NFL Week 1 odds: Chiefs favored over Ravens in Thursday opener

It’s only May and the gambling public is already looking ahead to Week 1 of the NFL season.

The Kansas City Chiefs have been installed as three-point favorites on DraftKings for their Week 1 home game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The NFL announced Monday that the Chiefs will open the season on “Thursday Night Football” against Baltimore in a rematch of the AFC Championship game.

The Chiefs entered that game as 3.5-point underdogs but won, 17-10, thanks to some timely turnovers and strong defensive play that slowed down MVP Lamar Jackson.

Baltimore is +130 on the moneyline to the open this season, compared to the Chiefs’ -155 odds, with the over/under coming in at 47.5.

The Ravens mostly bring back the same team for 2024, although they did let Odell Beckham Jr. walk to the Miami Dolphins.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs look likely to be without budding star wide receiver Rashee Rice.

Since the Super Bowl win, Rice has found himself in quite a bit of trouble. The league expects him to be suspended for a variety off-the-field transgressions.

Still, the odds showcase the Chiefs’ power in the NFL as back-to-back defending champions.

Last season, the Chiefs also hosted the season’s first game, hosting the the Detroit Lions in a game that is best known as the “Kadarius Toney Game.”

Toney dropped multiple passes, including one that turned into a Detroit pick-six for a game-tying touchdown.

Betting on the NFL?

The Chiefs lost that game to the Lions, 21-20, a result that gave the world an early preview that these would not be the same old Lions.

Detroit found itself among the final four teams remaining in the playoffs, but wasted their chance to face the Chiefs in the Super Bowl after blowing a huge lead against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game.