After a thrilling opening week of NFL odds and online sports betting, football returns this weekend for another slate of exciting games.
NFL
Raiders at Bills
Sunday, Sept. 17 | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
NFL betting odds pegged the Bills as short road favorites for Monday night’s AFC East showdown against the Jets in MetLife Stadium. They’ll have no such designation this weekend for their home opener against the visiting Raiders.
Despite a shortened week to prepare, Buffalo is the biggest favorite of NFL Week 2, giving 9.5 points to Las Vegas. Bettors expect quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills offense to return to form after throwing three interceptions against the Jets defense.
The Raiders are pegged as a distant fourth-place team in a very good AFC West, so it was a bit of a surprise when Las Vegas scored an upset at altitude in Denver. Can they pull off another major surprise? If the Bills don’t clean up the offense, it’s certainly on the table, regardless of what the point spread might say.
NFL
Chiefs at Jaguars
Sunday, Sept. 17 | 1 p.m. ET | CBS
A rematch of last year’s closer-than-expected divisional playoff game is on tap this weekend, with the reigning Chiefs traveling to play in muggy Jacksonville.
The Chiefs have extra time to prepare this week after opening the season last Thursday. As a result, they’ve been heavily bet-on throughout the week, with the line surging to KC -3 by mid-week.
Another factor in the line movement may be Jacksonville’s uneven win over the Colts in Week 1, but this could be an overreaction by the market. Jacksonville was playing a road divisional game against a rookie quarterback with almost no film to prepare off of. It’s no surprise the game was competitive.
Kansas City hasn’t started 0-2 since 2014, and it should have Chris Jones back on the defensive line again after both parties came to terms on a contract this week. Still, if the market is overreacting to Jacksonville’s competitive game in Indianapolis, and the line continues to move, the Jaguars could prove to be a very strong bet on Sunday afternoon.
College Football
The Backyard Brawl: Pittsburgh at West Virginia
Saturday, Sept. 16 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ABC
With the start of conference play mostly reserved for next week, college football this weekend doesn’t have too many marquee games to look forward to.
One major exception is the 106th edition of the Backyard Brawl, a heated NCAA rivalry between Pittsburgh and West Virginia. The football series dates back to 1895. Pittsburgh leads the series 62-40-3, but West Virginia has won six of the last 10 meetings.
As far as BetMGM’s college football betting odds are concerned, this game is a toss-up, with both sides available on the moneyline at -110 midweek.
West Virginia lost in Pittsburgh last year, 38-31, after a late pick-six off a tipped ball. This is the first Backyard Brawl played in Morgantown since 2011.
