The wait is finally over. For football fans the summer can seem endless. Preseason games have whetted the appetite and now the real thing kicks off. And to add some extra interest, this NFL season will be easily the biggest for legal betting yet.

Sportsbooks continue to sign deals with teams including long term naming rights for stadiums. Legal gambling adverts are becoming more and more commonplace on TV. Sports betting fans have many reasons to look forward to this season. Let’s take a look at how things might play out across the league.

 

Can Tampa Repeat?

In the opening Thursday night game, Tampa Bay snatched victory from the Cowboys with a field goal late in the 4th quarter. Could they be the first team since the 03/04 Patriots to win back to back Super Bowls? Well firstly they have the same quarterback steering the ship. It was his late game winning drive that put the Bucs in scoring position at the Raymond James stadium on Thursday night. Tom Brady doesn’t seem to be losing a step and anyone wagering against him would be wise playing with money they can afford to lose.

Meanwhile in some other divisions the teams will have slightly more modest goals. All wins are important but in the NFC West it may not take that many of them to win the division, Washington made the playoffs last year with a 7-9 record one ahead of Dallas’s 6-10 record. Could the Cowboys return to a winning season like 2018 when they reached the divisional playoffs after a 10-6 regular season?

 

Rodgers Not Slowing Down

Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers returns to Lambeau Field for his 17th season. After losing his 4th conference championship in a row in 2020, a Rodgers led Green Bay will be hungry to avenge the 2020 lose to the Bucs. Despite 3 MVP awards (2011, 2014, 2020), Rodgers only time to raise the Vince Lombardi trophy was at Super Bowl XLV. He came out on top over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He will be keen to add more silverware to his cabinet.

Betting favorites Kansas City Chiefs start their season vs a Cleveland team which they defeated in last years Divisional playoffs. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is back to full fitness after foot surgery in February. The former league and Super Bowl MVP will have eyes on a second league title. If he carries his form of previous years his team should go deep in the playoffs if not all the way.

 

New York Betting Interest

Sports betting will not yet be legal in New York this NFL season. However this may be the least of the Big Apple’s sportsfan’s worries. It has not been a happy time of late for football fans in the Empire State. The Giants have only reached the playoffs once since their Super Bowl XLVI upset of the New England Patriots in 2012. The last 3 seasons they have a 12-36 record with their last winning season being in 2016.

While the Jets have won slightly more games in the last 3 seasons (16-32), they have not had a winning season since 2015 and last made the playoffs in 2010. The MetLife stadium may have witness some cheers this season. But if recent seasons are anything to go by it may be from fans of travelling teams.

 

Further Betting Expansion

With online sports betting recently launching in Wyoming and Arizona the opportunities to place a legal bet are increasing rapidly. Connecticut and Maryland also look to go live prior to the NFL playoffs. Whether in-game, parlays or outright wagering are your sauce of choice betting opportunities and bonuses have never been so good.