The NFL schedule for the 2020 season was released in full on Thursday night, with the obvious and very large caveat that all of this is subject to change pending how things are going with regards to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Still, the hope is that these games are all played on time, even if that means without fans or other precautions in place, and for the folks in the desert, it’s never too early to post some lines. At the Westgate Las Vegas Superbook, lines have been posted for all games in Week 1, starting with the Thursday night playoff rematch between the Texans and Chiefs, with KC as a heavy favorite at home — and the highest point total of the week.
Thursday, Sept. 10
Houston at Kansas City (-10.5, 56.5)
Sunday, Sept. 13
Miami at New England (-6.5, 44)
Cleveland at Baltimore (-8.5, 49)
NY Jets at Buffalo (-5.5, 40.5)
Las Vegas at Carolina (PK, 46.5)
Seattle (-1, 49) at Atlanta
Philadelphia (-6, 45.5) at Washington
Chicago at Detroit (-1.5, 44.5)
Indianapolis (-8.5, 47) at Jacksonville
Green Bay at Minnesota (-3.5, 47)
LA Chargers (-3.5, 46) at Cincinnati
Arizona at San Francisco (-4, 45)
Tampa Bay at New Orleans (-4, 49.5)
Dallas (-3, 50) at LA Rams
Monday, Sept. 14
Pittsburgh (-3.5, 48.5) at NY Giants
Tennessee at Denver (-3, 42)
There aren’t a ton of surprises on the board. The lowest total is 40.5 in Jets-Bills, which is to be expected given that’s two good defenses against two not so good offenses. It seems the folks in Vegas are taking a bit more of a wait and see approach with the Browns this year after Cleveland fell flat to expectations in 2019, as they are 8.5-point road dogs against the AFC’s top regular season team a year ago in the Ravens. The only home dogs are the Falcons, Jaguars, Bengals, Rams, and Giants, none of which are shocking — although, even with Ben Roethlisberger back, it’s a bit surprising to see the Steelers laying more than a field goal on the road.
The biggest surprise might be the nightcap on Monday, where the Broncos are three-point home favorites against the Titans, as it seems the folks in Vegas are buying in on Drew Lock in Denver — and/or not buying in on a repeat to the end of last year from Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, and the Titans. The biggest matchup of the week in terms of interest nationally is, surprisingly, not in primetime, but Drew Brees and Tom Brady’s first meeting as divisional foes will be in Week 1 in New Orleans, where the Saints are 4-point favorites.