Week 1 of the NFL season is always unique for bookmakers and bettors, as it’s the one time in the season where there are several months to bet into a line. To wit, the line for Cowboys-Eagles opened all the way back in May at sportsbooks, with Philadelphia as a 7-point home favorite.
For much of the summer, the line mainly bounced between 7 and 7.5, but it was mostly Eagles -7 until last week when the Dallas Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers, shifting the line from -7 to -7.5 at sportsbooks — and -8 at others — and moving the total from 46.5 to 47.5. Betting action has pushed the number as high as Eagles -8.5 at some sportsbooks, like BetMGM.
Advertisement
“It’s been one-way action so far on the Eagles,” Joey Feazel, head NFL trader at Caesars Sportsbook, told Yahoo Sports. “We’re sitting at 8 right now, and our peak [Wednesday] was 8.5. We’ve been getting some pushback when we get closer to 9, so the line is probably where it needs to be. We’re likely going to need the Eagles to win, but not cover.”
Every sportsbook Yahoo Sports spoke with this week had more wagers and tickets on Philadelphia to cover.
At BetMGM, 65% of the wagers and 71% of total dollars wagered were on the Eagles to cover the 8.5-point spread, as of Thursday morning. However, 57% of the bets at BetMGM were on the Cowboys money line at +350 odds, so public bettors were hoping for a longer-shot payout with a Dallas win. More money and bets at BetMGM were also on the over 47.5.
Advertisement
The money-line trend differed by sportsbook, though, as Fanatics Sportsbook reported over 90% of wagers and 95% of the money was on the Eagles money line — a total that included parlay wagers.
With Philadelphia a 7.5-point (or larger) favorite, the Eagles are also a popular teaser option to open the Week 1 NFL weekend for bettors. “Teasers and moneyline parlays are on [the Eagles],” one Vegas oddsmaker texted Yahoo Sports.
Oddsmakers don’t have high expectations for the Cowboys this season, as Dallas’ preseason win total of 7.5 is the team’s lowest since 2003, per the Sports Odds History database.
One of the more interesting wagers came in at Caesars, as one bettor in Indiana wagered $10,000 on an alternate line of Dallas +21.5 at -708 odds. The bet would win $1,412.43 if the Cowboys win or lose by fewer than 22 points.
Advertisement
The Eagles were one of the best teams in the league at 11-6 against the spread last season, but were only 6-5 ATS as a home favorite. The Cowboys were 7-10 ATS, including 6-8 ATS as an underdog in 2024.
Philadelphia RB Saquon Barkley to rush for more than 95.5 rushing yards was the most-bet prop wager at BetMGM by total tickets.
Read the full article here