Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Bettors Banking on Eagles Resurgence, Cowboys Regression as NFL Season Begins
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 months ago on
August 31, 2024

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Robert Quinn during the second half of the NFC Championship, Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LAS VEGAS — The Eagles looked as if they were ready to return to the Super Bowl last season after beating the Bills 37-34 in overtime to move to 10-1.

Then Philadelphia fell apart, losing six of its final seven games, including a 32-9 stinker in the playoffs to the Buccaneers.

But now the Eagles are back to form — or at least many bettors are banking on it.

Eagles Favored to Win NFC East

Joey Feazel, head football trader for Caesars Sportsbook, said those placing bets believe not playing a first-place NFC East schedule should help the Eagles. He also pointed to the arrivals of coordinators Kellen Moore on offense and Vic Fangio on defense as reasons to believe both sides of the ball will improve.

Division rival Dallas is playing a first-place schedule, and Feazel said that coupled with the Cowboys being noticeably quiet during the offseason has bettors going the other way on Big D and toward the Eagles.

“If the Cowboys regress significantly, which is what the sharps (professional bettors) are perceiving, the division’s not going to be a problem,” Feazel said. “It’s going to put them in that prime spot to win that division and go for that one or two seed (in the NFC).”

The Eagles are -150 favorites at Caesars to win the division, meaning a $150 bet would pay $100. Dallas is next at +185, which means a $100 wager would pay $185.

NFC North Up for Grabs

The NFC North figures to be one of the more competitive divisions. Detroit is the +130 favorite at DraftKings, followed by Green Bay at +230 and Chicago at +280.

There are arguments for each team.

The Lions made the NFC championship game last season, the Packers came on strong late behind quarterback Jordan Love, and the Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall this year to go with some quality weapons.

“People think that (the Lions are) going to have one of those spectacular years again, and they might,” DraftKings race and sports operations director Johnny Avello said. “There are three teams right there that are all in the hunt to win that division.”

The Packers are known as a public team, meaning they draw heavy wagering almost no matter what the circumstances.

Avello said the Bears have a similar core audience.

“There are Bears fans all over the country, so they take money when people have low expectations for them,” Avello said. “People are looking for a new Bear team that maybe doesn’t win it this year, but on the rise to better things to happen in the future.”

New Kickoff Rule’s Impact on Scoring

Feazel said some bettors expect an increase in scoring because of the new rule that encourages more kickoff returns, but Caesars is taking more of a wait-and-see approach.

He said that while the expectation is teams will receive about a four-yard drive advantage, there could be more punts that pin opposing offenses deep when those series stall.

“So we’re not overreacting,” Feazel said. “I think it might increase the (point) totals, but we saw such low totals overall last year. It will be interesting to see if that really does make an impact this year because we saw so many unders last year.”

Chiefs’ Three-Peat Bid Not Drawing Much Action

Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City will try to make history by becoming the first team to win three consecutive Super Bowls, but the Chiefs aren’t getting a lot of betting action.

“You get some fans that say Mahomes can do it again, but that’s usually coming from Chiefs fans,” said Jay Kornegay, Westgate Las Vegas vice president of race and sports operations. “You get regular football fans out there that are betting other teams.”

Award Favorites

The favorites for the major awards at BetMGM Sportsbook are:

1. MVP: Mahomes, +500

2. Offensive Player of the Year: San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey and Miami’s Tyreek Hill each at +750

3. Defensive Player of the Year: Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt at +550

4. Offensive Rookie of the Year: Chicago’s Williams at +130

5. Defensive Rookie of the Year: Indianapolis’s Laiatu Latu and Minnesota’s Dallas Turner each at +400

6. Coach of the Year: Los Angeles Chargers’ Jim Harbaugh and the Bears’ Matt Eberflus each at +900

7. Comeback Player of the Year: New York Jets’ Aaron Rodgers at +175

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

DON'T MISS

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

DON'T MISS

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

DON'T MISS

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

DON'T MISS

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

DON'T MISS

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

DON'T MISS

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

DON'T MISS

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

DON'T MISS

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

UP NEXT

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

UP NEXT

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

UP NEXT

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

UP NEXT

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

UP NEXT

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

UP NEXT

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

UP NEXT

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

UP NEXT

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

UP NEXT

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

10 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

11 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

11 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

11 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

11 hours ago

Economists Warn of Inflation and Debt Risks in Trump’s Second Term Plans

11 hours ago

How Many Smoke Shops Is Too Many? Fresno Plan Would Allow Only 49

11 hours ago

US Says It Will Not Limit Israel Arms Transfers After Some Improvements in Flow of Aid to Gaza

11 hours ago

Who With Valley Ties Could Land Spots in the Trump Administration?

12 hours ago

Tulare Gang Member Gets Life Without Parole for 2022 Murders

14 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday said Elon Musk and former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead a new “D...

10 hours ago

10 hours ago

Trump Says Musk, Vivek Will Form Outside Group to Advise White House on Government Efficiency

10 hours ago

Fate of Clovis Trustee Race Still Up in the Air. So Are Clovis, Sanger School Bond Measures.

10 hours ago

Richardson Widens Lead Over Bonakdar in Nail-Biting Race for Fresno City Council

10 hours ago

What to Know About John Ratcliffe, Trump’s Pick for CIA Director

11 hours ago

Here Are the People Trump Has Picked for Key Positions So Far

11 hours ago

Waymo’s Robotaxis Now Open to Anyone Who Wants a Driverless Ride in Los Angeles

A Fresno County man has been indicted on mail fraud charges for allegedly submitting over $300,000 in falsified disability claims using stolen identities. (GV Wire File)
11 hours ago

Fresno County Man Accused of Filing Fake Disability Claims in $300K Fraud Scheme

Pete Hegseth walks to an elevator for a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower in New York, Dec. 15, 2016. (AP File)
11 hours ago

Trump Nominates Fox News Host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary

Search

Send this to a friend