Bills Futures Odds on the Move After Week 1 Win

The Buffalo Bills entered as the much bally-hooed ballclub, favored by bettors and forecasters alike. Despite the hype, the team lived up to their top billing on Thursday night. Following the dominant 31-10 victory over the defending champs on the road, the Bills saw their futures odds shorten.

Football analysts held Buffalo in high esteem heading into the opener and following the Thursday night’s victory, that estimation seems spot on. The Bills overcame four turnovers in their imposing performance, dominating the Rams in the second half to pull away. 

The Bills opened the 2022 NFL season as the betting favorites for Super Bowl LVII and the team saw their futures odds for the Big Game shorten across the board. Prior to Thursday night’s win, Buffalo saw +600 odds at most sportsbooks, a figure that implies a 14.3 percent chance for them to hoist their first Lombardi Trophy. 

The biggest moves for the Bills here came at both FanDuel and PointsBet, where the team held +650 odds recently. BetMGM shorted from +600, as did Caesars and DraftKings. 

The Bills also saw their futures odds for the AFC Championship shorten as well. BetMGM now lists Buffalo with the shortest odds at +275. They’re followed by DraftKings (+280), PointsBet (+290), and FanDuel (+300). 

Buffalo’s offense showed out against a solid Rams defensive unit. The Bills offense put up 413 yards of offense and didn’t punt once. Receivers Gabe Davis, Stefon Diggs, and Isaiah McKenzie caught touchdown passes and quarterback Josh Allen looked very much like a possible league MVP. 

Josh Allen completed 26 of 31 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns. While he did throw two interceptions, he added a team-high 57 rushing yards and a touchdown on the ground as well. This performance goosed Allen’s MVP odds almost across the board. 

While the biggest futures odds movement of the night for the Bills quarterback came at BetMGM, going from +650 before the game to +450 afterwards, other sportsbooks shortened odds as well. At Caesars, he went from +650 to +550. 

Allen began Thursday night’s content by completing his first 10 pass attempts, setting a new career mark. His rushing touchdown marked the 32nd of his career. Allen tied Terry Bradshaw, Kordell Stewart, and Fran Tarkenton for 14th-most by a quarterback in NFL history in what was just the first game of his fifth season in the league. 

It was the seventh time in Allen’s career where he threw three TDs and ran for at least one, which is third most all-time. In the last 21 games where Allen has at least one passing and one rushing score, the Bills now sport a 20-1 record. 

Buffalo managed to exploit weaknesses in this Rams team en route to the blowout win. The Bills defense forced three turnovers and registered seven sacks on the night, the most sacks the Rams have allowed in any game under head coach Sean McVay. Ex-Ram Von Miller notched two sacks, two quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss.

The Bills held Los Angeles to just 3.7 per play and a total of 52 rushing yards on 18 carries (2.9 yards per carry). Defending Super Bowl champs have scored 10 or fewer points in Week 1 just five times in NFL history.

One point of worry entering this ballgame for the Bills was its youth at cornerback. But rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford played well. What’s more, Dane Jackson snagged one of Buffalo’s three INTs. 

According to NFL Research, the Rams’ 21-point loss was the second-largest all time for a defending Super Bowl champion, just one point fewer than the Ravens’ 22-point loss at Denver in 2013.

Buffalo gets another primetime matchup in Week 2 when the team hosts the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. Another dominant performance might further shorten the Bills futures odds.