How To Bet On Tonight's Football Game

1. How To Bet On Tonight's Football Games On
2. How To Bet In Football
3. How To Bet On Football Games At Casino
4. Bet Money On Football Games

Bet on Today's Football matches with William Hill. Great odds & excitement from the world's favourite. Cash In My Bet - bets placed on this market can be cashed in in-play (as long as betting is still available on the market). For information on how to Cash In your bet. You’ll see a large number with both (o) & (u) – this is the total. Bet on the final score to be over or under this number. Like the point spread, you’ll see odds associated with taking the over or under. With some exceptions, expect to see these odds in the range of -105 to -115 when betting.

How to Bet on Football

If you're looking to learn how to bet on NFL football, you're reading the right betting guide. There isn't a more popular sport to bet on in North America then football, as bettors each fall clamour to anything and everything related to betting on football. From point spreads, to over/unders, to money lines, to everything in between, there is no busier time in the sports betting landscape then during those fall and winter months when football season is going on.

How to bet on football during the season is about as easy as it comes as sportsbooks everywhere make the sport their priority. There is never a shortage of betting options on football games, and with the popularity of fantasy football as well, player props – NFL bets based on the player's production – are plentiful as well. To learn more about the NFL game and NFL players check out ourNFL headlines page which is constantly being updated for the latest NFL news and injuries to help you with your NFL bets.

Best Football Betting Sites

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Understanding Football Odds

The biggest thing in regards to understanding NFL odds relates to the point spread that's put up on each game. Betting on football isn't as simple as just picking the eventual winner of the game, you've got to consider who will win, but more importantly by how much. The point spread is considered the great equalizer in football betting, and being on the right side of that line is the goal of every football bettor. An example of this would be seeing the Kansas City Chiefs as a -4.5 favorite over their opponent, meaning they would have to win the game by at least five points for a bet on KC to win. Otherwise their opponent covers the point spread and that side would win.

How To Bet On Tonight's Football Games On

Aside from the point spread, the next biggest betting option in football odds each year is the over/under, or total for the game. All these are are point totals bettors are asked to go over or under on for the total combined points in a game. For example a total may be posted at 48.5, and the bettor's job is to predict whether or not the total number of points in the game will exceed or stay below that number. A final score of 30-20 would cash an 'over' bet (50 total points), while a final score of 24-21 (45 total points) would connect on an 'under' selection.

NFL Future Wagers

Future wagers in football are what bettors everywhere spend a good chunk of the summer breaking down, as it's all about what football teams will ultimately come out on top in whatever category the future wager concerns itself with.

The biggest future wager deals with who will ultimately win the Super Bowl that year, and that's one where all the teams will have varying odds on their championship potential. The more likely the team is to be in the championship/playoff fold, the lower their odds will be, but that shouldn't discourage you from looking at teams further down the odds list. Anything and everything can happen during a football season and often does.

Aside from trying to correctly predict the outright champion, other future wagers in football deal with eventual winners in different categories. For team-based futures, these include things like winning their respective division or conference (in college football), winning the AFC or NFC conference in the NFL, and probably the most popular, whether or not a team will go over or under their season win total projection. That's as simple as it sounds. Numbers are put up on how many outright wins a team will have in a given year – say 8.5 for the Buffalo Bills – and the bettor's job is to decipher whether or not the Bills will finish with at least 9 wins (over) or less (under).

How to Bet the Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is the single biggest betting event on the sports calendar each year, and finding a place to bet on the game is never hard. How to bet on the Super Bowl is a tough thing to explain because you can literally bet on everything about the game and all the surrounding festivities that go on within it, so it's really up to the individual bettor on their wagering preference.

Super Bowl odds for the game itself are the first numbers to hit the market, as the Super Bowl line for the game is the number that quickly gets quoted and discussed about once the matchup is set. But Super Bowl betting is such a vast landscape as a whole, that it's a good thing for some that there is a two-week lead up to the game itself. Below are various tables of the best NFL betting sites with signup bonuses to get you started on your NFL betting journey.

How to Bet the College Football Playoff

NCAA Football odds bring a bit of a different dynamic to football betting overall, as the disparity in talent a lot of the time between college programs brings much larger college football point spreads in general. That tends to not be the case once the college football playoff arrives, as these are the consensus four best teams in the country that year, and with a full season of data behind them, sportsbooks are able to put out some of the toughest (aka sharpest) college football lines out for those playoff games.

College football betting lines during the CFB playoff are dissected for weeks, as bettors look to get what they believe to be the best of the number depending on which program(s) they are looking to back. It's a format where you get three total games to break down from a side and total perspective, and hopefully when it is time for that National Championship game, you keep the big picture in mind of what said teams did over the course of the entire year, and not just how good/bad they looked in advancing through the semi-final matchup.

Popular Football Wagers

Popular football wagers can generally be described as any and all wagers on the point spread or total for football games because of the overwhelming popularity of the sport for betting on the whole. Part of the reason for such popularity is the format of the game itself, as bettors get essentially a full week to do all the research they deem necessary to be successful and then go from there. There are fewer snap decisions or feelings of unpreparedness as there can be with the other major North American sports that operate on a daily schedule because there is only so much one can do in a single day.

NFL Point Spread

If you had to rank or make a list of the most popular football wagers, the point spread would have to come in at the top. All football fans/bettors believe they have more of a grasp on the general question(s) of what team will win and by how many, as opposed to the total points scored, which effectively can be a bit more random. Point spread wagers are where everyone likes to concentrate their attention first.

NFL Over-Under

The total, or over-under, for a football game would have to be classified as next on the popularity list, as it is a wager where you can find a bit more of an edge over the oddsmaker if you are confident in what your handicapping process entails for totals. Yes, the total points scored can be considered a bit more random then the eventual winner of the game, but it's over-under numbers that see more movement on the whole each week leading up to a weekend of football action because bettors everywhere believe their data models etc give them a significant edge at certain numbers and don't hesitate to exploit them when available.

NFL Money Line

Money line bets in football are those where bettors can eliminate the second half of the questions regarding what football team will win and by how much. The “how much” doesn't matter at all in money line plays and oddsmakers price them accordingly. A bettor will have to put up much more money to win say $100 on the ML for a team that's got a -10 number beside their name on the point spread as opposed to a -3 favorite. But that's the price some are willing to pay to avoid getting burned by the 'winning by how much' question.

How Do I Bet Football Parlays

Speaking of money line wagers in football, one of the most common forms of getting a bulk of money line wagers is to have a few of them parlayed together. Betting football parlays is relatively simple in that you need at least two games to make a parlay, and whether or not you chose to use the money lines, point spreads, totals, or any combination of those three is completely up to the bettor.

An example of a football parlay would go like this: Say you believe the New England Patriots and Denver Broncos are both going to win their respective matchups on Sunday. This would be where you are using money line prices only and not concerned with the point spread or over/under for the games.

New England has a money line price of -200 while Denver has a money line price of -150. Bet separately, a bettor would have to put up $200 to win $100 on New England and $150 to win $100 on Denver, but combining the two teams in a money line (aka ML) parlay would have those odds multiplied together. In turn that creates a +150 price overall, and now a single $100 bet would end up potentially paying out $150 in profit for the bettor. However, both teams have to win their games, otherwise the parlay wager is a loser. That's the risk you take with parlays.

What are NFL Prop Bets

Prop bets, short for proposition, are bets that are essentially on anything and everything not specifically related to overall result of who wins and loses. That's not entirely true on specifics, but that's also part of a discussion for another day.

In general proposition bets cover things like statistical results for players – how many completions will a QB have, how many catches or receiving yards will a player have, or even how many points a field goal kicker will account for in a game. The list for what's offered in prop wagers for a specific football game is extremely long at sportsbooks, far too long to fully get into here, but if football bettors come to them with a fantasy football background they are much more easily digested. Prop betting is a market that's picked up exponential interest in recent years on online betting sites because the numbers oddsmakers typically put out are believed to be more beatable, but again, it takes plenty of time and research to feel completely comfortable in what you're doing with them. For example, you can place an NFL prop bet on Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper to have over 8.5 catches on Sunday Night Football against the New York Giants. NFL Prop bets allow the game to remain entertaining even when the score is lopsided.

NFL Teasers

Teasers are another popular football bet where NFL bettors can essentially manipulate the point spread and/or over-under line to a more favorable number for their selection. Sportsbooks offer NFL teasers in a variety of point ranges – as even buying a half-point on a spread is a form of a teaser, but in general, 6, 6.5, 7 and 10-point teasers are offered.

Depending on the range a bettor selects – say a 6-point teaser – lines are then manipulated plus or minus 6 points for the bettor depending on what team/side they like. If the New England Patriots were a -7 favorite against Buffalo and you wanted to use a 6-point teaser on them, the new point spread would be New England -1 (moving 6 points lower), whereas if you liked the underdog Buffalo Bills instead in that game, the teased line would then be Buffalo +13 (moving 6 points higher. Teasers do also function like parlays in the sense that you've got to have at least two teased options to make a single teaser.

NFL Live Betting and In-Game Wagering

Many bettors and oddsmakers alike believe that live betting and in-game wagering is the future of sports betting on the whole, and with football betting being the biggest piece of the sports betting pie, live betting football games can be quite thrilling and profitable all at once.

How it works is exactly as the name suggests, as point spreads, totals, and money line prices (among numerous other things including prop bets) are offered throughout each game and before each play. Prices reflect the current score at the time and who has the football and where on the field, so if a pre-game favorite finds themselves in an early hole on the scoreboard, you can rightfully assume that that team is getting at least some support on the ML or new point spreads in live betting offerings.

Super Bowl 54 that saw the Kansas City Chiefs come back in the 2nd half to the beat San Francisco 49ers saw plenty of in-game wagering overall, as bettors who believed the Chiefs would ultimately come back did not hesitate to get as good as underdog price on the ML as they could with Kansas City when they were trailing.

With the way that data is consumed instantly these days, in-game wagering is offered on all NFL games each week and the majority of college football games as well. So whether it's Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, or just a typical Sunday afternoon of following a full slate of football, live betting is something that every bettor should be willing to add to their toolbox as a handicapper.

NFL 1st half and 2nd half bets

These NFL bets are rather self explanatory as well, as they are just point spreads, totals, and money line prices for the respect 30 minutes of play they are titled as. Generally speaking (although it's by no means exactly how they work) 1st half bets are the full game numbers cut in half, give or take a point or so. So a full game line of New England Patriots -7 with a total of 48.5 would see 1st half lines of New England -3.5 or -4, with a 1st half total likely somewhere around 23.5 to 24.5.

2nd half bets are a bit of a different beast as they have to account for what's happened in the first 30 minutes so far and adjust accordingly to what was listed pre-game as well.

Other Football Leagues in United States and North America

XFL Football

XFL Football returned in 2020 before being shutdown like every other sporting event in the spring because of world events, but in the short time XFL action was on the football field, it had plenty of sports from football bettors everywhere. The success in that market proves just how much bettors love to bet on the game of football regardless of the league, and with the XFL coming back for 2021, and the league's initiative to welcome sports betting talk and referencing with open arms, there is likely tremendous growth in store for XFL betting markets in the future.

Canadian Football

Canadian Football (aka the CFL) has a few key rule differences to that of the NFL/NCAA football, but it's still the same game out there on the gridiron and can still be bet on accordingly. Given scoring and rule differences – like the XFL – key betting numbers in terms of the point spread and over-under lines are a little different, but CFL betting lines aren't nearly as obsessed over NFL/NCAAF lines are for oddsmakers and if you are able and willing to put in the time, CFL profits can be just as green for your bankroll's bottom line.

Each week, TheLines will provide a betting breakdown and analysis for the upcoming Monday Night Football game. We’ll look at the odds and see why they’re moving a certain way, along with breaking down the matchup and providing the week’s best prop bets.

The Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots will face off at Gillette Stadium for a Week 16 AFC East showdown on Monday night, Dec. 28. The game marks the 122nd meeting between the teams in a series the Patriots lead 76-44-1. The most recent game between the teams unfolded in Week 8 of this season, when Buffalo recorded a 24-21 win at New Era Field.

In that contest, the Bills’ Josh Allen threw for just 154 yards and an interception, but the backfield duo of Devin Singletary and Zack Moss combined for 167 rushing yards and two touchdowns (Moss) on 28 carries. Stefon Diggs also found a way to be productive despite the lackluster day for the passing attack, compiling a solid 6-92 line.

MNF odds and betting breakdown

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots – 8:15 p.m. ET

The two teams come into this divisional clash with diametrically opposite outlooks for what remains of the regular season. For its part, Buffalo already has the AFC East crown in its pocket, having clinched it with a blowout victory over the Broncos in Week 15. Meanwhile, the Patriots are officially out of the postseason after having fallen to the Miami Dolphins on the road last Sunday. The Bills can still potentially improve their overall seeding, so coach Sean McDermott will presumably approach this game with a competitive mindset regardless of his team’s guaranteed postseason spot.

The history of the line for this game reflects the belief of the oddsmakers and betting public that Buffalo has both more talent and motivation than its opponent. The line opened at Bills -4.5 late last week, and it subsequently bumped up to 6.5 after Week 15 results. It’s climbed another half-point to a full touchdown advantage for the visitors as of Friday afternoon. It is currently Bills .

The only notable short-term injury concern (the Bills’ John Brown and the Patriots’ Julian Edelman both appear to be trending toward remaining on injured reserve for at least another week) for either team comes in the form of Patriots running back Damien Harris, who’s listed as questionable as of Friday afternoon with the ankle issue that cost him the Week 15 contest against Miami.

The projected total for the contest has had very modest movement in comparison with the point spread. It sat at 45.5 points late Sunday and has only inched up another half-point since then, putting it a point over the final number for the first meeting between these clubs. The Over has a particularly poor record in New England’s home games this season, lending credence to the notion this could be a lower-scoring matchup. The total is currently .

• The Bills are 9-5 (64.3%) against the spread this season, including 3-3 as a road team and 1-3 (25.0%) in division matchups. The Over is 9-4-1 (69.2%) in Buffalo’s games this season, including 4-3 (57.1%) in its road games and 3-1 (75.0%) in its division matchups.
• The Patriots are 6-8 (42.9%) against the spread this season, including 4-2 (66.7%t) as a home team and 2-2 in AFC East matchups. Then, the Over is 4-10 (28.6%) in New England’s games this season, including 1-5 (16.7%) in its games as a home team and 2-2 against AFC East opponents.

MNF prop search tool

Looking to bet on props for Monday Night Football? Use our prop search tool to find the best odds across legal sportsbooks in the US.

Bills vs. Patriots matchup

Despite being without Brown for the last four games, Allen has shown impressive adaptability and has posted an 8:1 TD:INT while throwing for 972 yards over the last three contests specifically. Those types of numbers aren’t always the norm against what has been a stingy Patriots secondary this season, but New England’s loss of Stephon Gilmore for the rest of the season with a quadriceps injury suffered against the Dolphins could change that narrative somewhat this week. When Gilmore missed three games earlier this season with a knee injury, the Pats surrendered a combined five touchdown passes to the duo of the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Jets’ Joe Flacco, so there could certainly be opportunities for a red-hot Allen.

There’s an even more favorable matchup on paper for the Bills on the ground. Miami’s Salvon Ahmed and Matt Breida just combined for 208 yards and a rushing TD against New England’s front seven in Week 15, while Singletary and Moss found plenty of running room in the first meeting between these teams, as alluded to earlier. The Pats check in allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game (133.0) and RB yards per carry (4.70), while New England also gives up the third-most adjusted line yards per tote (4.88).

On the other side is Cam Newton – who appears set to remain in the top job under center despite the Patriots no longer having any postseason aspirations. New England’s passing game has been uneven all season under Newton and with Edelman missing the last eight contests. The Bills have given up their share of yards through the air, but they’ve tightened up at the right time of the season by giving up just 202.7 passing yards per game over the last three contests. Buffalo’s pass defense DVOA is up to a respectable No. 15 ranking as a result, placing the Bills just in the top half of the league.

Meanwhile, opposing ground games have also found success on occasion against Buffalo, which has dealt with some injuries at the linebacker position this season that have contributed to some inconsistency against the run. Currently, the Bills check in allowing 123.9 rushing yards per game on the road, along with bottom-half figures of 4.50 adjusted line yards and 4.44 RB yards per carry allowed. If Harris is able to return for this game and work in tandem with Sony Michel, coach Bill Belichick could opt to lean heavily on the run in the hopes of protecting Newton, who sports an unsightly 5:10 TD:INT, has committed six fumbles (one lost) and has taken 31 sacks. The Bills defense has been one of the league’s best at taking the ball, posting 12 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries to place them at No. 4 in the league in total turnovers forced.

Best MNF betting sites

How to watch Monday Night Football

ESPN holds the rights to Monday Night Football and will cover 17 games from Week 1 through Week 16.

Games can be streamed on the go on ESPN’s website or WatchESPN app with a cable or satellite subscription. Streaming services such as Sling TV also carry ESPN in many of their subscription packages.

MNF betting tips

How to bet MNF like a sharp

Monday Night Football can be the most highly-anticipated game of any given week in the NFL throughout the season. The extra day of preparation, media coverage and overall hype brings more attention to every aspect of the game.

The extra day of rest can allow players to return from injury, but they may also be forcing themselves back to the field before they’re truly healthy due to the added attention on the game. Look at injury reports and have an idea of what kind of a role a star player will be able to handle.

The Monday Night spot can also create discrepancies in how much rest the two teams have had. Taking the most rested team (the one with the longest amount of time since its last game) can often be a good place to find some value at the sportsbooks, especially on the spread.

Never bet a game solely because it’s the final matchup of the week and is the best thing to watch on a Monday Night. Be ready to sit it out completely and wait for next week if there’s no value popping out at books.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Monday Night Football start?

As always, Monday Night Football debuted with a Week 1 doubleheader. The Steelers beat the Giants in the first game of the night on Sept. 14 and the Titans edged the Broncos.

Every other MNF game from Week 2 through Week 16 of the 2020 season will begin at 8:15 p.m. Eastern.

How to stream Monday Night Football?

The ESPN website and WatchESPN app are the easiest options for those with cable or satellite subscriptions. Many streaming services such as Sling TV, PlayStation Vue and Hulu include ESPN in most of their plans.

What is the highest-scoring Monday Night Football game ever?

The Rams’ 54-51 victory over the Chiefs in Week 11 of the 2018 season was the highest-scoring MNF game of all time. The 105 combined points topped the 95 points scored by the Green Bay Packers and Washington Redskins in 1983.

How To Bet In Football

Who are the MNF announcers?

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ESPN moved on from Joe Tessitore after two years and will now implement longtime SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy as the play-by-play man for MNF. Levy will be joined by former NFL quarterback Brian Griese and former NFL safety Louis Riddick.

John Parry remains as the rules analyst, and Lisa Salters returns as the sideline reporter.

Who was the original Monday Night Football broadcast crew?

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The original MNF broadcast crew on ABC in 1970 was made up of Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell and Don Meredith. Many cycled through the crew before Al Michaels took over as play-by-play commentator from 1986 through 2005. His color analysts included Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller and John Madden. Mike Tirico assumed play-by-play duties with Tony Kornheiser, Joe Theismann, Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya filling out the crew when ESPN took over the rights in 2006. Jon Gruden replaced Kornheiser in 2009 until he returned to the sidelines as head coach of the Oakland Raiders last season.