Sportsbooks scored minor wins against gamblers in NFL Week 1, as bettors wagered against Jacksonville, Chicago, and Washington, each of whom pulled off upsets. The Colts losing to Jacksonville was the biggest blow to bettors in Week 1 of the NFL season.
William Hill reported 79% of the tickets were on Indianapolis, which was a seven-point favorite over Jacksonville, while 86% of the money was on the Colts. At Indiana Grand Casino, 98.7% of the spread money was on Indianapolis.
NFL Week 1 Results
Here are the results of all of the Week 1 NFL games through Sunday night.
| Odds/Cover | Over/Under | |
| Kansas City 34, Houston 20 | Chiefs -9.5/No | 53..5/Over |
| Las Vegas 34, Carolina 30 | Raiders -3/Yes | 48/Over |
| New England 21, Miami 11 | Patriots -7/Yes | 41.5/Under |
| Baltimore 38, Cleveland 6 | Ravens -7/Yes | 47.5/Under |
| Buffalo 27, NY Jets 17 | Bills -6/Yes | 39/Over |
| Seattle 38, Atlanta 25 | Falcons -1/No | 49.5/Over |
| Washington 27, Philadelphia 17 | Eagles -5.5/No | 41.5/Over |
| Chicago 27, Detroit 23 | Lions -2/No | 42/Over |
| Jacksonville 27, Indianapolis 20 | Colts -7/No | 44.5/Over |
| Green Bay 43, Minnesota 34 | Vikings -1.5/No | 44.5/Over |
| LA Chargers 16, Cincinnati 13 | Chargers -2.5/Yes | 41/Under |
| Arizona 24, San Francisco 20 | 49ers -7.5/No | 50/Under |
| New Orleans 34, Tampa Bay 23 | Saints -5/Yes | 48.5/Over |
| LA Rams 20, Dallas 17 | Rams -1/Yes | 52/Under |
The Colts had one of the largest point spreads in Week 1, but bettors still thought covering against the Jaguars was possible. Sunday marked the seventh consecutive year Indianapolis lost its season opener.
Colts head coach Frank Reich told reporters after the upset it was teamwide failure.
“Any time you lose, there’s enough blame to go around for everybody, coaches and players,†Reich said.
Lions Suffer Another Week 1 Meltdown
For the second consecutive year, the Detroit Lions blew their NFL Week 1 opener after having a lead of at least 17 points in the fourth quarter. Last year, they collapsed while playing against Arizona, but still managed a tie. This year, their blow-up came against NFC North rival Chicago.
The Lions were up 23-6 after three quarters on Sunday, then watched the Bears score 21 unanswered points in the fourth to win 27-23.
MITCH TRUBISKY FOR THE LEAD!
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/vfVrn1Pg4m
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 13, 2020
After the game, Detroit fans were calling for Matt Patricia to be fired. He’s the favorite to be the first coach canned at +350 at unibet.com. One bettor might be leading the petition. He plunked down $175,000 on the Lions at BetMGM.
Belichick Wins Round 1 Against Brady
New England head coach Bill Belichick drew first blood against his former quarterback, Tom Brady, in the fight on who needed who more. Cam Newton lead the Patriots to a 21-11 victory over Miami, while Brady struggled against New Orleans, losing 34-23.
Newton introduced himself to Patriots fans by throwing for 155 yards. He also rushed for 75 yards and two touchdowns. His first score paid off a 9/1 prop bet on which player would score first.
Cam Newton just put the NFL on notice…you’re all in BIG BIG TROUBLE! #GoPats pic.twitter.com/l606RXtZRm
— Icculus The Brave (@FirenzeMike) September 13, 2020
The biggest bets of the day were on the Patriots. A BetMGM customer put down $525,000 on New England. Another bettor at William Hill wagered $175,000.
Brady rewarded gamblers who backed him on the prop bet of who would score first. He ran a sneak from a yard out to put the Bucs on the board. One gambler got 9/1 odds for the prop bet and won more than $9,000 on a $147 bet.
43-year-old Florida man sneaks ball into endzone.#TBvsNO | #DraftKingspic.twitter.com/frTCycHBQB
— DraftKings (@DraftKings) September 13, 2020
Dumb Bet of the Week
One customer at Fan Duel bet $70,000 on third-quarter live odds in the Kansas City-Houston game. The bettor took the Chiefs’ moneyline in the first Week 1 game, which was at -5000. He won a whopping $1,400.
Bad Beat of the Week
It didn’t take long to record the first bad beat of the NFL season. The over/under for the NFL Week 1 opener featuring Kansas City and Houston was 53.5 points. The under bettors saw their tickets explode when Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker made a 19-yard field goal with 33 seconds remaining to make the final score, 34-20.
One Gambler at Bet MGM wagered $100,000 on the under and lost. Another gambler at South Point in Las Vegas sweated out a nice win, however. He bet $27,500 on the over, and collected a $25,000 profit.
