Having overcome issues relating to the current global pandemic in order to begin the 2020 season on time, the NFL is now in full flow with its team already midway through the regular campaign. Last year's Superbowl winners Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed a superb start, winning eight of their opening nine fixtures, and their form has only been bettered by a relentless Pittsburgh Steelers outfit who are motivated having narrowly missed out on the playoffs last time around. However, with the Chiefs not in action this weekend and the Steelers taking on lowly Cincinatti Bengals, punters will have to look elsewhere for value bets.
The NFL betting odds which immediately stand out to us is bookmakers going with the Buffalo Bills as outsiders to get the better of Arizona Cardinals. The Bills came through a thriller in their last match, fending off a stirring fightback from Seattle Seahawks before eventually running out 44-34 victors, and their strong end to the contest was in sharp contrast to what the Cardinals produced against Miami Dolphins. Holding a seven-point advantage heading into the final quarter, Cardinals shipped 10 points without reply to lose 34-31. It remains to be seen whether that setback will have long-standing ramifications, but punters should take advantage of the 6/5 which is on offer for the Bills.
Moving back to the Seahawks, and we fancy them to come out on top in a tight game with Los Angeles Rams. Both teams showed plenty of character in their most recent encounters, and that leads us to consider the margin of victory. Both teams are available in the region of 4/1 to win by between one and five points, and that feels like a no-brainer when you also take into account that very little separates the sides in the standings. We also like the 11/10 offered for a Seahawks win, but this may be the fixture where you should be taking more of a calculated risk.
There are three teams - the Steelers, the Dolphins and New Orleans Saints - who have all put together a winning streak of four matches or more, and you can get in the region of 2/1 for the trio to prolong their current runs. The Steelers, who have emerged victorious in all eight of their games this season, are worth backing despite the Bengals recording a shock triumph over Tennessee Titans in their most recent outing for just their second success. We also have few issues in betting on the Dolphins to heap further misery on a Los Angeles Chargers side who have prevailed in just one of their last five encounters.
More thought should perhaps be given to the other contest involving the Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. While the Saints have won their last five and the 49ers have suffered back-to-back defeats, it is worth noting that the 49ers recorded a 14-3 scoreline during the final quarter against Green Bay Packers in their last match. Although it was far too little too late as they ultimately succumbed to a 34-17 defeat, the manner in which they finished that clash, against high-quality opponents, should be taken into consideration when committing to the three-fold.
