How to Bet the Chiefs vs. Saints in NFL Preseason Week 1 (Value in the First Half)

Preseason betting is typically a loser’s game, with waning motivation and teams mostly trying to avoid injuries. That being said, I’ve found the perfect angle to back the Chiefs this Sunday vs. the New Orleans Saints.

Andy Reid is notorious for leaving his starters in preseason games longer than fans would feel comfortable with – that creates serious betting value in the first half this week for Kansas City.

Let’s look at the odds before I explain the best bet to make on the Chiefs.

Chiefs vs. Saints Odds, Spread and Total

Chiefs vs. Saints Prediction and Pick

Preseason games are about evaluation. Who deserves to make the team? How far along are these young players? Can we make it through these three weeks without injury? Thus, starters don’t typically play very long.

However, the Chiefs under Andy Reid have left starters in longer than other teams on average, giving an opportunity to bettors early on in preseason games.

Caesars offers first-half lines and that’s where the value lies. Because the Chiefs play their guys longer and those guys are typically better than everyone else, we can capitalize.

Kansas City is a 1.5-point underdog in the first half. In our last eight preseason games, we’re 5-1-2 outright in the first half, meaning we would have covered that line in seven of the eight contests. The long game we didn’t cover? We fell short by half of a point.

If you find a first-quarter line, that’s even better. The Chiefs won the first quarter in each of their last six preseason games and haven’t outright lost one since 2018, a streak of 10 straight.

New Orleans is planning to play its starters as well, but Kansas City’s roster is flat-out better and deeper. Back the Chiefs in the first half to start the year on a profitable foot.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.