NFL odds: Bookmaker shares most popular bets for upcoming 2022 season

By Sam Panayotovich
FOX Sports Betting Analyst

Are you ready for some football?

Of course, you are.

Judging by the way Americans bet millions of dollars on last Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders, we’re all ready to scratch that NFL betting itch.  

Regular season win total markets have been open for months and money will continue to show until the season kicks off on September 8th.

The usual suspects – Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers – are attracting plenty of money at the window. But the Philadelphia Eagles are the coolest kid in class. Everybody wants a piece.

I haven’t spoken to one bookmaker who is rooting for the Eagles “Over.”

“Eagles ‘Over’ 9.5 and Bears ‘Under’ 6.5 are the two totals we lose the most to,” WynnBET senior trader Motoi Pearson told FOX Sports.

“We’ve written plenty of Eagles futures, too. We got hit on championship, conference and division, so the liability on Eagles ‘Over’ is not a surprise at all. It’s wild to see everybody betting the Eagles to have success.”

I have already made my case for betting “Over” 6.5 on the New York Giants, and I am eyeing the New Orleans Saints to make the playoffs [+130 at FOX Bet].

New York may contend in its division, though I would much rather make the following two bets: Giants “Over” 6.5 regular season wins (-133 at FOX Bet) and the Giants to make the postseason.

The Saints were 5-2 when they received the news about quarterback Jameis Winston’s torn ACL. The signal caller’s injury derailed a very promising season in the Bayou.

Winston was having a career year with 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions, but the Saints lost their next five games, finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs because the Eagles won the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Close, but no cigar.

Sean Payton is gone, but defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was promoted to head coach and longtime offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael should pick up right where he left off. There’s a lot to be excited about with Winston, Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, Michael Thomas, Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry.

When it comes to Super Bowl liability, Pearson’s crew will be rooting against Tom Brady winning his eighth championship ring. WynnBET was happy to raise Tampa Bay’s odds when Brady retired, but rumors of his return attracted some decent bets and others followed suit when Brady unretired.

“Brady unretiring didn’t help us at all,” Pearson cracked. “We were all the way out to 20-1 on Tampa Bay, so we’re a bit lopsided on the Buccaneers to take down the whole thing.

Pearson is still trying to decipher what’s going on with Brady’s former team.

Bill Belichick has decided to throw second-year quarterback Mac Jones into a brand-new offensive system with plays called by somebody who has never worked with quarterbacks at the NFL level. What could possibly go wrong?

“I don’t even know where I find myself with the Patriots,” Pearson admitted. “The AFC is deep and while the Pats will be well coached, I don’t know if they’ll have the talent to compete with the top teams.

“We haven’t seen much interest in Patriots futures from the public or sharps. I’ll be waiting for Belichick to win a few in a row, so I can hear about everyone having tickets at 15-1 or better to win the AFC.

“The popular teams right now are the Broncos and Chargers. We’ve seen some real sharp players bet the Chargers to win the Super Bowl. I’ll believe that when I see it. The Chargers can’t seem to get out of their own way.”

I always love talking shop with Pearson because he’s real.

He’s one of the best in the business at shooting straight regarding what his sportsbook needs or doesn’t need behind the counter. And he’s never one to mince words. Pearson said one potential Super Bowl matchup would be an absolute disaster for the house.

“If the Bucs and Jets play for the title, we shut down the company.” 

Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and NESN. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. He’ll probably pick against your favorite team. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot.

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