NFL Betting: Week 1 a Great Result for the Book
by Bovada Sportsbook Staff | September 10, 2014
The 2014 NFL season started with a big win by the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. They covered easily against Green Bay, so it was a solid win for the book.
Join Bovada, make your first deposit and instantly receive a 50% Free Bet Bonus up to $250.
Seattle opened as a 6-point favorite, but heavy action on Green Bay dropped the line to 4.5 at kickoff. The game was never in doubt with Seattle laying a 36-16 beatdown on Green Bay. The win pushed the Seahawks to the 4/1 favored role for winning the Super Bowl; they were behind Denver, who is now 5/1, when the season started. Amazingly, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t attempt a throw at Seahawks Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman. Sherman asked Rodgers if he was purposefully not throwing to his side of the field, and Rodgers admitted it. It was great theater.
The most heavily wagered Sunday game was New Orleans at Atlanta, and the “Hard Knocks” Falcons won 37-34 in overtime at home. Matt Ryan threw for a franchise-record 448 yards in the victory. The two teams combined for 17 points in the final 2:50 of regulation. The victory pushed Atlanta up to 33/1 from 40/1 to win the Super Bowl.
New Orleans closed as a 3-point favorite and took nearly 80% of the action. The Saints won 13 of the past
16 meetings. They closed at -170 on the moneyline and took nearly 70% of the action. Bettors may have lost out when they bet on New Orleans, but they cashed in on the total; almost 84% took over 51 points.
Perhaps the biggest upset of Week 1 was the Dolphins’ victory over New England (4.5-point favorites). The Dolphins were the biggest home underdogs of Week 1. The Patriots led 20-10 at the half, and then Miami flipped a switch and outscored New England 23-0 after intermission and outgaining the Patriots 222-67. It was Miami’s second straight win in the series after losing the previous seven. That result dropped New England to 11/1 to win the Super Bowl and Miami jumped up to 40/1. More than 77% of the spread action was on the Patriots in the game and a bit more than 71% on the moneyline at -210.
The biggest victory for bettors came when the 49ers beat Dallas (4-point favorites) 28-17. Coach Jim Harbaugh has yet to lose a season opener. More than 68% of the action was on the Niners on the spread and approximately 64% at -175 on the moneyline.
From a player prop perspective, Drew Brees was great for bettors, and Adrian Peterson was not. The biggest winner for bettors was on Brees over 320.5 passing yards against Atlanta. He had 333. The Vikings crushed St. Louis 34-6 despite a fairly quiet game from Peterson. The heavy lean was on him over 90.5 yards, but he finished with 75 on 21 carries.
CBS takes over Thursday Night Football this week, but the NFL Network will still air the Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh game. The Ravens opened as 3-point favorites, and there will be live betting at the book. It’s the second and last game that Baltimore running back Ray Rice will be suspended. It’s probably a must win for the Ravens after they lost 23-16 at home to Cincinnati on Sunday. You simply can’t lose your first two division games and hope to make the playoffs. That defeat dropped the Ravens to 50/1 to win the Super Bowl. Pittsburgh opened with a 30-27 win over Cleveland, and the Steelers are now 33/1 to win the Super Bowl.
Bet on NFL futures now at Bovada.
