We’ve almost made it! The NFL season starts tomorrow, and we have you covered with the odds and trends at William Hill. So let’s look at the latest information regarding Super Bowl futures and the season opener.
The start of a new NFL season brings optimism for all 32 teams, as everyone’s Super Bowl dreams are alive and well.
Before the defending champion Chiefs and Texans kick off tomorrow, let’s take a look at which teams William Hill bettors envision hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on the first Sunday in February.
The Buccaneers were the team of the offseason, bolstering their roster with Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, Leonard Fournette and other key additions.
Over the past month, the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl odds have dropped from +1200 to +850. Other notable movers during that time frame include the Seahawks (+1800 to +1300), Colts (+2500 to +2000), Packers (+1800 to +2800), Eagles (+1800 to +3000) and Patriots (+2500 to +3500).
William Hill bettors are quite bullish on Tampa Bay, as the Bucs lead all teams with 8% of the total number of tickets among all Super Bowl 55 futures wagers. The Chiefs (+375 favorites) and 49ers (+800) are right behind at 7%, followed by the Cowboys (+1200), Seahawks and Raiders (+2800) at 6% apiece.
“There’s a lot of positives in Tampa,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill US. “They made a lot of good moves. If Brady, Gronk and Fournette have anything left in the tank, this is a very dangerous team.
“Their defense showed improvement last year. Should be an interesting year down there in Tampa. I’m sure we’ll be rooting against them most weeks, that’s for sure.”
Meanwhile, the Chiefs lead the way with 15% of the total dollars wagered, with the Buccaneers at 9%… along with another NFC South team.
“Saints have been getting strong action recently,” Bogdanovich said. “Super Bowl futures were quieter than usual because I think people just finally realized that there’s going to be an NFL season and are getting down to business now. Before, they didn’t want to tie up their money with all the uncertainty.
“And what’s not to like about the Saints? They’ve been so close for three straight years. They were bet down from 12/1 and 11/1. So people must have seen some value there.”
One New Jersey bettor placed $22,000 on Saints at +1100 for a total potential payout of $264,000, which is the largest Super Bowl 55 futures wager taken at William Hill thus far. New Orleans is now +1000, which is the fifth-lowest odds on the board.
NFL Season Opener
The 101st NFL season is upon us, as the season opener is set for tomorrow.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs will host the Texans in a rematch of this past postseason’s divisional round. Houston raced to a 24-0 lead in the second quarter, however Kansas City dropped the hammer from there and emerged comfortably with a 51-31 victory.
“By the time this game kicks off tomorrow, it’ll be a huge handle,” said Nick Bogdanovich, Director of Trading for William Hill. “It’s a great matchup, and since there was no preseason, there’s a lot of anticipation for this game. This game has a shot to be our biggest NFL season opener ever.”
The Chiefs are currently 9-point chalk at William Hill this time around, and are -440 on the moneyline. Kansas City is the biggest favorite of any team for all the Week 1 games. On the other side, Houston’s moneyline is +360, but it’s come down from the original number.
“When we opened this game, Chiefs were double-digit favorites,” Bogdanovich said. “But that was months ago, and without fans, home field isn’t worth as much. So the number going from 10.5 to 9 was more about anticipation versus how people have been betting it.”
Yet, William Hill bettors have still been siding with Kansas City.
The Chiefs have drawn 62% of the total number of tickets and 61% of the total dollars wagered for all spread bets in this game. For moneyline, Kansas City has gotten 67% of the total number of tickets and 79% of the total dollars wagered.
The total for this matchup has also featured some movement.
After reaching as high as 56.5, it’s currently sitting at 54.5. While the over has generated 52% of the total number of tickets, the under actually has the advantage in total dollars wagered at 67%. That includes one Nevada bettor placing $12,000 on Chiefs/Texans under 54 points for a total potential payout of $22,909.10, which is the largest wager taken thus far by William Hill for Thursday night’s showdown.
“We’re a little high on the under, but come game time, we’ll be rooting for the under,” Bogdanovich said. “There’s a zillion teasers and moneyline parlays on the Chiefs, which is standard operating procedure for any 9-point NFL favorite, regardless if they’re the Super Bowl champs.”
