Kansas City Chiefs vs Houston Texans Live NFL Football Game on FOX TV

 Under head coach Andy Reid, the Kansas City Chiefs are 6-1 in season openers. For NFL betting purposes, Chiefs backers are 5-2 against the spread during that same span.

These trends typically have little relevance for bettors, but there is reason to believe Andy Reid prepares his teams for the start of the season better than other coaches. Look no further than his 18-3 regular season record after bye weeks. Moreover, Reid’s teams have dominated sportsbooks with a 17-7 record ATS (7-3 ATS with the Chiefs) including games after bye weeks during the playoffs. With fewer offseason workouts, no preseason games, etc., experience and leadership such as Reid’s is more important than ever. There’s no doubt he has the upper hand over O’Brien.

Also read: Why I bet on Mike McCarthy to win Coach of the Year.

Using the RotoGrinders NFL odds comparison tool, we see Chiefs favored by 10 points at most online sports betting sites, with one exception. At FanDuel, the Chiefs are -9.5.

I have already locked in my Week 1 bet for the Chiefs but there are a few reasons to sit back and wait.

For one, we still don’t know how many fans will be in attendance in certain stadiums. The Chiefs currently plan to have 22% capacity in their nearly 77,000 seated stadium. There are whispers that the NFL is considering pumping fake crowd noise during games. I don’t expect much adjustment from sportsbooks but a quieter stadium does reduce home field advantage, and it just so happens Arrowhead Stadium is, under normal circumstances, one of the toughest places to play.

Secondly, and more concerning, is that Tyreek Hill left practice on Thursday with a right hamstring injury. Of course, Hill’s early absence in 2019 didn’t keep the Chiefs from covering the spread against Jacksonville, Oakland, or Baltimore

In fact, the Chiefs had six different leading receivers through the first six weeks in 2019, including Mecole Hardman, who used his speed to become the only rookie to score on an 80-yard touchdown catch and a 100-yard kick return in the same season.

In addition to Chiefs -9.5, I’m betting Over 54.5. Kansas City scored at least 23 points in all but once in 2019, including both games against the Texans. While the Chiefs’ defense improved towards the end of the season and into the playoffs, a potentially quiet Arrowhead Stadium should aid both offenses on Thursday Night Football.