Sports betting roundup: Opening week of NFL season sees some big performances and some upsets

Updated Sep. 9, 2024 11:55 a.m. ET

Associated Press

The first three days of the NFL season saw plenty of big performances and some upsets.

In one of the most exciting games of the week, the Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams 36-30 in overtime on Sunday Night Football. For Lions backers at the BetMGM online sportsbook, it was fortunate that Detroit won the overtime coin toss, leading to David Montgomery’s touchdown on the opening possession for the victory.

The season, and NFL betting, opened on Thursday when the Kansas City Chiefs beats the Baltimore Ravens 27-20. There is one game left in Week 1, on Monday when the New York Jets face the San Francisco 49ers.

Trends of the Week

The Lions took in 75% of the bets and 78% of the money when it came to against-the-spread betting.

Although the Dallas Cowboys put up 33 points in their 33-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, CeeDee Lamb didn’t find the end zone. At +125, he was the most-bet player in the NFL anytime touchdown market.

In college football, Texas blew out Michigan 31-12 on the road Saturday afternoon. Bettors were all over it with 71% of the money on the Longhorns to cover the seven-point spread.

Upsets of the Week

The biggest upset in the NFL was the New England Patriots taking down the Cincinnati Bengals on the road, 16-10. New England was 7.5-point underdogs, good for the highest spread of the week. At BetMGM Sportsbook, 77% of the money was on the Bengals to cover the spread. The Patriots were +310 on the moneyline, meaning if a bettor bet $100 to win, they would take home $310, plus the $100 stake.

The New Orleans Saints beat the Carolina Panthers 47-10. Most bettors got this wrong, with 64% of the bets and 73% of the money on Carolina to cover the spread.

The biggest upset in college football was Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame 14-13. Northern Illinois was a 28-point underdog and +2000 on the moneyline, meaning a $100 bet on Northern Illinois to win outright would win $2,000 plus the $100 stake.

Coming Up

The Super Bowl odds remain largely unchanged following the first week of action.

Kansas City is still the favorite at +450, followed by the 49ers at +600. The other top teams are the Lions (+1000), Ravens (+1200), Philadelphia Eagles (+1300), Houston Texans (+1400), Buffalo Bills (+1600), Bengals (+1600), Cowboys (+1600) and Jets (+1800).

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This column was provided to The Associated Press by BetMGM online sportsbook.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports