NFL Match Predictions

By carefully examining each set of odds, you can increase your chance in your NFL football predictions. There are moneylines, spreads, totals, and player props available on Sportzino, with a variety of other props to choose from. Here are the most common NFL picks and props explained for the upcoming season. 

NFL Picks Explained

Against the Spread Picks

One of the most popular ways to make NFL picks is against the spread picks. The “spread” is a certain number of points the favorite ‘gives’ to the underdog in order to make the odds even. This can be an effective tool for heavy mismatches, as no one wants to make NFL predictions with up to -1000 odds. 

For example, in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, the Cincinnati Bengals are heavy favorites against the New England Patriots. The oddsmakers have assigned a 9 points spread in favor of the Bengals. This means when making an against-the-spread prediction on the Bengals, you would need Cincinnati to win by 9 or more points, for the prediction to be correct. The -116 odds are much more favorable compared to the -500 moneyline, and it is very realistic to see the Bengals win by double digits against the less competitive Patriots. Alternatively, if you think the Patriots will keep the game close, but aren’t sure if they will pull off the outright victory, you can take the +9 spread pick on New England. This means that the Patriots can win by any number, or lose by 9 or fewer points, and your prediction will still be correct. NFL spread predictions are a good way to increase the chances of an underdog victory, and decrease the odds on a prediction on the favorite to win.

Over/Under Picks (Totals)

Another common method of NFL predictions is on the Over/Under. With the Over/Under, it doesn’t matter who scores the points, only how many total points are scored between the two teams. In the NFL, the total is usually set between 40 and 50 points, depending on the offensive and defensive matchups for both teams. A pair of high-octane quarterbacks against weak defensive units will see the total climb higher, while a matchup between two strong defenses could see the total dip even lower than 40 points. 

Moneyline

A moneyline prediction is the simplest, and most common method of NFL football predictions. A moneyline prediction is who will win the game, regardless of the pre-game odds. It doesn’t matter if the team wins by a single point, or if it is a 40+ point blowout, any margin of victory will result in a correct moneyline prediction. Unlike other sports such as the NBA or soccer, the NFL is a relatively even league, resulting in reasonable moneyline odds. The spread can still be an effective method of making predictions in rare mismatches, but it can be simpler to just stick to the moneyline rather than worry about the margin of a potential victory. 

Player Props

One method of making predictions that has really taken off in recent years is player props. There are dozens of player props available for every single NFL game, making it a very effective market to target.

• Touchdowns:

A popular player prop in the NFL is who will score a touchdown. A touchdown is scored by the player who catches or carries the ball into the endzone, not by the player who made the pass. Touchdown odds can be anywhere as low as -200 for a player like Christian McCaffrey, and as high as +1000 for second-string offensive players. 

• Receiving and Rushing Yards:

Rather than making a prediction on who will score a touchdown, you can also make predictions on how many rushing or receiving yards a player will accumulate. Rushing yards are awarded off of direct snaps, or handoffs and backward passes from the quarterback. Receiving yards are awarded from successful forward passes from the quarterback, including yards gained after a catch. 

• Quarterback Props:

Quarterbacks have their own set of player props compared to the other offensive players. The most common quarterback props are passing yards and passing touchdowns. Passing yards are the total yards gained from successful passes, while passing touchdowns are only awarded to quarterbacks who make a successful forward pass that results in a touchdown.