NFL Betting News This Week | Giants Statement, New Odds and More | September 16, 2026

by Braulio Perez

Updated: September 3, 2026

Week 1 of the 2026 NFL regular season delivered some shocking results. At the top of the list had to be that the New York Giants were able to remind the Dallas Cowboys that they’re always going to be ready to stun them whenever they face off. Dallas had dominated the rivalry, but the G-Men were able to get some revenge in primetime.

Elsewhere, the Seahawks got the season started with a bang by beating the Patriots, though there’s worry about how long Sam Darnold is going to be out for due to a hip injury. Could he be sidelined for a little while? That will surely remix the NFL betting trends moving forward, but we’ll wait and see the latest updates. With all of that, we’ve got you covered with the biggest news this week, while also covering the latest NFL betting trends that have emerged.

The biggest NFL betting storylines this week

• To start us off, the Seahawks indeed took down the New England Patriots in the season-opener, but all eyes are going to be on Darnold to see how long he’s going to be out of action for. There’s worry that he may not be back on the field until October or even later. If that’s the case, the Hawks will have to rely on veteran backup Drew Lock. Will he help steer the ship in the right direction?
• In terms of making a statement to open the new season, the San Francisco 49ers surprised a ton of people by taking down the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. The Rams were huge favorites to win, but Brock Purdy was electric for the 49ers. The Rams have quickly seen their Super Bowl betting odds drop a bit, with the rough start to the season impacting the NFL betting analysis that so many people had for them.
• To make matters worse for the Rams, star pass-rusher Myles Garrett was placed on Injured Reserve and he’s going to be out for at least a month. The Rams pulled off the blockbuster trade with Cleveland to land the former first-round pick, but his start with Los Angeles has not gone according to plan. The hope is that he and Aaron Donald can suit up together soon, but there’s no exact timeframe for that.
• If one team in particular stood out in the AFC in Week 1, it was the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes returned from his serious knee injury and he looked sensational. With him at full health and Kenneth Walker leading the ground game, KC must 100 percent be considered a threat to get back to the Super Bowl. It will be interesting to see if that happens or not, but the Chiefs sure looked fantastic.

#Chiefs LB Drue Tranquill spoke with me after the team’s 21 point win over the Broncos tonight. We discussed the blowout, the team’s mindset coming off last season’s disappointing performance, and the importance and impact of @PatrickMahomes performance tonight. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/crg5TSRFWq

— Darren Smith (@DarrenSmithNFL) September 15, 2026

Biggest futures, outright and win total moves this month in the NFL

• When looking at the biggest changes for the NFL betting odds, it shouldn’t surprise people that the Rams’ Super Bowl odds went from +500 to +650. The Rams are still the favorites to win it all, but a message was sent by the 49ers in that Week 1 win. It showed that Los Angeles is a team that has its flaws, and teams will be ready to stick it to them as well throughout the season.
• Over in the AFC, the Baltimore Ravens were brilliant in a dominant win over the Indianapolis Colts to start the year. Lamar Jackson was stellar, while running back Derrick Henry rushed for three touchdowns. The Ravens saw their Super Bowl odds improve to +900. Jackson has never won a Super Bowl, but he’s hoping to get that done this season with Baltimore.
• Not to be outdone, the Buffalo Bills also saw their Super Bowl odds go up a bit, as they are now placed at +950. Josh Allen is going to be an MVP contender with Jackson for the rest of the year. Just like Jackson, Allen has never won a Super Bowl, and he wants to change that as soon as possible. Will this be the year that Buffalo makes a leap? Only time will tell, but both Jackson and Allen also have strong NFL MVP betting odds.

Most-bet NFL props and markets

It hasn’t taken long for people to switch their focus to individual awards, particularly Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. For the former, Lions’ star Jahmyr Gibbs is the early favorite on the offensive side with +500 odds. Detroit is expected to push for a division title this year and Gibbs is hoping to lead this team to that. Bijan Robinson Jr. of the Falcons and Henry are also contenders for this particular kind of NFL prop bets.

On the other side of the ball, there’s going to be a ton of attention on Will Anderson Jr. and Aidan Hutchinson moving forward. They are two of the best pass-rushers in the NFL and with Garrett going down with his serious injury, it’s going to impact his betting odds in a major way. This could open the door for Anderson to grab hold of things and never let go. As things stand, he holds +350 odds to win DPOY, which is pretty darn eye-opening.

Will Anderson on what he told Kamari Lassiter after #Texans 36-31 loss to #Bills, defensive lapses, why Bills got so many explosives to go their way & more

“I said it’s not just on you, it’s on the whole defense…” pic.twitter.com/b2mkIIpaOc

— Shaun Bijani (@ShaunBijani) September 13, 2026

NFL betting trends bettors are watching

With the start of the season here and upsets getting posted, it has changed odds across the board for plenty of teams. Before the 2026 season, the thought of the Giants making the postseason seemed comical, but New York now has improved NFL playoffs betting odds, including +375 odds to win the NFC East. Taking down the Cowboys was huge and it will only give the NFC East side a ton of confidence moving forward, which is huge for John Harbaugh.

In the NFC North, what in the world happened to the Green Bay Packers? Jordan Love and his teammates were supposed to start things off on the right foot, but a stunning 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings was posted. Because of that, there isn’t a ton of faith in the Packers to win the NFC North anymore. Instead, the oddsmakers now think this could potentially come down to either the Lions or Bears, with Chicago as the favorites.

Another NFL betting trend that sports fans are keeping a close eye on is that the Chiefs are suddenly getting a ton of love to win the AFC and return to the Super Bowl. Kansas City now holds +550 odds to win the conference, which sets them behind Baltimore and Buffalo. The Chiefs are no strangers to ruining the season for Allen and the Bills, and the potential of that happening again is suddenly back on the table.

What could move NFL odds next?

Now that things are in full swing for the regular season, it’s time for the play on the field to mix things up when it comes to the betting odds. We’ve already seen Super Bowl odds impacted, though everyone is still chasing the Rams at this time. We’ll see how that changes throughout the rest of September and going into October.

Individually with the different divisions in both the AFC and NFC, we’ve also seen a ton of movement there. For example, the Lions were previously big-time favorites to win the NFC North, but now Caleb Williams and Chicago are right behind them at +225. The complete updated odds for each division can be found below:

• Buffalo Bills to win the AFC East at -175
• Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC North at -1115
• Houston Texans to win the AFC South at +130
• Kansas City Chiefs to win the AFC West at -115
• Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East at -115
• Detroit Lions to win the NFC North at +154
• Tampa Bay Bucs to win the NFC South at +190
• Los Angeles Rams to win the NFC West at +160

NFL previous news updates

• [September 2026]: The Los Angeles Rams made a huge splash, bringing back future Hall of Fame pass-rusher Aaron Donald out of retirement. 
• [August 2026]: The Eagles made some history this summer, signing Jalen Carter to a huge extension to make him the most expensive defensive tackle in NFL history. 
• [July 2026]: The Los Angeles Rams saw their Super Bowl odds skyrocket, and the belief is that the NFC West side will be in a strong position to win it all next season. 
• [June 2026]: The Myles Garrett trade by the Cleveland Browns turned the NFL world upside down, as the Rams defense is now looking unstoppable for next season. 
• [May 2026]: Rookie minicamps took place and major news arrived for the Rams with Matthew Stafford coming to terms with the Super Bowl favorites on a new big-money contract. 
• [April 2026]: The NFL Draft was completed, with betting markets gaining traction. Odds have been adjusted for teams after adding top talent throughout the seven rounds of the draft. On top of that, some more free agency moves have been posted.
• [March 2026]: National Football League trade activity impacts the board, with high-profile player moves causing immediate shifts in division and Super Bowl markets.
• [March 2026]: National Football League free agency reshapes futures odds, with teams adding elite quarterbacks or defensive pieces shortening from +2000 into the +1200 range.
• [February 2026]: Super Bowl LX closes the market, with the New England Patriots shortening late to win, driving final line movement as sharp money backed their defense.

Braulio Perez

Braulio Perez is a sports journalist with more than a decade of experience covering major US sports leagues and international soccer. Since beginning his journalism career in 2011, he has covered a wide range of topics, including college football, recruiting, the NFL, and global soccer, developing a strong understanding of the teams, players, and storylines ...

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