The month of June is just around the corner, which means the NFL season is on the horizon. With the release of the 2021 schedule, the betting lines for all of the Week 1 matchups are set at West Virginia sportsbooks.
The new season gets underway with the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Bucs hosting the Dallas Cowboys. This game will take place on Thursday, Sept. 9, with the Bucs opening as 6.5-point favorites at home.
Although the season doesn’t begin for a few months, now could be an opportune time to get wagers in. Many of the current odds will change between now and September, so you should take advantage of lines you deem favorable.
Of course, there is some added risk, too. Since injuries are such a big part of football, you never want to commit too much on an individual game that’s being played at a later point.
Let’s take a look at the early NFL odds out at WV online sportsbooks and what opening week contests should catch your attention.
NFL Week 1 betting at WV sportsbooks
Bucs vs. Cowboys odds
There’s nothing better than the first Thursday of the start of a new year for football fans. Realistically, the league could schedule a terrible game and everyone would still watch.
Fortunately, the NFL positioned two of the more exciting teams up against one another in the 2021 kickoff.
Tom Brady and Tampa return all 22 starters from the roster that won the title in February. Despite the quarterback’s age, it appears the Bucs are in a great spot to defend their latest championship.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook WV, the Bucs are laying -6.5 in the spread, with the game’s total posted at 51.5.
Bettors can take the Bucs’ moneyline at -315 or the Cowboys’ odds of +245.
This tilt is tied for the third-highest total for Week 1.
While the Cowboys’ defense is questionable, their offense should be among the league leaders again. The unit returns QB Dak Prescott following his season-ending injury a year ago.
Dallas typically gets a lot of attention in the media and at sportsbooks, so it seems unlikely that this spread will get any larger. If you can somehow take an adjusted line to get the Cowboys at +7 or more, then you should feel fairly comfortable.
The home favorite split the previous two openers, with the Bears falling to the Packers in 2019 and Kansas City beating Houston last year.
Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 betting
Football fans in the Mountain State will have to wait until Sunday to get their local NFL fix. One of the most popular teams in the region, the Pittsburgh Steelers, get their season underway against the Buffalo Bills in the early slate.
The Steelers are coming off a roller-coaster season that saw them start 11-0, only to end the year in the worst way possible.
Pittsburgh stumbled down the stretch and lost four of its last five games in the regular season. This slide was fully recognized when it was upended by Cleveland to be eliminated in the Wild Card.
Uncertainty looms large again this season as its struggling offense returns most of the same pieces. The main focus is on aging quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and his ability to still get the job done.
Pittsburgh didn’t select a QB in this year’s draft, despite the lack of a future option at the position.
Roethlisberger is likely heading to the Hall of Fame; however, he finished last season throwing eight interceptions in the team’s last five contests.
The Steelers begin 2021 with a very difficult road test at Buffalo. The Bills went 13-3 a year ago en route to their first division title in a while.
When these two sides met in December, Buffalo was victorious by a score of 26-15.
FanDuel Sportsbook WV currently lists the Steelers as 6.5-point underdogs in their Week 1 game. The online sportsbook has the Bills’ moneyline at -255, while the Steelers are at +210.
FanDuel doesn’t anticipate a lot of defense in this one, either. It set the game’s total at 50.5 points.
Although it will take a great effort to take down a quality Bills team, a win in their opener could do wonders for the Steelers next season.
Notable NFL Week 1 odds
There are plenty of other interesting matchups in the first week of the upcoming NFL season, too.
The Browns and the Chiefs get together at 4:25 p.m. EST in a rematch of last year’s divisional playoff.
Both teams have their eyes on making a deep postseason run and are looking to get off to a fast start.
William Hill Sportsbook WV shows Kansas City laying -6 in the point spread, with a moneyline of -260. Bettors can take the Browns receiving the points or to win straight up with odds of +220.
The battle between New Orleans and Green Bay is another great game in the late-afternoon time slot.
Even though it’s unclear where Aaron Rodgers might play next season, the Packers remain loaded. If their MVP is under center again, then there’s no reason this team isn’t among those in the Super Bowl discussion.
The Saints are already moving on from their HOF signal caller. Now that Drew Brees is officially retired, it seems like Jameis Winston is the next in line.
Similar to Green Bay, New Orleans features a stacked roster and could still make some noise in the NFC.
William Hill lists the Saints as the favorite at home in Week 1. It has them giving -2.5, with a moneyline of -150. Green Bay is receiving +2.5 and has moneyline odds of +130.
Be sure to check out WV sportsbooks for betting lines for all of the other NFL games. These odds will include a variety of game, team and player props when the start of the season approaches.
