Baseball season is barely more than a month old, but what does that matter when fresh over/unders have been released for the upcoming NFL season?
Thanks to Sportsbook.ag, we have an early look at what Las Vegas believes will be the win totals for each NFL team.
I’ll take a look at each team over the course of this week and will start with the AFC West today.
Denver Broncos: over/under 9 (-125 over/-105 under)
There’s far less value for the over and for good reason for the majority of NFL fans. The Broncos are the defending Super Bowl champions for a reason and that defense will once again be one of the best in the NFL. Oddsmakers are setting it lower than I expected and this possibly might rise to 9.5 by the beginning of the season. I’m actually in the minority and believe the Broncos will suffer a steep drop from the previous year. At times this past season, the Broncos were flat out not very good. With no quarterback once again and a limited offense, that will continue this season. The schedule doesn’t help either, with games against Carolina, Indianapolis, at Cincinnati, New England and a sneaky one at Tampa Bay in week 4. Factor those with an improved AFC West and I’m taking the better value with the under. I’d like the number better at 9.5, but I don’t see the Broncos going for double-digit wins this season. — Under
Kansas City Chiefs: over/under 9.5 (-115 over/-115 under)
What are your expectations for the Chiefs? Do they beat up on the AFC West again and cruise along to 10 wins, or do they take a step back, mired in inefficiency on the offensive end and unable to get past an improving division? The biggest issue I have with the Chiefs is that the schedule doesn’t do them favors. Games on the road against Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis and Carolina are games I have to consider losses. That puts Kansas City at 12-4, if they sweep the rest of its opponents, which include road games against Oakland, Denver and Atlanta. The home slate isn’t difficult, but I just don’t see Kansas City getting to 10 wins against this schedule. I’m playing it safe at nine wins and booking the under. — Under
Oakland Raiders: over/under 8 (-150 over/+120 under)
Welcome to the Oakland Raiders hype train. All those Raider haters from the past are welcome aboard to take a ridiculously bad over bet at -150. I talked about the Raiders constantly last season. They’re young, but talented, meaning there will be bumps in the road. This season, they’re another year older, meaning they should be even better than last year’s performance. That defense will only get better and as long as Derek Carr keeps progressing, that offense will be among the top performers in the league. The road to get to nine wins isn’t as tough as the Chiefs or the Broncos, with road games at New Orleans, Tennessee, Baltimore, Jacksonville and Tampa Bay, in addition to their divisional games. The Raiders should eclipse the eight-win mark and could get off to an incredibly hot start. Oakland won’t face a team with a winning record from 2015 until Oct. 16 at home against Kansas City. In fact, of their first eight opponents, only the Chiefs posted a winning record last year. — Over
San Diego Chargers: over/under 7 (-110 over/-120 under)
The offense will be much improved from last season. If Phillip Rivers can still sling it, he will have a much improved season with Keenan Allen returning, possibly a better running game with Melvin Gordon and Antonio Gates available all season. Much like the Raiders, the schedule sets up nicely with only having to get eight wins. Non-divisional home games are against Jacksonville, New Orleans, Tennessee, Miami and Tampa Bay. Those are all winnable games. Mix in a few victories against some divisional opponents and a road game against Cleveland, and the Chargers should compete for eight wins and be much improved from last season. — Over
