The football season in the U.S. begins in September with a three-week pre-season in August. The regular season lasts 18 weeks, so it runs to early January. Americans love to place wagers on football games and eagerly await the start of the season. There are many ways to place wagers on NFL games, but here are some that are more common than others.
The point spread
In US states where sports betting is legal, the most popular way to bet on football is the point spread. A number of different factors can account for the point spread on game day. Factors such as injuries and the weather can play a role.
You will see the point spread listed after the name of the team as a number. The favorite team will have a (-) minus sign in front of the number, and the underdog will have a (+) plus sign in front of it. The number is the amount of points a team has before kick-off. In order to win your bet, the team you choose must still win the game when adding or subtracting the spread number from the final score.
Moneyline
Unlike the point spread, a moneyline bet is a straightforward bet where the team that wins the game wins the bet. If the Patriots play the New York Giants, the moneyline odds may be something like Patriots (-250) and Giants (+230). These numbers are based on what you would win if you bet $100 or what you’d need to bet to win $100. You would need to bet $250 to win $100 with a bet on the Patriots. You would win $230 if you bet $100 on the Giants.
Remember, you don’t actually have to bet $100 – this is just a baseline number. Betting on the moneyline can be a good move if you have a decent understanding of football and individual teams. You may just find you can buy sports goods with your winnings from a moneyline bet.
Over/unders
The over/under is the total number of points in a game. You must choose whether or not the combination of points will be less or more than that number. The total number will move leading up to a game as the public’s money shifts it one way or another. The public usually bets on the over, and sportsbooks will make the total slightly higher to even out the action.
The public will typically bet the over if the line looks low and the under if the line looks high. You can do the opposite. It may make this type of bet sound overly simple but considering a counterintuitive bet can be a good idea.
Prop bets
Prop bets focus on individual teams and player performances. They also relate to different aspects of the game. Prop bets first made their appearance at the Super Bowl in 1986 and have since become a staple of Super Bowl betting. When looking at the NFL 2025 schedule, sports bettors who know the form of certain players will already be thinking about the prop bets they can make.
There are many different types of prop bets. Prop bets on games may include ones such as the first team to score 15 points or whether there will be a goal in the first five minutes. A prop bet on a team may be whether it will score a defensive touchdown or if it will win all four quarters. A player prop bet may be on the number of goals a player scores in a single game. You may get a slight advantage at sportsbooks on prop bets.
