NFL lines, Week 1: 5 best bets
By John Buhler
NFL action is back this week, as Week 1 kicks off in Foxborough in Thursday night. With regards to the point spread, here are the five best bets for Week 1.
Football is back! We’ve got a full slate of 16 games on our hands this weekend. The first game of the season will be between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots on Thursday Night Football. Kickoff from Gillette Stadium in Foxborough will be at 8:30 p.m. ET on September 7.
But before opening kickoff on Thursday, you might want to check out some of the betting lines associated with Week 1. Admittedly, the first few weeks of the season are hard to gauge, as we can’t help ourselves view the 2017 version of teams as what they were last year. Sure, blame it on recency bias.
However, there are always a handful of lines that either don’t make sense or have great value. Ones that leave betters scratching their heads might be best left alone. Maybe Las Vegas knows something we don’t? Probably, but don’t overlook a questionable line for one of great value. Here are the five best bets heading into Week 1 of the 2017 NFL season.
All odds are provided by SportsBookReview.com.
5. Kansas City Chiefs (+8.5) at New England Patriots
The first night of the 2017 NFL season features two of the best teams in the AFC with the Patriots hosting the Chiefs on Thursday Night Football. These are two almost certain locks to reach the AFC playoffs this year. Some view the Chiefs as the second or third-best team in the conference, while the Patriots are the top dogs.
While New England should be able to win this game, look for the Chiefs to cover the 8.5-point spread up in Foxborough. Kansas City is one of the most fundamentally sound teams in football. The same thing can be said for the Patriots. So we can expect both teams to play with a great deal of composure in a likely low-scoring affair.
Add in that the Chiefs rarely turn the football over under head coach Andy Reid and the Patriots will have to earn every point they put up on the Kansas City defense. Both teams have had all offseason to get ready for this game. While winning in Foxborough is difficult for most road teams, Kansas City has a fighter’s chance in this one.
In short, Kansas City will have to play an A-plus game to beat a New England team giving a B-minus effort. It could happen, but it is safer to say that the Chiefs are able to cover that lofty spread the Patriots are laying. Kansas City might view that line as a bit of disrespect and make it a one-score game on will alone.