One Betting Line To Look At For All 32 NFL Teams Ahead Of The 2021 Season

Sports betting is legal and live across 22 states and Washington, D.C., and Americans are gambling more than ever. Now comes the main event, with the NFL season set to kick off on Thursday.

Here’s a guide to the wagers available before play begins, with one interesting betting line for each of the NFL’s 32 teams and analysis from Forbes.com’s expert SportsMoney contributors.

Related on Forbes.com: The Optimistic Outlook For All 32 NFL Teams

Buffalo Bills

Bet to watch: The Chiefs are the favorites to be the AFC’s Super Bowl representatives, but the Bills aren’t far behind them at +400—excellent value given their evident superiority in the AFC East. Read more on the Bills’ outlook from Forbes contributor Nicholas McGee.

Miami Dolphins

Bet to watch: BetOnline.ag lists the over/under for the Dolphins at 9.5 wins for the coming season, and the team has added playmakers to an offense in desperate need of help. But Miami hasn’t posted back-to-back double-digit-win seasons since 2000 and 2001. Read more on the Dolphins’ outlook from Forbes contributor Patricia Traina.

New England Patriots

Bet to watch: DraftKings has listed Damien Harris’ season-long rushing yardage at an over/under of 845.5 yards. Harris ran for 691 yards in just ten games last season, and his top competition for carries—Sony Michel—was traded to the Rams in August. Read more on the Patriots’ outlook from Forbes contributor Liam Fox.

New York Jets

Bet to watch: DraftKings lists Corey Davis’ receiving yardage for 2021 as 805.5. He has twice surpassed that number and appears to be quickly establishing chemistry with rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Read more on the Jets’ outlook from Forbes contributor J.P. Pelzman.

Related on Forbes.com: The Pessimistic Outlook For All 32 NFL Teams

Baltimore Ravens

Bet to watch: DraftKings lists Lamar Jackson’s season passing yardage at an over/under of 3,450.5 yards. Yes, there is an extra regular-season game on the schedule, but Jackson’s best mark in his three years in the NFL is 3,127, from his 2019 MVP season. Read more on the Ravens’ outlook from Forbes contributor Liam Fox.

Cincinnati Bengals

Bet to watch: DraftKings lists Joe Burrow at +2500 to lead the NFL in passing yards. If he can stay upright, it’s not a bad play considering he figures to be playing a lot of catch-up in the tough AFC North. Read more on the Bengals’ outlook from Forbes contributor J.P. Pelzman.

Cleveland Browns

Bet to watch: Most of the major sportsbooks have the Browns as the eighth favorite to win the Super Bowl. But Cleveland should have a much-improved defense, and only three of the teams with better odds had better records than the Browns’ 11-5 regular-season mark last year. Read more on the Browns’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jim Ingraham.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bet to watch: DraftKings pegs the Steelers’ win total at 8.5. Think hard about the over: Ben Roethlisberger isn’t the same player anymore, but Pittsburgh has won at least eight games in every one of his 17 NFL seasons. Read more on the Steelers’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jack Magruder.

Houston Texans

Bet to watch: Vegas Insider has Houston projected to win four games. With eight 2020 playoff teams on the schedule plus six non-playoff teams that look vastly improved, even that mark looks tough to beat for a team light on talent. Read more on the Texans’ outlook from Forbes contributor Vincent Frank.

Indianapolis Colts

Bet to watch: DraftKings has Jonathan Taylor as +900 to lead the NFL in rushing yardage, the fourth-best odds. He is poised to get more than 300 touches in the Colts’ offense as Carson Wentz adjusts to a new system, and he ranked second in rushing yards over the second half of last season as a rookie. Read more on the Colts’ outlook from Forbes contributor Evan Sidery.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Bet to watch: The Jaguars’ win total is listed at 6.5. Jacksonville has won six games or fewer a remarkable nine times in the last ten years, averaging a dismal 3.8 wins per season. Read more on the Jaguars’ outlook from Forbes contributor Rob Reischel.

Tennessee Titans

Bet to watch: Ryan Tannehill is listed at +2800 to win NFL MVP honors at BetOnline.ag. That’s an attractive proposition given his 18-8 record as the Titans’ quarterback and Tennessee’s talented receiver tandem. Read more on the Titans’ outlook from Forbes contributor Phil Rogers.

Denver Broncos

Bet to watch: BetOnline.ag lists the over/under for the Broncos’ wins this year at 8.5. That would be a big jump from last year’s 5-11 record, asking quite a lot from new quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Von Miller’s surgically repaired ankle. Read more on the Broncos’ outlook from Forbes contributor Patricia Traina.

Kansas City Chiefs

Bet to watch: BetOnline has Patrick Mahomes as the odds-on favorite for MVP at +575. That, however, will likely have as much to do with the play of the rebuilt offensive line as it will with Mahomes’. Read more on the Chiefs’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jeff Fedotin.

Las Vegas Raiders

Bet to watch: Playing on a team that should be in plenty of high-scoring affairs, Darren Waller could lead NFL tight ends in both receptions and yards. Across the past two seasons, he has caught 197 passes for 2,341 yards while hauling in 75% of his targets from Derek Carr. Read more on the Raiders’ outlook from Forbes contributor Vincent Frank.

Los Angeles Chargers

Bet to watch: Asante Samuel Jr. is listed at +3500 to be named defensive rookie of the year at DraftKings. He’ll be tested by opposing quarterbacks early and often, but Joey Bosa and his fellow pass-rushers should put Samuel in a position to shine. Read more on the Chargers’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jay Paris.

Dallas Cowboys

Bet to watch: DraftKings has the Cowboys as +130 favorites in the NFC East. Dallas has the division’s strongest offense and just needs improvement from the defense. Luckily, the Cowboys’ divisional opponents all finished in the bottom half of the league last season on offense. Read more on the Cowboys’ outlook from Forbes contributor Emily Iannaconi.

New York Giants

Bet to watch: BetOnline.ag projects the Giants’ season win total at seven, one more than the six they posted last year. Improvement by the offensive line would make that goal very achievable, but the upside is fairly limited: New York would need several things to fall its way to post its first double-digit-win season since 2016. Read more on the Giants’ outlook from Forbes contributor Patricia Traina.

Philadelphia Eagles

Bet to watch: The Eagles’ win total is listed at 6.5. But this is not a team that is prioritizing winning now, instead focusing on long-term progress as Jalen Hurts takes over at quarterback. Read more on the Eagles’ outlook from Forbes contributor Howard Megdal.

Washington Football Team

Bet to watch: DraftKings pegs Chase Young’s sack total at 8.5. Last season, when he won defensive rookie of the year, Young posted 7.5 and appeared to get stronger as the year progressed. Read more on Washington’s outlook from Forbes contributor Emily Iannaconi.

Chicago Bears

Bet to watch: BetOnline.ag lists Darnell Mooney as -115 to post over 4.5 touchdown receptions. The second-year receiver, who has shown explosiveness and sure hands, should be the second option in a passing game that will be playing plenty of catch-up. Read more on the Bears’ outlook from Forbes contributor Phil Rogers.

Detroit Lions

Bet to watch: FanDuel lists the Lions’ win total at five. Even that modest number could be tough after seasons of six, three and then five wins, with a tough schedule against the AFC North and NFC West. Read more on the Lions’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jack Magruder.

Green Bay Packers

Bet to watch: MyBookie.ag lists Aaron Rodgers’ regular-season interception total at 6.5, but Rodgers has thrown a total of just 11 over the last three years. He’s in total control of Matt LaFleur’s offense. Read more on the Packers’ outlook from Forbes contributor Rob Reischel.

Minnesota Vikings

Bet to watch: Running back Dalvin Cook is an MVP long-shot—a $100 bet would return $7,500 at FanDuel—but he has improved significantly in each of his four NFL seasons and is capable of rushing for 2,000 yards. Read more on the Vikings’ outlook from Forbes contributor Steve Silverman.

Atlanta Falcons

Bet to watch: Matt Ryan’s passing yardage is listed at 4,450.5 for 2021. He has beaten that number in eight of the last nine seasons, and that was in 16 games. Read more on the Falcons’ outlook from Forbes contributor Rob Reischel.

Carolina Panthers

Bet to watch: DraftKings lists the Panthers’ win total at 7.5. But despite some good vibes, Carolina remains in a tough division, with a revitalized Atlanta and a retooling New Orleans—not to mention Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. Read more on the Panthers’ outlook from Forbes contributor J.P. Pelzman.

New Orleans Saints

Bet to watch: BetOnline.ag believes that Jameis Winston is the second-likeliest quarterback to post the highest interception total, at +1,000. He posted a league-worst mark in that category just two years ago. Read more on the Saints’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jeff Fedotin.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bet to watch: DraftKings lists Ronald Jones II at +100 to go over 770.5 rushing yards. He may have a lot of competition for carries, but he looks like the top dog and should beat that number if his workload looks the way it did the last two seasons. Read more on the Buccaneers’ outlook from Forbes contributor Nicholas McGee.

Arizona Cardinals

Bet to watch: The Cardinals are listed at +320 to make the playoffs as a wild card. That’s a tantalizing proposition for a team that upgraded its roster after falling just short in 2020, particularly with three wild-card teams in each conference this season. Read more on the Cardinals’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jack Magruder.

Los Angeles Rams

Bet to watch: DraftKings lists Matthew Stafford’s passing yardage at 4,595.5 for 2021. The Rams didn’t unload a boatload of draft picks, and Jared Goff, to watch Stafford hand the ball off. Read more on the Rams’ outlook from Forbes contributor Jay Paris.

San Francisco 49ers

Bet to watch: Trey Lance could be a candidate for offensive rookie of the year, even with Jimmy Garoppolo ahead of him on the depth chart for now. None of the other rookie quarterbacks are on a team this talented. Read more on the 49ers’ outlook from Forbes contributor Vincent Frank.

Seattle Seahawks

Bet to watch: Most major sportsbooks have the Seahawks’ win total set at ten. They have won fewer than ten games only once with Russell Wilson as their quarterback, and they now have a 17th game to work with. Read more on the Seahawks’ outlook from Forbes contributor Liam Fox.