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 5 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

Fresno Parents Pack Post Office Seeking Passports for Kids After Trump’s Election

DON'T MISS

Mexican Border States Prepare Migrant Shelters as Trump Begins Deportation Campaign

DON'T MISS

Capitol Rioter Ben Martin Savors Last Moments of Freedom Before Going to Prison

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Son in Murder of His 62-Year-Old Mother

DON'T MISS

Iraq OKs Marriage for 9-Year-Old Girls, Inciting Outrage

DON'T MISS

Preschools Lose Students as Transitional Kindergarten Expands in California

DON'T MISS

Aaron Glenn Tasked With Ending Jets’ Long Playoff Drought

DON'T MISS

Evacuations Ordered as Fast-Moving California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Closes Grapevine

DON'T MISS

Fresno County Traffic Stop Turns Into $640K Cocaine Bust

DON'T MISS

Fresno MLK March Keynote Speaker: ‘We’re Still in This Fight and Struggle’

UP NEXT

Mexican Border States Prepare Migrant Shelters as Trump Begins Deportation Campaign

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Son in Murder of His 62-Year-Old Mother

UP NEXT

Iraq OKs Marriage for 9-Year-Old Girls, Inciting Outrage

UP NEXT

Preschools Lose Students as Transitional Kindergarten Expands in California

UP NEXT

Aaron Glenn Tasked With Ending Jets’ Long Playoff Drought

UP NEXT

Evacuations Ordered as Fast-Moving California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Closes Grapevine

UP NEXT

Fresno County Traffic Stop Turns Into $640K Cocaine Bust

UP NEXT

Fresno MLK March Keynote Speaker: ‘We’re Still in This Fight and Struggle’

UP NEXT

Wired Wednesday: Local Man in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Heads to Prison Today

UP NEXT

Stock Market Today: Netflix and AI Excitement Have Wall Street Near All-Time High

Fresno Police Arrest Son in Murder of His 62-Year-Old Mother

13 hours ago

Iraq OKs Marriage for 9-Year-Old Girls, Inciting Outrage

14 hours ago

Preschools Lose Students as Transitional Kindergarten Expands in California

14 hours ago

Aaron Glenn Tasked With Ending Jets’ Long Playoff Drought

15 hours ago

Evacuations Ordered as Fast-Moving California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Closes Grapevine

15 hours ago

Fresno County Traffic Stop Turns Into $640K Cocaine Bust

16 hours ago

Fresno MLK March Keynote Speaker: ‘We’re Still in This Fight and Struggle’

16 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Local Man in Jan. 6 Capitol Riot Heads to Prison Today

16 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Netflix and AI Excitement Have Wall Street Near All-Time High

16 hours ago

Progresso Sells Out of New Chicken-Soup Flavored Cough Drops in Less Than an Hour

17 hours ago

Fresno Parents Pack Post Office Seeking Passports for Kids After Trump’s Election

January and February are typically high-demand periods for passports with many people looking forward to Spring Break, said Fresno County Cl...

12 hours ago

12 hours ago

Fresno Parents Pack Post Office Seeking Passports for Kids After Trump’s Election

Workers begin the installation of a temporary shelter for possible deportees from the United States, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (AP/Christian Chavez)
12 hours ago

Mexican Border States Prepare Migrant Shelters as Trump Begins Deportation Campaign

12 hours ago

Capitol Rioter Ben Martin Savors Last Moments of Freedom Before Going to Prison

Fresno police are investigating the death of 62-year-old Shirla Ramirez that happened Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, with her son, Brad Ramirez, 35, arrested as the suspect in her homicide. (Fresno PD)
13 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Son in Murder of His 62-Year-Old Mother

Iraq’s parliament passed a law allowing child marriage for girls as young as nine, prompting widespread condemnation from activists and lawmakers. (Shutterstock)
14 hours ago

Iraq OKs Marriage for 9-Year-Old Girls, Inciting Outrage

14 hours ago

Preschools Lose Students as Transitional Kindergarten Expands in California

Jets Hire Aaron Glenn as New Coach
15 hours ago

Aaron Glenn Tasked With Ending Jets’ Long Playoff Drought

The Hughes Fire, that started on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, has already grown to over 3,400 acres with evacuations already in effect. (CalFire)
15 hours ago

Evacuations Ordered as Fast-Moving California Wildfire Threatens Homes, Closes Grapevine

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend