Back in 1978, the NFL decided to go from 14 to 16 regular-season games. Now, for the first time since, the league is expanding to 17 regular-season games. Changes also occurred last year. The NFL added an extra postseason game with an additional wild card game. Because of this and the new regular-season game, the Super Bowl will be held on February 13, 2022. Making it the latest date for a Super Bowl ever.
Not only does this impact preseason, with only three preseason games this year, but it also is going to make a huge impact on prop bets and records. With an extra game this season, more players will get the chance to break some all-time records.
And with the launch of Arizona sports betting coming in September, you will get the chance to use sportsbook apps such as Caesars to place bets on these NFL prop bets.
Quarterback Records
The Arizona Cardinals have an impressive quarterback with Kyler Murray, but it doesn’t look like he is going to be on top of the list for breaking the most passing touchdowns record, which is at 55. This record was set by Peyton Manning back in 2013 when he played for the Denver Broncos.
In Kyler’s rookie year, where he won Offensive Rookie of the Year, he threw 20 touchdowns, increasing the number to 26 in 2020. These numbers aren’t even close to Manning’s record.
But the quarterback who could possibly break the record? Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback, Patrick Mahomes.
In 2018, Mahomes’ first year as starter for the Chiefs, he threw 50 touchdowns, getting close to breaking the record. Even though he only threw 38 touchdowns last season, he could be on pace to break Manning’s record thanks to the extra game this regular season.
Another record Mahomes might break is the throwing yard records, which is currently at 5,477 yards in one season. This record was also set by Manning in 2013.
Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards in 2018. If he would have had an extra game that season, he most likely would have broken the record. After throwing for 4,750 yards in 2020, he could very well be on pace to break this Manning record as well.
If you are going to place a bet with FanDuel on which quarterback is most likely to throw over 5,000 yards this season, our money is on Patrick Mahomes.
Receiving Yards Record
The receiving yards records was set in 2012 when Calvin Johnson had 1,964 receiving yards with the Detroit Lions.
Julio Jones came close to reaching that record back in 2015 with 1,871 receiving yards. But none other than Arizona’s own DeAndrea Hopkins could be the man to break the record this season.
Sports bettors should keep an eye on Hopkins. He had 1,407 receiving yards in 2020, the third highest in the NFL. In 2018, he had an impressive 1,572 receiving yards when he played on the Houston Texans.With a career of over 10,000 receiving yards and a great quarterback on his side, Hopkins could very well hit the 2,000 receiving yards mark this season.
Which Watt Can Beat The Sack Record?
Unfortunately, Arizona’s Watt, J.J., probably won’t beat the record number of sacks in a season. The record is at 22.5 and was set by Michael Strahan with the New York Giants in 2001.
J.J. Watt has 101 career sacks under his belt, coming close to breaking the record in 2012 and 2014 with 20.5 sacks both years. But in the last five years, he only recorded 26.5 sacks. This is mainly due to his injuries, sideling him for a total of 32 games in those five years.
The Cardinals’ edge-rusher may not beat the record this year, but his brother T.J. Watt is a strong candidate. T.J. Watt had 15 sacks last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is expected to only improve this year. And with an extra game on the schedule, he could be on pace to beat Strahan’s record.
The Overall Impact On Sports Betting
The new extended regular season will actually play a factor in all football bets. Because there is now 17 games, no team can finish at exactly .500. The extra game also increases the chance of injuries, greatly impacting the odds.
Teams will get a two-week break between the end of the preseason to the first game of the season. This will give teams more time to recover and prepare for week one of the regular season, which could also change up the odds.
It is going to be interesting to see how this new schedule will turn out and how an extra game will really impact prop bets and other sports betting odds. The one thing we know, more football can never be a bad thing!
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