Regardless of when mobile New York sports betting apps are up and running, we do know this: New York sports bettors will have only one football team to possibly wager on as the NFL Playoffs begin in three weeks.
The Empire State hopes to have the licensed operators up and running when the playoffs begin in mid-January but certainly before the Super Bowl on Feb. 13. Those operators are: DraftKingsNY, FanDuel NY, Caesars, BetMGM, Rush Street International (parent company of BetRivers), Bally Bet, WynnBET NY, Resorts World and PointsBet.
Come playoff time, only the Buffalo Bills have a shot to represent the state among New York gambling enthusiasts.
Bills Heavy Favorite in NY Sports Betting
For Week 17 action, the Buffalo Bills (9-6) will host the Atlanta Falcons (7-8) on Sunday (Fox, 1 p.m.). The game will feature one of the largest point-spread favorites on the board this season, as the Bills playoff chances continue to trend up.
The Bills, who have not clinched a postseason berth, are a 14-point favorite with DraftKings and 14.5-point favorite at BetMGM and Caesars.
On the moneyline, the Bills are -900 (BetMGM, DraftKings) and -1000 (Caesars) favorites.
The Falcons are +600 at (BetMGM, DraftKings) and +650 (Caesars) moneyline underdogs with the over/under total points number ranging from 44 points (Caesars, DraftKings) to 44.5 (BetMGM).
Bettors beware: Keep an eye on these lines, as they could shift significantly if issues related to COVID-19 lead to changes to any of the two rosters as the week goes on. More players have hit the COVID-19 list since Dec. 13 than there had been in the entire 2020 season.
In a must-win situation on the road against a hated rival, the Bills showed up and answered all the critics last Sunday in a 33-21 victory over the New England Patriots to take control of their destiny in the AFC East Division race.
The Bills, who lost to the Patriots at home, 14-10, on Dec. 6, have scored 30+ points in nine games this season (8-1 record) and have scored 16 points or fewer four times (0-4 record). Each of the Bills’ last 16 wins have been by 10+ points, the longest streak in the NFL since 1950.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen was stellar against New England. He completed 30 of 47 passes for 314 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 64 yards on 12 carries.
Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie had 11 catches for 125 yards with one TD and Stefon Diggs added seven receptions for 85 yards and a score to help Allen in the win.
Season Has Been Struggle for Falcons
The Falcons are 3-3 in their last six games and are coming off a 20-16 home victory over the Detroit Lions last Sunday. It marked Atlanta’s first home win in six games this season.
Still fighting to stay in playoff contention, Atlanta has not been over the .500 mark at any point in a season since 2017, when they finished 10-6.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed 18 of 24 passes for 215 yards with one TD against Detroit and tight end Kyle Pitts had six catches for 102 yards.
Ryan enters Sunday’s game needing one TD pass to surpass Eli Manning (366) for eighth on the all-time list in league history.
In their last meeting, the Bills defeated the Falcons, 23-17, on Sept. 30, 2017.
NewYorkBets.com prediction: The Falcons have been a weird team all season, never getting a string of victories or any consistency going on offense. When it mattered, Buffalo showed the world last week that it hasn’t gone anywhere and the Bills are ready for a big run over the next few weeks. The Bills at home, in the cold, confidence booming ... it feels like a big win. Bills 37, Falcons 17.
