2026 NFL betting preview: Will Seahawks repeat?

September 09, 2026 - 12:10pm

VSiN betting analyst Wes Reynolds joins By The Books and gives his thoughts on the NFL's season opener between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks and the Monday night matchup between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs.

At long last, the NFL regular season is upon us.

And the best part: we get it one day earlier than normal with the Seattle Seahawks hosting the New England Patriots on Wednesday (!) night.

With off-season roster transactions over and done with, the betting markets have settled on the lines for the 2026 campaign. Here's the 4-1-1 on some of the most popular NFL futures:

All odds courtesy of BetMGM and subject to change

Super Bowl odds

Los Angeles Rams +500 (win total over/under 11.5)
Buffalo Bills +1000 (win total over/under 10.5)
Baltimore Ravens +1100 (win total over/under 11)
Seattle Seahawks +1200 (win total over/under 10.5)
Kansas City Chiefs +1500 (win total over/under 10.5)
Los Angeles Chargers +1700 (win total over/under 9.5)
San Francisco 49ers +1700 (win total over/under 10.5)
Denver Broncos +1800 (win total over/under 9.5)
Detroit Lions +1800 (win total over/under 10.5)
Philadelphia Eagles +1800 (win total over/under 10.5)
Cincinnati Bengals +2000 (win total over/under 10.5)
Green Bay Packers +2000 (win total over/under 9.5)
Houston Texans +2000 (win total over/under 10.5)
New England Patriots +2000 (win total over/under 10)
Chicago Bears +2500 (win total over/under 9.5)
Dallas Cowboys +2500 (win total over/under 9.5)
Jacksonville Jaguars +3000 (win total over/under 9)
Minnesota Vikings +5000 (win total over/under 8.5)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +5000 (win total over/under 8.5)
Indianapolis Colts +6600 (win total over/under 7.5)
New York Giants +6600 (win total over/under 7.5)
Washington Commanders +6600 (win total over/under 7.5)
New Orleans Saints +8000 (win total over/under 7.5)
Pittsburgh Steelers +8000 (win total over/under 8.5)
Atlanta Falcons +10000 (win total over/under 6.5)
Carolina Panthers +10000 (win total over/under 7.5)
Las Vegas Raiders +15000 (win total over/under 5.5)
Cleveland Browns +25000 (win total over/under 5.5)
New York Jets +25000 (win total over/under 5.5)
Tennessee Titans +25000 (win total over/under 6.5)
Arizona Cardinals +50000 (win total over/under 3.5)
Miami Dolphins +50000 (win total over/under 3.5)

The Rams enter the season as the favourite to hoist the Lombardi in February, and a quick glance at their roster will show you why. Los Angeles is loaded from top to bottom, with superstars sprinkled in at every phase of the game and reigning MVP Matthew Stafford commanding the huddle.

Also among the top teams are those that boast superstar quarterbacks in the Ravens, Bills and Chiefs. Typically tabbed as the most likely to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl, this year is no different.

Some of the biggest risers compared to last season's odds include Seattle and New England. After entering last year with +6000 odds to win the Super Bowl, the Seahawks now hold the fourth-best odds to repeat, while the Patriots' appearance in The Big Game vaulted them up to +2000.

Two of the biggest fallers are the Steelers and Vikings, as both of their odds doubled from the start of last season. Pittsburgh won 10 games and its division in 2025, but Aaron Rodgers is a year older and the Steelers' dominant defence took a major step back. Minnesota is coming off a middling season and has a giant question mark at QB.

Josh Allen is favoured to take home his second piece of hardware, while Stafford is right in the mix to go back-to-back. Quarterbacks also make up the top 20 contenders for the award, as a non-QB hasn't won the honour since running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.

Where the MVP is dominated by QBs, the Offensive Player of the Year tends to reward skill-position players. This season's favourites are headlined by some usual suspects, including by Jahmyr Gibbs of the Lions. The young running back is coming off a monstrous season in which he totalled 1,839 yards and 18 touchdowns, and now his old running mate David Montgomery is leading the backfield in Houston.

Pass rushers dominate the market to win Defensive Player of the Year, and rightfully so. Since 2010, only four non-pass rushers have taken home the award, with Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II being the most recent in 2024. Abdul Carter is the most interesting name among the favourites, as the second-year man is part of a deep group in New York and he endured a fairly underwhelming rookie campaign compared to his lofty expectations as the third overall pick.

Division winner odds (plus playoff chances)

AFC North
Ravens -110 (make playoffs: -375 | miss playoffs: +300)
Bengals +175 (make playoffs: -200 | miss playoffs: +165)
Steelers +550 (make playoffs: +150 | miss playoffs: -185)
Browns +2200 (make playoffs: +600 | miss playoffs: -900)

John Harbaugh is out of Baltimore, but with Lamar Jackson leading the way, the Ravens will likely get back on track. The Bengals finally decided to invest heavily in defence, while the reigning division-champion Steelers added some weapons for Rodgers. Cleveland has a handful of issues, and it doesn't help that it traded away the best defensive player in football in Myles Garrett.

AFC East
Bills -150 (make playoffs: -350 | miss playoffs: +280)
Patriots +140 (make playoffs: -185 | miss playoffs: +150)
Jets +2000 (make playoffs: +800 | miss playoffs: -1400)
Dolphins +4500 (make playoffs: +1500 | miss playoffs: -5000)

The Patriots took the division crown away from the Bills last season for the first time since 2019, but Buffalo is still the favourite due to one man: Josh Allen. Having arguably the game's top QB will always keep you as the top dog, but Drake Maye's Pats — who are coming off a Super Bowl appearance — will give the Bills a run for their money. The Jets and Dolphins, meanwhile, are in rebuild mode.

AFC West
Chiefs +180 (make playoffs: -210 | miss playoffs: +170)
Chargers +185 (make playoffs: -160 | miss playoffs: +135)
Broncos +200 (make playoffs: -145 | miss playoffs: +120)
Raiders +3000 (make playoffs: +550 | miss playoffs: -1000)

The 14-win Broncos have the third-best odds to win the division, albeit by a tiny margin, when all they did was retain an unprecedented amount of players from last season and add receiver Jaylen Waddle. Perhaps that's because Patrick Mahomes is back and healthy with the Chiefs, and the Justin Herbert-led Chargers are ready to rock and roll with new offensive co-ordinator Mike McDaniel.

AFC South
Texans +105 (make playoffs: -175 | miss playoffs: +145)
Jaguars +240 (make playoffs: -115| miss playoffs: -105)
Colts +400 (make playoffs: +165 | miss playoffs: -200)
Titans +850 (make playoffs: +400 | miss playoffs: -550)

Trevor Lawrence and the Jags won the South last season, but they still sit behind the Texans and their vaunted defence. The Colts were on their way to the top seed until QB Daniel Jones went down with an injury. With him back on the field, can Indianapolis claim its first division title since 2014? Tennessee is on the upswing with now-sophomore QB Cam Ward, and can easily surprise people with a new coaching staff and revamped defence.

NFC North
Lions +160 (make playoffs: -220 | miss playoffs: +180)
Packers +250 (make playoffs: -140 | miss playoffs: +115)
Bears +325 (make playoffs: -105 | miss playoffs: -115)
Vikings +450 (make playoffs: +150 | miss playoffs: -185)

All four teams have made the post-season over the last two seasons, and the division once again will be one of the most competitive in football. Jared Goff and the Lions feature a potent offence, as do Caleb Williams and the Bears. Green Bay is without Micah Parsons for the start of the season and Josh Jacobs is out indefinitely while on the commissioner's exempt list, so some early-season struggles could be expected. If the Vikings hope to contend for top spot, they'll need a rebound season from Kyler Murray under centre.

NFC East
Eagles +125 (make playoffs: -175 | miss playoffs: +145)
Cowboys +175 (make playoffs: -115 | miss playoffs: -105)
Giants +575 (make playoffs: +260 | miss playoffs: -325)
Commanders +650 (make playoffs: +240 | miss playoffs: -300)

If Jayden Daniels can stay healthy and return to his Rookie of the Year-winning form, the Commanders are serious sleepers to dethrone the Eagles. Philly is on its fifth offensive co-ordinator in as many seasons, and it also lost star wideout A.J. Brown. The Giants should be a fun watch and a team to keep an eye on with their young talent on offence and impressive pass rush. For the Cowboys, it will once again come down to whether their defence can step up.

NFC West
Rams -105 (make playoffs: -500 | miss playoffs: +375)
Seahawks +200 (make playoffs: -220 | miss playoffs: +180)
49ers +333 (make playoffs: -150 | miss playoffs: +125)
Cardinals +10000 (make playoffs: +2000 | miss playoffs: -10000)

The reigning Super Bowl champs not favoured to win their division? Crazy, right? Well, the Rams and 2025 MVP Stafford somehow only got stronger, adding Garrett and Trent McDuffie to bolster the D. Oh, and some guy named Aaron Donald decided to return to their defensive line. Brock Purdy and the 49ers are always a threat to contend, as long as they stay healthy. And the Cardinals, well, at least they have some fun, young weapons on offence.

NFC South
Buccaneers +170 (make playoffs: +125 | miss playoffs: -150)
Saints +260 (make playoffs: +185 | miss playoffs: -225)
Panthers +325 (make playoffs: +240 | miss playoffs: -300)
Falcons +400 (make playoffs: +240 | miss playoffs: -300)

The only division to not field a team with an above-.500 record in '25, the NFC South is once again a crapshoot. The Buccaneers are the favourite, and QB Baker Mayfield's three-year, $165-million deal will only have him feeling rejuvenated. New Orleans is entering Year 2 under Kellen Moore while QB Tyler Shough, last year's second-rounder, is entering his first full season as the starter. But don't disregard Bryce Young and the Panthers. Carolina took the division crown last season and nearly beat the Rams in the post-season. The Falcons, meanwhile, have uncertainty at the QB position between current starter Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr., and are down many of the defenders that helped them record the second-most sacks in the league last season.