The 2024 National Football League season is almost upon us, with a start date of 8th September penned into the diary. This will be the 103rd campaign organized by the NFL, and it promises to be one of the most unpredictable years on record, certainly if the early season trades are anything to go on. The major teams have moved swiftly to snap up the names on their most wanted list, and there have been more than a few surprises, with some transfers catching football fans and sportswriters by surprise.
We are still several weeks away from the big kickoff, and the opening round of fixtures are still to be confirmed. They will come through in due course, but the gap in action with no games to speak of and the pre-season friendlies still being organized doesn’t mean lovers of the NFL can kick back and relax. Players are busy working on their fitness, coaches are drawing up a transfer wish list and submitting it to the board, and the leading bookies are creating odds. Even at the height of summer, the sport is still all go. Are you ready to get involved and make your calls?
The best options and some predictions
The off-season is a great time to make predictions on how teams will fare, the conferences will pan out, which sides will make it to the playoffs and who the eventual winner of the Super Bowl will be. The deciding game will be played in February 2024 in Arizona, and you can make your call early and predict which sides will be involved in that match and who the 2024 champion will be. In most cases, the earlier you make your predictions on the NFL season, playoffs and the Super Bowl, the more generous odds you’ll get from the bookies.
It’s never too early to bet on the NFL, but it pays to know the best way to approach your gambling. There are many different options for betting on American football, and in this article, we will explain the three most popular. The points detailed in this article will give you options when it comes to betting, increase your understanding of what is available to you at this time of year and improve your chances of making a winning bet.
Of course, there are some favorites that start this season with far more chances than the rest, but it might surprise you that it’s not the champions of Super Bowl LVI, the Los Angeles Rams, but experts used to point in the direction of the Kansas City Chiefs, with odds of around (13-1), but after the trade of Tyreek Hill, their odds dipped hard. On the other hand, the Buffalo Bills have great chances since their odds were 10 to 1 looking forward to Super Bowl LVII, but with Hill’s trade, they are more than happy now, and it’s only natural that their odds will spike, turning them into a safe bet. You can read more about them in Vegas Betting.
There are also rumblings in the West, as the Los Angeles Chargers appear to be the new favorites to win the Super Bowl this year. They’ve closed an extension with the great star Mike Williams and recently hired cornerback J.C. Jackson, bringing them to a highly competitive state that they’ll surely capitalize on. As a great plus, they’ve brought in outside linebacker Khalil Mack, one of the strongest in his role with good chances of becoming one of the best pass-rushers of the season.
Now it’s just a matter of picking the best type of bet that the NFL allows, putting all your prayers on that team that you feel will be the next winner, and watching those dollars rain on you as our predictions take flight in the Super Bowl LVII. Let’s take a look at the best three ways you can bet on the NFL.
Outright
The outright betting is most popular in pre-season as football fans, and bettors make predictions on how well their team will perform over the course of a campaign. With outright betting, you are gambling on the winner of the Super Bowl. This can be done in pre-season, but the odds will be updated by traders after every result, so you can also wager throughout the campaign. As above, the earlier you bet, the more value you should receive.
Do your homework, follow the trades, work through the schedule and back the team you believe will be good enough to win the Super Bowl. You can go with one of the favorites – a team fancied by the bookies with short odds attached – or you can take a punt on an outsider. A dark horse good enough to perform better than the betting suggests. When backing one at a big price in pre-season, you will have the option to cash out for a profit if they start strongly and secure a playoff place.
Specials
The best bookies offer a range of eye-catching specials, and you will find that most of these are available during pre-season before there are any results in the bag. Some examples of the types of outright betting specials you may find include a team to win their division or the conference.
There will also be odds available on a team to make the playoffs or to reach the Super Bowl. The results of these matches aren’t important, and it doesn’t matter how they get there, as long as your team live up to expectations.
Matches
Every game from the NFL season – from match one to the Super Bowl – will be available to bet on, and there will be dozens of options. The simplest way to gamble on an NFL match is to pick the winner, but there are also total points, handicap, winning margin, winner of the first quarter, half time/full time and more. Most of these will be carried over to in-play betting.