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It might not be the most exciting of games, but you can definitely find a way to make it a fun one.
Sometimes, you look ahead at a game on a schedule and think, “This is going to be a great game between two top tier teams in the NFL.” Other teams, you see two teams that are a combined 7-5 in the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints set to face off on Thursday Night Football.
It doesn’t appear oddsmakers know what to expect in this game. As it currently stands, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Saints -1 home favorites to the Jaguars (meaning the Saints are expected to win by a point margin of only one), it is generally accepted that home teams are spotted three points as a matter of course. For all practical purposes, this is considered a “pick ‘em” game with either team given equal chances of winning heading into the game.
Currently, DraftKings Sportsbook has the money line for a Saints win at —120, meaning in order to win a $100 payout on the Saints winning the game, you would have to wager (and risk) $120 on the bet. On the flipside, if you were willing to bet on the Jaguars pulling off a technical upset over the Saints, a measly $100 bet would pay out even money on the current +100 odds.
If a quarterback matchup of Trevor Lawrence and Derek Carr fails to inspire much excitement for you, you can string that bet together with a series of bets on Thursday night’s game in what is known as a “parlay” to potentially increase your payout. You can head over to DraftKings Sportsbook for a full definition of what a parlay is, but essentially, a parlay is a string of multiple bets (each individual bet known as a “leg”), where for there to be any payout whatsoever, each leg of the parlay has to be correct. It is all-or-nothing. In a three-leg parlay, if one of the bets misses but the other two hit, there is no “partial payout.” It is simply a loss. But if all three bets hit, that is where there might be opportunity for money to be made.
So consider this four-leg parlay for tonight’s game:
Jaguars WIN (+100). The New Orleans Saints are banged up on their offensive line and the offensive play-calling has left much to be desired in the Who Dat Nation. Offensive Coordinate Pete Carmichael appears to be on the hotseat, but a depleted offensive line and a quarterback who can’t get in rhythm with his receivers won’t help.
Jaguars OVER .5 sacks in the game (-2000). Speaking of offensive lines, the Saints have allowed Derek Carr to face constant pressure through the season’s first five weeks. At least one sack is inevitable.
Total point total UNDER 39.5 (-110). It’s well-known at this point that the Saints offense has struggled in 2023. What hasn’t struggled nearly as much is the Saints defense. They have already pitched a complete game shutout once in 2023, and have held their opponents to under 21 points in four of the season’s first five games. Both teams will likely have problems moving the ball this game, so take the “under.”
Calvin Ridley OVER 25 receiving yards (-1100). Calvin Ridley will likely be shadowed by Saints Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore most of the game, but a measly 25 receiving yards seems easy. Ridley could top this total on a single catch and run.
The parlay odds for this bet would be an even +300, meaning a $100 bet would pay out $400 (the original $100 bet plus an extra $300). Again, this takes all four individual legs of the parlay have to come true for this bet to pay out. But look at the odds: Instead of a $100 parlay, if four $25.00 bets were placed on each of these legs individually and all four were to come true, the total payout would be $151.25 (the original $100 bet plus an extra $51.25). By stringing these four bets into a four-leg parlay, a winning bet pays out two-and-a-half times more than the four solo bets by themselves.
Does this mean the parlay is a safe bet to make? Of course not. Every bet also presents risk. But stringing together a series of less-risky bets into a parlay, while the risk is greater because it presents more opportunities for the overall bet to miss, the potential reward is greater. Once a basic parlay bet is understood and made, the feeling of it hitting is like no other, and soon, a novice sports better can eventually start stringing together ultra aggressive parlays for a big-time payday. You can head over to DraftKings Sportsbook to try to make it happen.
If you like this material, make sure you’re subscribed to The SB Nation NFL Show podcast where we cover Thursday Night Football sports bets every week. You can catch us wherever you listen to your podcasts. As always, you can follow me on Twitter/X @ChrisDunnells. Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
