The NFL kicks off Week 1 with 16 games to open up the 2022 regular season.
The defending champion Los Angeles Rams start it off listed as a 2.5-point home underdog against the Super Bowl-favorite Buffalo Bills, and it bookends with Russell Wilson returning back to Seattle with the Denver Broncos, who are 5-point road favorites in the Pacific Northwest.
When analyzing the full Week 1 schedule and lines, the first thing that pops out is the fact that 10 of the 16 home teams are listed as underdogs.
If Week 1 kicks off with 10 home underdogs, it would be the most such games in an opening week since the NFL moved to a 16-game schedule in 1978.
Week 1 Home Underdogs
- Bills at Rams (+2.5)
- Ravens at Jets (+7)
- Saints at Falcons (+5)
- 49ers at Bears (+6.5)
- Eagles at Lions (+4.5)
- Colts at Texans (+8)
- Chiefs at Cardinals (+3)
- Packers at Vikings (+2)
- Buccaneers at Cowboys (+1.5)
- Broncos at Seahawks (+5)
In the last 45 years, we’ve only seen more than seven home underdogs in Week 1 four times, including 2022, and all four have occurred in the last 15 seasons (2006, ’10, ’15, ’22).
Not only do we have a lot of home underdogs, but the lines aren’t short either.
The biggest favorite overall in Week 1 is currently the Indianapolis Colts as 8-point favorites on the road in Houston. As of now, seven of the ten home underdogs are listed as a 3-point dog or higher in Week 1, which would be tied for the most such games in an opening week with the 1978 season itself, which also had seven games.
One of the potential culprits for the record number of home underdogs in Week 1? The poor performance of home teams in the NFL recently would be one.