Public on Chiefs; sharps on Texans, under
The NFL season begins in a few hours, and stop me if you’ve heard this before: The public is betting the favorite, while the sharps are on the underdog and under.
The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs are consensus 9½-point home favorites against the Houston Texans in the season opener Thursday. The total is 53½.
“Action has been good. Number is starting to tick up a bit,” Sunset Station sportsbook director Chuck Esposito said via text message. “Public on the Chiefs. Sharps on the dog and under.”
The Chiefs were installed as 10½-point favorites when lines first opened during the summer. The line got to 9 earlier this week before moving back up Thursday. The total opened as high as 56½ in the summer and was still 55 at some books earlier this week before moving down.
Circa sportsbook manager Chris Bennett also reported sharp action on the under — Circa was down to 52½ — but didn’t think the spread would go higher.
“Unlikely to see 10 unless we take a really big bet on the Chiefs,” he said via text message.
Bennett also said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to score the first touchdown of the game was a popular prop. Mahomes was at +1,750 Thursday afternoon.
The game is a rematch from last season’s divisional playoffs in which the Texans took a 24-0 lead before the Chiefs roared back for a 51-31 victory. They also played in the regular season, with Houston winning 31-24.
“The Texans scored exactly 31 points in each game. One winner and one loser,” Esposito said. “Wonder if they’ll put 31 on the board again tonight.”
Contact Jim Barnes at jbarnes@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0277. Follow @JimBarnesLV on Twitter.
