The NFL schedule released on May 7, which gave odds-makers a chance to set early lines for Week 1 of the 2020 season.
The Houston Texans take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Game 1 of 2020 on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.
How do odds-makers see the game, even though NFL team facilities are still off limits, even though there is no foreseeable plan for offseason workouts, even though there’s so much uncertainty in the world and both on and off the field in the NFL?
According to BetMGM, the Super Bowl LIV-winning Chiefs are favored by 10.0 over the Texans, winners of the AFC South for the past two seasons.
Even if the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t affecting the NFL, the fact is the Chiefs are a tough draw at home. Although they went 5-3 in the regular season, Kansas City overcame a 24-point deficit at home against the Texans in the divisional and a 10-point deficit at Arrowhead against the Titans in the AFC Championship Game. In other words, especially at home, the Chiefs are never out of it, and they ended up beating Houston 51-31 and Tennessee 35-24.
Another element is that there is a certain ambiguity surrounding the Texans’ offense. Did they really upgrade at running back with David Johnson over Carlos Hyde? Who is quarterback Deshaun Watson going to throw to now that receiver DeAndre Hopkins is in Arizona? Can Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, Brandin Cooks, and Kenny Stills be reliable enough threats for Watson, and can they stay on the field? Is offensive coordinator Tim Kelly really going to call the plays, or continue the stale feel as play-caller that coach Bill O’Brien has had since 2017?
The point spread is the highest of Week 1 so far. The only other games that come close are Arizona-San Francisco and Cleveland-Baltimore, where the home teams are favored by 8.5 points each.
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