NFL Betting Odds, Spreads & Lines

How to Read NFL Odds

If you’re planning to bet on professional football, learning how to read NFL odds is essential. Whether you’re betting on this week’s matchups or placing a long-range wager on the season, you’ll mostly encounter point spreads, moneylines, and totals.

Point Spread

The point spread shows how many points one team is projected to win or lose by.

Example:

• Dallas Cowboys -6.5

• New York Giants +6.5

In this case:

• The Cowboys are favored by 6.5 points. To win your bet, they must win by at least 7.

• The Giants are underdogs. They can either win outright or lose by 6 points or fewer for your bet to succeed.

• That “.5” eliminates the possibility of a tie (called a push).

Spreads can shift depending on factors like public betting trends and player news.

Moneyline

Moneyline bets are straightforward: you’re picking which team will win the game.

Example:

• San Francisco 49ers -160

• Arizona Cardinals +140

In this case:

• A negative number means the team is favored. You’d need to bet $160 to win $100.

• A positive number means the team is an underdog. A $100 bet would return $140 if they win.

No point margins to worry about—just pick the winner.

Totals (Over/Under)

Totals are bets on the combined score of both teams.

Example:

• Over/Under 45.5

If you choose the Over, you’re betting that both teams will score 46 points or more combined.
If you go with the Under, you believe the total score will be 45 points or fewer.

Other Popular NFL Bet Types

Futures

Futures are long-term bets made before or during the season.

Common futures include:

• Super Bowl winner

• Division or conference champions

• MVP or other player awards

• Total season wins for a team

These bets remain open for weeks or months and often have higher payouts.

Prop Bets

Prop bets (short for “proposition bets”) let you wager on specific events within a game.

Types of prop bets:

• Player props: e.g., Will a quarterback throw for more than 275.5 yards?

• Team props: e.g., Will a team score in every quarter?

• Game props: e.g., Will the game go into overtime?

Props are great for betting beyond just the final outcome.

Parlays

Parlays combine multiple bets into a single wager.

Example:

• Team A to win

• Team B to cover the spread

• Game C to go over the total

All bets must hit for the parlay to win. If one fails, the entire bet is lost. Riskier, but offers larger potential returns.

Live Betting

Live betting allows you to place wagers while the game is underway.

Popular live bets include:

• Who will score next

• Whether the next play will be a run or pass

• Updated spread or moneyline bets

The odds shift constantly based on what’s happening in the game.