The NFL has long been about Sundays. Tons of games going on at once split into an early slate and a late slate. With so many games happening simultaneously, bettors can choose to follow with multiple screens and devices open, by following scores religiously on their phones or by watching the ever-popular RedZone channel to see all of the big plays in each game.
NFL bettors can have so much action on Sunday games that following all of their bets can become chaotic. Luckily for them, not every single game is played at the same time as others, as the NFL also has a few primetime games per week, with action on Thursday nights, Sunday nights, and Monday nights.
NFL Primetime Over-Under in 2022
With only one game going on at a time during these primetime games, they naturally attract even more betting action per game. With no other options, bettors have no choice but to place bets on the game regardless of who is playing in it.
Heading into the 2023-2024 season, MinnesotaBets decided to see what the best way to approach these primetime games is for bettors by looking at how often the games went over or under the totals last year by utilizing data from SportsOddsHistory.com
Bookmark MinnesotaBets.com for all of the latest Minnesota sports betting updates ahead of the upcoming NFL season.
The Under Dominated Prime Time in 2022
There were 55 primetime games last season, with 17 Thursday night games, 17 Monday night games, 18 Sunday night games and three games being played on Saturday nights. The average score of the primetime games was 25.4-15.4 for an average of 40.9 points per game. With the over/under varying week to week and game to game based on opponents, the over hit 20 times, the under hit 33 times and two games ended in a push.
Looking at this data the strategy for betting on these games becomes pretty clear. With everyone always hoping to see an exciting, high-scoring island game during these prime-time solo slots, bets tend to lean to the overs. Going the other way and taking the under blindly each game would have been very profitable last year and should be successful yet again this season.
Five Prime Time Games for Vikings in 2023
To no surprise, the team leading the way in primetime games this upcoming season will be the Kansas City Chiefs with six. The Chiefs are coming off of a Super Bowl win and have one of the most exciting offenses in the league. While their games are likely to be higher scoring than the usual primetime game, oddsmakers will take that into account when setting the lines so betting the under is still a solid play. The Chargers, Cowboys and Bills join Kansas City with six primetime games.
The Minnesota Vikings have five primetime games this year, and while betting is not yet regulated in Minnesota, fans will be watching intently hoping their team wins and the Vikings playoff chances improve with each game.
For those able to bet on the games, taking the under proved to be a winning strategy last year and even with Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and more leading the offense, bettors on these games would be wise to wait until the main Sunday slate of games to get their points fix and bet on the overs.
