Ahead of the 2023/24 NFL season, Corey Parson gives us an insight on the futures bets he has placed at Bovada Sportsbook.
The countdown to the 2023-2024 NFL season is on, and the schedule is set. Now is a good time to start thinking about NFL Futures at Bovada Sportsbook. Here are some 2023 Regular Season Win Totals that I have already bet on.
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Baltimore Ravens Over 9.5 (-130)
It’s fair to say that the Baltimore Ravens’ quarterback situation was the biggest story of the NFL offseason. The Ravens’ star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, did not leave the franchise. Instead, they made him the highest-paid player in NFL history. Jackson re-ups with a Ravens team that won 10 games last season, despite Jackson missing the final five games of the season.
This season, the Ravens have added some new pieces to an offense that struggled at times last season. Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator is Todd Monken, who spent the previous two seasons as the offensive coordinator for the Georgia Bulldogs’ back-to-back National Championship teams. Jackson also gets new weapons in the passing game with Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Zay Flowers. There is a lot of optimism for the Ravens’ passing game, but the health of running back J.K. Dobbins will be key; if he is healthy, Baltimore is very tough to beat.
The knock against them is that they play in the toughest division in the league. The AFC North is loaded, with the Bengals as a title contender, Pittsburgh having the best head coach in pro sports, and the Browns expected to improve under DeShaun Watson this season. However, Lamar Jackson has a 45-16 record as a starting quarterback.
Detroit Lions Under 9.5 (-105)
Every now and then, a team comes into a season with a ton of hype due to some success the previous season. For example, the 2021 Cleveland Browns were a team that many thought would contend in the AFC. However, they ended up going 8-9 and missing the postseason. This year, everyone is on the Detroit Lions. That’s right, the hapless Lions have become America’s team. The NFL added fuel to the fire by choosing the Lions to play in the regular season opener against the Chiefs. That’s a huge accomplishment for the franchise. As a betting man, I have to fade the public, which means I’m going under on the Lions’ win total.
The Lions finished the year winning 8 of their last 10 games and just missed the playoffs. Jared Goff made the Pro Bowl, Jamaal Williams led the league in rushing touchdowns, and Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 106 passes. Things are looking up for the Lions; they even had 4 nationally televised games last season.
While the Lions are excellent on offense, the defense leaves little to be desired. They allowed 25 points per game, which was in the bottom 5 in the league. Opponents averaged 392 yards per game, which was dead last in the NFL. I’m not so sure the Lions are a 10-win team just yet.
Minnesota Vikings Under 8.5 (-110)
The Vikings won 13 games last season, but they were the softest 13-win team you will ever see. The New York Giants went into Minnesota during wildcard weekend and ended their season. A 13-win division champion lost at home in the playoffs by a touchdown. The Vikings were a fluke last season, as seven of their 13 wins were by 5 points or less, and all of their 4 regular season losses were by double digits.
Just about every metric suggests that the Vikings are due to regress this season. They can’t keep winning close games. Minnesota will be facing 7 of last year’s playoff teams. It is expected that Minnesota will likely get off to a slow start this season. Then, I would expect them to turn their attention to drafting USC quarterback Caleb Williams.
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