The wait for the 2020 NFL season finally ended as Week 1 kicked off last Thursday. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs got off to a great start with a win over Houston.
Week 1 was a little odd for fans and bettors alike. Most stadiums didn’t allow spectators and those that did weren’t allowing many. All of the hype that generally occurs prior to the NFL kickoff was toned down quite a bit because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Still, the smarter bettor was able to find tons of value bets and improve their winning percentage in Week 1. Here’s a look at the week by the numbers.
Biggest Cover
Baltimore was a 7-point favorite over visiting Cleveland in Week 1. Reigning MVP Lamar Jackson picked up where he left off and threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns.
The Browns were still the Browns and played horribly in a 38-6 loss. The Ravens covered by a mere 25 points.
MUST READ: NUMBERS TO KNOW FROM THE 2019 NFL SEASON
Love Those Dogs
You have to love home underdogs especially in Week 1 of an NFL season. Once again, two home dogs – Jacksonville and Washington – not only covered but won their respective games.
The Jags got three touchdown passes on 19-of-20 passing from Gardner Minshew in a 27-20 upset of Indianapolis. New Colts QB Philip Rivers threw for 363 yards but he also threw two interceptions and was largely ineffective on third down.
In Washington, the Eagles came to town as a 5.5-point favorite but gave up eight sacks and lost 27-17. The Eagles actually led 17-0 but gave up 27 unanswered points to lose their opener.
Arizona was a road dog, as expected, to the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers. Cardinals QB Kyler Murray led an offense that gained 410 yards against a normally stout Niners defense. Arizona won 24-20 as a 7-point underdog. Click here for live NFL game odds.
Lions Deja Vu
A year ago in Week 1, the Detroit Lions held a 24-9 lead over the Arizona Cardinals. The Lions allowed Arizona to come back and tie the game in the fourth quarter. The game ended in a 27-27 tie and Detroit went on to a 3-12-1 season.
Fast forward to Sunday and the Lions held a 23-6 lead late in the third quarter. Once again, Detroit fell apart giving up three Mitchell Trubisky touchdown passes to lose 27-23.
Detroit was a three-point favorite at home in Week 1. Last year in games where the Lions were favored by at least three points, their record ATS was 0-2. Now, they are 0-1 ATS in 2020.
Over/Under
The total for the Green Bay-Minnesota NFC North clash was set at 44. Packers QB Aaron Rodgers picked apart a young Vikings secondary to the tune of four touchdown passes as the Packers scored 43 points themselves.
With Minnesota’s 34 points, the total went 33 points over, the highest such mark in Week 1. Bettors looking for free NFL picks had to love the over in this one.
The highest total on the board was the Seattle-Atlanta matchup which featured a quarterback duel between Matt Ryan and Russell Wilson. The total for the game was 49.5.
Ryan threw for 450 yards, but Wilson got the last laugh with four touchdown passes and a 38-25 win. The total was stuck at 49 with just under four minutes to play. Carlos Hyde scored on a one-yard run for Seattle to move it to the Over.
Week 1 is over and we’re on to the next, and here’s some NFL Week 2 best bets.
