The 2017 online NFL betting season will commence this upcoming Thursday when the reigning Super Bowl champions host reigning AFC West titleholders. We’ve waited months for opening and considering the matchup – the Patriots hosting the Chiefs, it’s safe to say the 2017 season will be off to a predictable start. New England, Tom Brady in particular, is indomitable when playing and home and the best offshore sportsbooks will second that.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots – Thursday, September 7th
Venue: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
Start Time: 8:30 pm ET
TV Broadcast: NBC
Online Stream Options: NBC Sports, NFL Game Pass
USA Sportsbook Odds:
Kansas City Chiefs +8 (-110) 48 (-110) +310
New England Patriots -8 (-110) 48 (-110) -380
Betting Kansas City Chiefs
Andy Reid has been with the Chiefs for 4 years now and they’ve qualified for the postseason in 3 of those years. Last season Reid was able to orchestrate a 12-4 season with Alex Smith under center, and that’s easier said than done. While it’s true that the Chiefs did come out on top in the AFC West and they earned a 1st round bye, the rest did more harm than good as Kansas City would fail to win a playoff game. The Pittsburgh Steelers eliminated the Chiefs in the divisional round 18-16.
Kansas City picked up the future of the franchise when they traded up the draft to snag quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And although Mahomes has looked great this preseason, the Chiefs – Andy Reid in particular, are adamant that Smith is still the starter.
“It’s Alex’s Job,” Reid told the Kansas City Star. “It’s Alex’s job. There’s no gray area with that.”
Although Reid was optimistic about Mahomes’ future and eluded that if Smith falls to an injury Mahomes would certainly take his place, it’s clear that Smith will be starting this upcoming Thursday. That’s certainly a bummer, because the Chiefs would be much better off with Mahomes under center (Don’t believe it? Think back to Dak Prescott last season). And judging by the above listed odds from MyBookie, a winning bet on Kansas City wouldn’t be half bad.
Betting New England Patriots
Before the 2016 season kicked off, some gambling sites were questioning if the Pats were a guarantee in the AFC East. The reason being the infamous Deflategate, which would sideline Tom Brady for the first four games of the season. But New England cruised through those four Brady-less games employing not one but two of their backups on their way to a 3-1 record. Once Brady returned, it was pretty much smooth sailing for the Pats as they won their 6th consecutive AFC East title as well as their 2nd Super Bowl in three years.
The Pats now enter the 2017 as USA sportsbook favorites to win the Super Bowl, once again. Yea New England posted a 1-3 record in the preseason, but there isn’t a single bookie on the planet who is taking that into consideration when calculating odds for opening day. The Patriots will be ready to go out the gate and judging by what NFL gambling sites have to say about it, the Patriots will come out on top.
The Pats will face formidable opposition in this game. Most USA sportsbooks are favoring New England heavily on the money line and even though it might be lucrative to be against them, it’s not likely to actually win. But if you’re dead set on betting against the Pats, you might want to take a chance on that 8-point spread line. After all, the Chiefs weren’t half bad on defense last year.
