NFL Week 1 Betting Preview and Trends

The first Sunday of the new NFL season begins with a few interesting matchups for bettors, including a few road favorites.

First up is the Atlanta Falcons at the Minnesota Vikings. On the early odds, the Vikings are a 3.5-point favorite at Bovada Sportsbook. Atlanta was a tough road bet last year at 3-5 straight up and 2-6 against the spread, and the Falcons are a miserable 5-13 ATS in their last 18 on the road. Minnesota ended last season 2-3 SU and ATS in its last five games, but as a favorite the Vikings have been a smart bet at 6-1 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven.

Panthers 6-1 SU in last 7 vs Rams

The defending NFC champs, the Los Angeles Rams, begin the season as a 3-point road favorite vs the Carolina Panthers. The Rams are a solid 11-2 SU in their last 13 games as a road favorite, but only 7-6 ATS. Last season on the road they were 7-2 SU and 5-4 ATS. Carolina was awful in the second half of last season at 1-7 SU and 2-6 ATS in its last eight games. However, as a home underdog, the Panthers are 4-1 ATS in their last five, and they’re 6-1 SU and 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven vs the Rams.

Chiefs favored by 4 in Jacksonville

One other road favorite that caught our eye this week is the Kansas City Chiefs at the Jacksonville Jaguars as 4-point chalk. The Chiefs had a great season a year ago, but it wasn’t always great for bettors, as they were 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games. The Chiefs are also 2-5 ATS in their last seven as a road favorite. Jacksonville is a horrible 2-10 SU and 2-8-2 ATS in its last 12 games. Last season the Chiefs defeated the Jaguars 30-14 as a 3-point home favorite and they’ve won four straight against the Jags overall at 3-1 ATS.

Colts a 7-point road dog vs Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers host the Indianapolis Colts as a 7-point favorite in Week 1 in a game notable for who won’t be there, namely Melvin Gordon and Andrew Luck. With Luck at the helm last season, the Colts were 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six games. They’re also 3-6 SU and 4-5 ATS in their last nine games as an underdog. The Chargers were a lousy 2-5 ATS at home last season, but in their last eight games against the Colts they’re 6-2 SU and ATS.