The oddsmakers certainly like the Buffalo Bills, as they kick off their season Monday night in New York against the Aaron Rodgers-led Jets. Folks using Ontario sportsbooks like them as well, if the latest Proline stats are to be believed.
Eighteen percent of Proline customers believe the Kansas City Chiefs will repeat as Super Bowl champions (they’re all breathing a sigh of relief, we are sure, with the news that tight end Travis Kelce does not seem to have structural damage to his ACL). The Philadelphia Eagles are next at 16%. Then there’s the Bills – third most popular with 11 per cent of all wagers.
The Bills, judging by betting volume, are considered a home team in Ontario, but people aren’t betting based entirely on emotion at Proline or other Ontario sportsbook apps.
Window Of Opportunity For Buffalo Bills
Some observers see this as a make-or-break season for Buffalo, with a closing window of opportunity for several key players. But Bills general manager Brandon Beane made some positive offseason roster moves, and there are solid reasons to place the Bills in Super Bowl conversations as the odds are suggesting.
Proline customers favor the Bills to win the AFC title at 22%, followed by the Cincinnati Bengals at 15% and the Chiefs at 13%. At DraftKings Ontario Sportsbook, the Chiefs are the clear betting favourites, with a whopping 41% of bets placed on them to win the Super Bowl. The Bills come in as the second most popular choice (16%), followed by the Jets (14%).
The Bills made the playoffs again last season for the fifth time in six years. But a blowout loss to the Bengals in the Division Round still felt like a disappointment, since Buffalo was the Super Bowl pick by many insiders.
Buffalo Bills 2023 Odds And Outlook
The Bills are pretty consistently in the top five among the favorites to win the Super Bowl with various Ontario sports betting operators. For instance, the Caesars Ontario Sportsbook has Buffalo with +900 odds, tied for third on the board behind the Chiefs and Eagles (the 49ers are also listed at +900). They’ll want better injury luck than they had in 2022.
Quarterback Josh Allen suffered an elbow injury against the Jets in Week 9 in 2022 and never seemed 100% right after that. Pro Bowl edge rusher Von Miller suffered an ACL injury in Week 11 and is on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list now, so he’ll miss at least the first four games this season. With Miller in the lineup, the Bills were among the best in the league at QB pressure percentage. But they dropped after his injury and finished 14th, with 22.4%.
Micah Hyde, one of the emotional glue pieces on the team, was out most of the season with a neck injury and is day-to-day heading into Week 1. Safety partner Jordan Poyer was re-signed by Beane this off-season in an astute move. And there’s debate about the emotional impact on the team over the remainder of the season after Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field against the Bengals in Week 17.
But remember Week 1 and the 31-10 domination of the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams?
The wheels would have to completely come off for the Bills to miss the playoffs. BetMGM Ontario Sportsbook has them at 1.40 (decimal odds) to make the postseason, 3.00 to miss (30% tickets, 41% handle).
We’ll get a better idea where things are after Monday night’s opener. As of Wednesday, BetMGM has the Moneyline at Bills 1.72, Jets 2.15. The Bills win totals betting at BetMGM: Over 10.5 (-140), Under 10.5 (+115), with the Over generating 64% of tickets and 63% of handle.
PointsBet Canada Super Bowl Futures this morning: Chiefs 7.00, Eagles 7.50, Bills 9.00, 49ers 10.00, Bengals 11.00.
