If it’s early May, then NFL fans know what is coming up: the release of the league’s regular season schedule. It is set to officially release on Wednesday, May 15th.
What used to be done in a press release has now become a major, multimedia event. Networks devote hours of airtime breaking down the weeks and the key games. Teams turn the reveal into a major social media production. All of this for games that won’t take place for at least another four months.
We’re experiencing some major FOMO here at BetKansas.com, so we thought we’d take a brief break from covering Kansas sports betting to handicap which team is most likely to get the most primetime slots this season.
Who Will Have The Most Primetime Games?
Team | Odds | Percent Chance |
|---|---|---|
Kansas City Chiefs | +450 | 18.2% |
Houston Texans | +700 | 12.5% |
Baltimore Ravens | +800 | 11.1% |
Dallas Cowboys | +800 | 11.1% |
Pittsburgh Steelers | +1000 | 9.1% |
Philadelphia Eagles | +1250 | 7.4% |
San Francisco 49ers | +1250 | 7.4% |
Detroit Lions | +1250 | 7.4% |
Cincinnati Bengals | +1500 | 6.3% |
The Field | +900 | 10.0% |
A reminder, these odds are for entertainment purposes only. You will not find them on any licensed online Kansas sports betting app. The actual release date from the NFL will be May 15th, but the Pittsburgh Steelers have a schedule release contest on the team website with an entry deadline of 3 a.m. ET next Tuesday.
Why The Chiefs Are The Favorite
Kansas City as the favorite shouldn’t be a surprise. The Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls. They have dynamic players like quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who is the +500 favorite at Kansas Caesars Sportsbook to win his third MVP award this season. There’s also Travis Kelce, Mahomes’ go-to tight end, who happens to be dating a certain megastar that TV cameras flock to whenever she attends a game.
Per the league rules, teams can not appear in more than six regular-season primetime games. So, we’re going to assume the Chiefs get six. We already know one slot for them. As the defending Super Bowl champs, they will kick off the regular season at home on Thursday, Sept. 5. We don’t know, though, who the Chiefs will play, nor do we know if either Taylor Swift or Jake from State Farm will be in attendance.
With that, here are the six most likely primetime games on the Chiefs schedule.
San Francisco 49ers
A no-brainer. A rematch of February’s Super Bowl, only the second ever to go to overtime, is a natural made-for-primetime event. This fall, the 49ers will get to host the game. FanDuel sportsbook Kansas has the Niners as this year’s favorite to win the Super Bowl. Their +550 odds are slightly shorter than the Chiefs’ +600.
Los Angeles Chargers
Of the Chiefs’ three AFC West rivals, the Chargers make the most sense for a primetime matchup. It can be pitched as a game between two top quarterbacks, Mahomes and Justin Herbert, and it also is a matchup of the coach who won the Super Bowl last season, Andy Reid, versus the coach who won last season’s college football championship, Chargers’ new coach Jim Harbaugh. BetMGM lists Harbaugh as its favorite to win NFL Coach of the Year, with odds of +550.
Buffalo Bills
As we’ve seen in the past, a game between Mahomes and Buffalo QB Josh Allen is a must-see event. They’ve played seven times since 2020, including three playoff games. The 42-36 playoff shootout the Chiefs won in overtime on Jan. 23, 2022, is one of the greatest games in league history. The Bills host KC this season, so could we see a Sunday or Monday night game in December with snow? At the Kansas DraftKings sportsbook, the Bills have odds of +1200 to win the Super Bowl, tied for the fourth-lowest with the Detroit Lions.
Cincinnati Bengals
This has become a very good rivalry in a very short time. The teams have played each other five times since the beginning of the 2021 season, including two AFC Championship Games. Yet none of the regular season games have been on Sunday or Monday night. Last season, the Chiefs eliminated the Bengals from postseason contention on New Year. An additional storyline could be the return of Bengals QB Joe Burrow, who suffered a season-ending wrist injury last November. It could make for a very compelling season opener as the Chiefs will host Cincy this season. Caesars lists Burrow as their second choice on its Comeback Player of the Year futures board. Only Aaron Rodgers of the New York Jets has shorter odds (+175) than Burrow’s +250.
Baltimore Ravens
This would be a rematch of last season’s AFC Championship. Just like the Chiefs, Ravens QB Lamar Jackson is must-see TV. He won his second MVP last season to match Mahomes. Mahomes and Jackson have faced each other five times since 2018, with the Chiefs winning four of those games. Kansas City will host this season, just as they did in the AFC Championship in January. Fanatics Sportsbook Kansas has the Ravens as its third choice on the Super Bowl futures board. Their +850 odds are right behind San Francisco (+550) and the Chiefs (+650).
Houston Texans
Assuming the Chargers game in LA is the primetime game, the Chiefs home game against last season’s surprise playoff squad is the third home game that could be picked up for primetime. Coming off their first playoff appearance since 2019, the Texans have added receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon to the attack led by quarterback C.J. Stroud, last season’s offensive rookie of the year. Stroud has odds of +1000 at BetMGM Kansas to win the Associated Press MVP Award this season.
