPORTSBETTING.COM is reporting 71% of the money has come in on the home side
This line opened at -3.5 earlier in the spring and slowly moved up to four as the training camps progressed, before recently hitting 4.5. However, despite the Umenyiora injury, a major blow, bettors still don’t like the underdog.
Backing up a Giant play are some of the numbers, including the fact that Super Bowl champs are 6-0-1 against the spread in the past seven years in their first game of the season. Along those same lines, since the NFL switched to giving the champs the season opener on Thursday nights, they are 4-0 straight up and 3-0-1 against the spread under the bright lights.
Looking at the total, these two have been playing to an “Under” trend. The “Under” has cashed the last five times they met.
Looking at other matchups this week:
If you said a tilt between a team that went 1-15 last season and one that went 4-12 would be one of the focal points of Sunday's slate of games, you might receive some bewildered looks.
But with QB Brett Favre making his regular season debut with the New York Jets, former Jets' pivot Chad Pennington now calling signals for Miami, the Week 1 matchup between the J-E-T-S and the Dolphins suddenly becomes very intriguing.
The Jets have always enjoyed their trips to Miami, as they boast a 16-4 mark against the spread in their last 20 road games vs. the Dolphins.
The Jets, as a three-point road favorite, are receiving slightly more attention from the betting public, as 56% of the money has come in on them.
Two division rivalries close off Week 1 with the Minnesota Vikings playing the Favre-less Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos travelling to the Black Hole to play the Oakland Raiders.
Obviously, the big question on everyone’s mind regarding this game is how the Packers will fair in the post Brett Favre era. Aaron Rodgers has been waiting for this chance since he was drafted, but the pressure of the fans and the franchise could get to him here in his first home start, under the Monday Night lights.
Green Bay is 0-5 against the spread the last five years in their first home game vs. a division opponent, and with the Favre shadow cast over Rodgers and the team, this is a tough spot.
The Pack are 2.5-point favorites, down from three, as Minnesota money is showing up. The Total is 38. These two teams have gone Under in their last four consecutive games.
Can Darren McFadden live up to all the hype he’s gotten over the summer? Oakland has the youngest starting backfield in the league with JaMarcus Russell and McFadden and their first regular season game together on the big stage could bring a lot of nerves. Not only that, but Oakland is 0-6 against the spread on Monday nights, and are 2-13 against the spread in their last 15 home games against a divisional opponent.
Denver is listed as a three-point road favorite for the Week 1 finale.
The long wait is over, the NFL is back.
Enjoy kick-off weekend.
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