NFL bettors are leaning into one thing after Week 1: offense. Fans saw plenty of points to start the season—15 teams scored at least 27—and the Bears’ 59-point outburst against the Panthers grabbed headlines and is shaping Week 2 wagering.
Caesars Sports’ head football trader Joey Feazel says the public is fixated on which teams can put up points easily, which helps explain the interest in Thursday’s Bills-Lions matchup as well as Vikings-Bears and Saints-Ravens. Buffalo, fresh off a 36-31 road win over Houston, and Detroit, who survived the Saints 31-30 in OT after surrendering a 21-0 lead, are drawing attention. The Bills covered as 1.5-point favorites and sit 1-0 both straight up and against the spread; the Lions are 1-0 SU but failed to cover as seven-point chalk. Early lines opened Buffalo around -3 and moved to -4.5 as bettors backed the Bills and the total climbed from 53.5 to 54.5—Feazel notes the home-opener in the new stadium and Buffalo’s comfortable handling of a top defense are fueling one-way action on Buffalo and the Over.
On FOX’s Sunday slate, Washington (0-1 SU, 1-0 ATS) travels to Dallas after a narrow loss in Philadelphia, while the Cowboys (0-1 SU/ATS) disappointed in a 28-20 defeat to the Giants. Caesars initially had Dallas favored by 4.5, trimmed the number after Week 1, then saw it return to -4.5 as bettors continued to back the Cowboys despite the sluggish performance.
Pro bettor Randy McKay, who profited on the 49ers +4 in Week 1, is siding with Denver at -2.5 against Jacksonville in Week 2. He expects the Broncos to recover in Mile High after a rough Monday Night outing, noting road teams sometimes fade late in Denver early in the season.
Cincinnati’s offense looked sharp with a healthy Joe Burrow leading a 33-27 win over Tampa Bay, and early money this week is tilting toward the Bengals when they visit Houston. Caesars’ Texans line has bounced between -2.5 and -3, and while the total has been trimmed from 47.5 to 46, Feazel expects the market to skew toward the Over closer to kickoff as public bettors pile on.
Chicago’s offensive ambitions—coach Ben Johnson famously said he wanted to outscore the 2013 Broncos—received a loud early endorsement in that 59-37 win, and the Bears open Week 2 at home against the Vikings as around 4.5-point favorites. Minnesota blew a third-quarter lead in Week 1 and may be without Kyler Murray (in concussion protocol), leaving Carson Wentz as a possibility under center. DraftKings’ line opened higher and has slipped; nevertheless early tickets and money favor Chicago, and the Over has been particularly popular, drawing the vast majority of bets and handle in early action.
Kansas City’s dominant 31-10 win over Denver didn’t immediately convince bettors after last season’s struggles; Caesars posted the Chiefs around -6.5 vs. Indianapolis and the market has stayed balanced, with neither side showing a clear edge. Meanwhile, the Giants’ upset of Dallas has shifted public opinion in their Monday-night game with the Rams: what opened as a sizeable look-ahead edge for L.A. has tightened to about seven points as bettors pour money on New York after an impressive performance and a promising outing from Jaxson Dart. Caesars expects that action to continue, possibly settling into a narrow Rams victory margin by game time.
Fan take: Week 1’s offensive fireworks have bettors chasing points and pushing totals higher, which will continue to influence betting lines and narratives early in the season. For NFL fans, that means more high-scoring shootouts to watch—and a reminder that early-season perceptions can quickly reshape how teams are viewed, both on the field and on the boards.
Source: www.foxsports.com
