NFL Odds: Diving Into Recently Released International Series Spreads
It's never too early to look ahead
The first crumbs of the 2022 NFL schedule have been spread, which means we already have odds and betting lines for the recently announced games.
The NFL on Wednesday announced the full slate for its International Series in the upcoming 2022 season, with a total of five games spanning three countries.
Here are the games:
Oct. 2: Minnesota versus New Orleans (in London)
Oct. 9: New York Giants versus Green Bay (in London)
Oct. 30: Denver versus Jacksonville (in London)
Nov. 13: Seattle versus Tampa Bay (in Munich)
Nov. 21: San Francisco versus Arizona (in Mexico City)
In addition to those five games, we also learned during the 2022 NFL Draft that the Los Angeles Chargers would visit the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off the new Amazon "Thursday Night Football" package on Sept. 15.
DraftKings Sportsbook has already created markets for the six games. Here they are with some quick thoughts on each.
Sept. 15: Los Angeles Chiefs at (-3) Kansas City Chiefs, 52.5
Nothing crazy here with two divisional rivals, both with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations to begin the season. The Chiefs basically get the home-field bump with maybe an extra half-point against the upstart Chargers. The two teams split their 2021 meetings. LA, however, has won the first meeting in each of the last two seasons.
Oct. 2: (-1) Minnesota Vikings versus New Orleans Saints, 46.5
Both of these teams have relatively high ceilings but also plenty of question marks in large part because of the turnover. Dennis Allen has taken over for Sean Payton in New Orleans, while Kevin O'Connell became the latest Sean McVay disciple to land a head-coaching gig.
Oct. 9: New York Giants versus (-6.5) Green Bay Packers, 45.5
Another team with a new head coach, the Giants hope Brian Daboll can turn around what has been a woeful offense. Among the questions we'll need to see answered is whether they can do it by early October. That feels unlikely. The UNDER could be a play here, especially how the Packers have tried to retool their defense this offseason despite a cap crunch.
Oct. 30: (-6.5) Denver Broncos versus Jacksonville Jaguars, 47
Two more new head coaches -- sensing a theme here? This might be our first chance to see Russell Wilson on a bigger stage with his new team, the Broncos, who have spent their offseason trying to ignite the offense following the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett. The Jags, meanwhile, are hoping to take a step forward after a massive free agency spending spree, and they've got Doug Pederson pulling the levers now. It will be Jacksonville's ninth London game where it has had some success, going 4-4 straight-up and against the spread.
Nov. 13: Seattle Seahawks at (-8.5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 46.5
Tom Brady is still playing football, so that's a good enough reason to tune in for this 9:30 a.m. ET (!) kickoff. The Seahawks have moved on from the aforementioned Wilson and have apparently committed to recommitting to the run in 2022. Against a potentially stout Bucs run defense, that might be a problem in Munich.
Nov. 21: (-2.5) San Francisco at Arizona, 48
What a way to kick off Thanksgiving week, huh? The 49ers seemingly contend every year, but there's uncertainty at the quarterback position where we all assume Trey Lance will be under center. Will he -- or Jimmy Garoppolo -- be throwing to Deebo Samuel? No one knows for sure, and the Cardinals have their own issues to work through, too, after Kyler Murray's offseason drama. Five of the last seven between these two have been one-score games.
