Football returns to our screens in September as the 102nd National Football League campaign gets underway. This promises to be one of the most memorable and important renewals as the sport and America fight back from the effects of the coronavirus outbreak that brought much of the world to its knees. In pre-season, many fans love nothing more than to research the traders, dig deep on the form of training and make their predictions on the winners of the next Superbowl. This summer is no different on that front with the top Vegas sportsbooks offering generous NFL odds on several eye-catching markets.
Bookies have had their say
Which team will come out on top, blazing a trail of glory all the way to the final? Will it be one of the early favourites or will we see a dark horse bolt to the title? That remains to be seen but we can get an idea of what to expect from the coming months by looking at the current betting odds and order.
Sportsbook traders don’t have a crystal ball that tells them upcoming results and they don’t always get things right. It’s not often they are far off the mark, however, and it’s always worth checking out the betting to see which teams are fancied and which are expected to go belly up, force-feeding their fans misery and embarrassment.
When registering with an online sports betting app that is legal and licensed in your area you are able to gamble on a list of exciting NFL markets. The most popular of these include the Superbowl winner, winning conference, winning division, AFC winner, NFC winner and more. There are also dozens of pre-match and in-game gambling markets attached to each and every match played throughout the season. Try moneyline, points spread or handicap. Before kick-off or during the play.
Chiefs and Bucks dominate
The top sportsbooks believe this season will be a two-way shootout between Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both teams dominate the early betting with the Chiefs chalked up as favourites, marginally ahead of the Bucks. There is no real surprise in that pre-season call as those teams are, on paper, the best in the NFL and are more than capable of winning the Superbowl. Both will also strengthen between now and the big kick-off too, so those prices could change.
The main attraction to pre-season betting on the outright markets is the odds. The earlier you get your stake money down the better your price should be. That’s because you are taking a bit more of a risk, betting before the final squad is decided. The early betting is also a shrewd marketing tool used by bookies to help drum up interest during the summer months. At a time when there are no NFL matches to bet on, the outright and season specials keep the bet count ticking over.
If Kansas do live up to expectations and win the Superbowl next February, it will rank as a monumental achievement by the team. The history books show they have won the championship only twice before, first in 1969 and 2019. They have also bagged the Conference Championship in 2019 and 2020, so enter this campaign in high spirits.
Could Tampa Bay stop them? It wouldn’t be the biggest upset in football history if they did. The Buccaneers have also won two Superbowls in their history, but their success has come in more recent times. They won their first title in 2002 and their second last summer. The defending champions can’t be taken lightly as they have improved since February and look capable of making history and doing the double. No mean feat, of course, but this is a talented Bucks side that doesn’t know when to quit.
Outside of the top-two in the betting, we find the prices start to jump up. According to the betting, Buffalo Bills are the third most likely winners, and they sit just ahead of San Francisco 49ers, who make up the top-four. The odds on those teams tell us that although they are contenders, winning the Superbowl would be something of an upset. Traders offer generous odds on Bills and 49ers in an attempt to catch your eye.
