Opening NFL Regular Season Odds for the Year’s Biggest Matchups
By Robert Duff in NFL Football
Published:
- The 2022 NFL regular season was released on Thursday, May 12
- A number of key matchups highlight the 17-game regular-season slate
- Analysis of which games figure to offer the best potential betting odds and entertainment value is undertaken in the following story
To the delight of football fans, the 2022 NFL regular season schedule was released on Thursday. Even more delightful is that there wasn’t a long wait until the leading online sports betting sites were posting the odds for a majority of these games.
Point spreads are already available for several of the key matchups during the upcoming NFL season. Let’s take a look at the NFL odds and betting lines on a number of the biggest games on the docket for the 2022 NFL regular season.
2022 NFL Regular Season Key Matchups
| Date (Kickoff Time) | Matchup | Spread |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 8 (8:20 pm ET) | Buffalo Bills @ Los Angeles Rams | Rams -1 |
| Sept 12 (8:20 pm ET) | Denver Broncos @ Seattle Seahawks | Broncos -4 |
| Sept 15 (8:20 pm ET) | Los Angeles Chargers @ Kansas City Chiefs | Chiefs -3 |
| Sept 25 (4:25 pm ET) | Green Bay Packers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Buccaneers -3.5 |
| Oct 2 (1:00 pm ET) | Tennessee Titans @ Indianapolis Colts | Colts -3.5 |
| Oct 2 (8:30 pm ET) | Kansas City Chiefs @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Buccaneers -2.5 |
| Oct 9 (8:20 pm ET) | Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens | Ravens -1 |
| Oct 16 (4:25 pm ET) | Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs | Bills -1.5 |
| Oct 17 (8:15 pm ET) | Denver Broncos @ Los Angeles Chargers | Chargers -3 |
| Oct 23 (4:25 pm ET) | Kansas City Chiefs @ San Francisco 49ers | Cheifs -1 |
| Dec 18 (3:25 pm ET) | Cincinnati Bengals @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Buccaneers -3 |
| Dec 24 (3:25 pm ET) | Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys | Cowboys -3.5 |
| Jan 1 (12:00 pm ET) | Denver Broncos @ Kansas City Chiefs | Chiefs -4.5 |
| Jan 2 (7:30 pm ET) | Buffalo Bills @ Cincinnati Bengals | Pick |
Odds as of May 13th at DraftKings Sportsbook
The 2022 NFL regular season opens on Thursday September 8 with the Buffalo Bills visiting the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams.
DangeRUSS Wilson’s Homecoming
Could the NFL have scripted the Week 1 Monday Night Football matchup on September 12 any better? Well, since the league drew up the schedule, they actually did script it.
LET’S RIDE 🐎😏 https://t.co/lMxiG3m1Kr
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) May 13, 2022
And what a script they wrote. It’s Russell Wilson’s debut as quarterback of the Denver Broncos and he’ll be making it at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks, the team he helmed for the first decade of his NFL career.
Wilson has never played an NFL game that didn’t involve the Seahawks. One week into his Broncos era, he’ll still be able to say that. And Denver is a 4-point road favorite for his homecoming.
Brady vs Rodgers on September 25
The NFL’s ancient warriors will butt heads early in the season when the Green Bay Packers visit Raymond James Stadium to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Both the Packers (NFC North) and Buccaneers (NFC South) figure to be favorites in the NFL Division odds but that’s only part of the intrigue surrounding this game.
As the offseason unfolded, for a time it appeared that the Bucs would be going into 2022 without quarterback Tom Brady, while the Packers were awaiting word about the status of QB Aaron Rodgers and his future with the club.
Aaron Rodgers.
Tom Brady.
Week 3’s QBs have combined for 7 MVP Awards & 25 Pro Bowl selections. #GBvsTB | #GoPackGo https://t.co/uDspMRQV7A pic.twitter.com/xvEripaUth
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 12, 2022
As things turned out, Rodgers signed a new contract with the Pack. And to everyone’s surprise, after a few weeks as a civilian, Brady ended his retirement and rejoined the Buccaneers.
Football’s two ancient warriors – Brady is 44 and Rodgers is 38 – will clash on the gridiron on September 25. It’s not unrealistic to assume this might be the final time Brady and Rodgers ever oppose each other.
Including playoffs, Brady is 4-1 all-time in head-to-head showdowns with Rodgers. He was 2-1 with the New England Patriots and is 2-0 with the Bucs. Rodgers posted his only win over Brady in 2014.
Now That’s Entertainment
Put the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs on the same football field and for starters, there are two of the top AFC contenders in the NFL Conference odds, as well as in the Super Bowl odds. Beyond that, for pure entertainment value, few matchups can generate the electricity that a Bills-Chiefs game is capable of illuminating.
The moment you’ve all been waiting for: Coach Reids the 2022 Chiefs Schedule… literally. pic.twitter.com/v1H5iXlRle
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 13, 2022
Last season, the Bills put a 38-20 whipping on the Chiefs during NFL regular season play. The previous season, they met in the AFC Championship Game and Kansas City rallied for a 42-36 overtime victory.
Perhaps best of all, the Bills are listed as the 1-point chalk. The Chiefs getting points at Arrowhead? You might want to jump on that wager.
Sports Writer
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
