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The wait is over, and the 2023/24 National Football League season is live. American Football’s globally popular competition boasts the most famous teams and talented players, with games attracting thousands of fans at the stadium and millions more watching on TV and live-streaming apps. The week one results are now in the books, meaning the divisions and conferences are already taking shape.
Traders working at the best sports betting sites offering odds on the NFL made their feelings clear back in pre-season when publishing their outright betting odds. Those working on the trading floors in Las Vegas studied past results, monitored the trades, and watched interviews with coaches and prominent players before offering betting on the Super Bowl winner and several exciting categories, including winning conference, most valuable player, and the winning division.
Many football lovers enjoy adding an extra layer of excitement to the season by taking advantage of the newly relaxed gambling laws in the US. The NFL will work closer than ever with the top sportsbooks, and with the Super Bowl final played at the Allegiant Stadium in Nevada, betting will play a prominent role this season. But you don’t have to follow the traders’ thinking. There are many ways to predict the outcome of an upcoming NFL game or the season.
Bide your time
Football fans like to make predictions on NFL games for various reasons. Many fans study the stats and pick a team they think will win to target a profit in the gambling markets, but others use their NFL knowledge to bolster their fantasy football team, impress fans, or blog about the campaign. A blogger who can predict winning teams will attract more readers and attention. But how do you call the winner of a match-up before kick-off?
NFL fans, tipsters, and writers often celebrate their success online, with social media fields like Facebook and Twitter the worst. Few things are less meaningful to a football fan than another celebrating a winning prediction after the game. But how do they regularly bag correct results and attract a crowd while others struggle to predict the winning team? In a word, research. The more you know about a season or a fixture, the greater the chance of you calling the winner in your predictions.
Accepting the word of traders is one approach, and many football fans follow one of the bookie’s favorites. But the traders don’t know any more than other football lovers. An accurate way to predict NFL results is to follow the form. Dive into the recent scores, finding strong winners capable of going on a winning run and unlucky losers who can bounce back next weekend.
As the NFL 2023/24 season is just one week old, there’s little to go on regarding the stats. But we pull back the curtain on the opening round, highlighting the best-performing teams, those with more to find, and the big names that failed to inspire confidence. The information on this page may help you predict a winner in the next round of fixtures that catch your eye.
Lions roar to victory
The opening game of the new season was at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Kansas City Chiefs met the Detroit Lions. Both teams attracted the support of respected pundits during pre-season predictions, and it’ll come as no surprise to football lovers to see either the Chiefs or Lions contest the Super Bowl in Paradise early next year. But there could only be one winner on the main stage, and the Lions roared to victory.
A strong start was essential in a game sold as a genuine 50/50 and pick-em contest, and Detroit held their nerve best, taking the game by the scruff of the neck. The Lions raced into a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter of play but fell to a 14-0 loss in the second quarter. With Kansas holding a 14-7 advantage at the break, it seemed apparent the locals would kick on from there and win the game at a canter. They had all the aces up their sleeve, including the backing of the support. But the NFL rarely follows the script.
The Lions scored 14 second-half points while their opponents managed just six, which cost them the game. Both Detroit and Kansas put it all on the line to grab an opening-day win, but only one team could take the spoils, and it was Detroit who won thanks to a 21-20 result. The game was as exciting, dramatic, and competitive as the scoreboard suggests.
Detroit claimed the win, and it’ll be interesting to see if they can build on that hard-fought victory in the coming weeks while we’re certain Kansas will get off the mark before too much longer.
San Fran scores a big win
The San Francisco 49ers headed into this campaign with high hopes. They have a talented squad, a loyal fanbase, wealth in the bank, and a fantastic scouting network. All the ingredients of a Super Bowl-winning team, but will they live up to expectations and snag the grand prize? Only time will tell, but there’s no doubt they are in with a shout following their opening-day win.
The 49ers played the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium and made a mockery of pundits predicting a close game. Despite playing a potential banana skin fixture at Pittsburgh, San Fransico got the job done thanks to a resounding 30-7 result. The victors scored 20 of their 30 points in the first half as they laid down a marker. It was a strong performance and a deserved win, but San Fran knows they’ll face tougher competition in the coming weeks.
The beaten team left empty-handed, and fans went home with more questions than answers. The Steelers drew a blank in three of the four quarters, with the seven points scored in the second quarter the only thing to show for their efforts on a poor day. Pittsburgh is better than they showed against the 49ers, and they’ll surely bounce back.
