The 2020 NFL season begins Thursday night with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs facing the Houston Texans, which could have derailed their run last season in the divisional round of the playoffs but blew a 24-point first-half lead.

That game turned into a rout for the Chiefs, and bookies see the same happening when Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City battle Deshaun Watson and the Texans. However, these two teams have played some fantastic games over the year and expect this to be another one to open Week 1.

Fans of NFL betting have been waiting for the season to start, and typically one of the most heavily bet-on games in the NFL is the Week 1 opening contest. To prepare you for this showdown, here is everything you need to know from a gambling standpoint for this Thursday Night Football matchup between the Texans and the Chiefs.

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Texans-Chiefs Betting Analysis

There is always a lot of betting excitement around the first game of the year, but that is even truer this season with no preseason games to get bettors ready for Week 1. In turn, expect a sloppy opener for nearly every team, and that trend could extend well into Weeks 3-4. Prepare yourself for a ton of penalties, inconsistent tackling and several non-competitive games in Week 1.

However, these two teams are so prolific on offense that it still should make for an exciting kickoff game for the NFL.

The Chiefs are big moneyline favorites in this game, as they are the defending Super Bowl champions and have been nearly unstoppable at home. Kansas City has won seven-straight games at Arrowhead Stadium and 11 straight games in September. Houston, on the other hand, has lost four of their last five Week 1 games and typically get off to slow starts under head coach Bill O'Brien.

However, there isn't much value in picking the Chiefs moneyline here, so consider parlaying it at DraftKings with Kansas City to score first (-110) to increase the value.

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Kansas City opens this game as nearly a double-digit favorite over Houston and it's not hard to understand why. They finished the 2019 season with nine straight wins, covering in every single game. Houston has also struggled to stay close with the Chiefs, failing to cover the spread in four of their last six meetings.

But again, Week 1 games tend to be wild and very unpredictable. Given that Houston has a superstar quarterback in Deshaun Watson, it's not hard to believe he will keep this game within double digits.

As for the point total, it's set at 53, which is one of the highest lines in the NFL for Week 1. The last time these two teams last met, 82 points were put on the board. Expect this to be a slower-paced game with the defenses a little ahead of the offenses. Points will come in bunches, and that will make under bettors sweat, but expect the over to ultimately prevail.

Football is back. Sit back. Kick up your feet and enjoy wagering on this Week 1 matchup between two superstar quarterbacks and elite teams.

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