Seahawks and Packers running backs get scoring price boost

As has been customary since 2004, the defending Super Bowl champions will perform unwrapping duties on a shiny new NFL season in the early hours of Friday morning.

The Seattle Seahawks, who seven months ago destroyed the Denver Broncos to claim American Football’s top prize, open their campaign as holders with a tough assignment against the fancied Green Bay Packers.

While the Seahawks are given understandable favouritism at 4/11, with the Packers at 21/10, it’s perhaps away from the money line where Ladbrokes customers will have the most joy.

That’s especially the case in the first touchdown scorer market, where the bookie celebrates the new season’s kickoff with a couple of price boosts.

A running back in each team has seen their odds to score the first six points of the game enhanced, with one far more attractive than the other.

Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks’ bruising speedster, is out to 13/2 from 9/2 to score first, while the Packers’ sophomore halfback, Eddie Lacy, is stretched from 7/1 to 8s for the same feat.

It’s Lynch that should be sided with of the two though, considering his record for breaking a game’s touchdown deadlock is far better than the Green-and-Gold’s option.

Lynch scored 14 touchdowns in total 12 months ago, from 16 appearances, and five of them were the first TDs of the game.

In the postseason Lynch ramped that conversion rate up, making the first endzone trip twice in three outings.

Lacy’s touchdown figures are impressive in comparison considering he was in his rookie year – he scored 11 times in 15 games – but his overall ability to provide the scoring spark pales in Lynch’s shadow.

In those 15 appearances, Lacy only managed to score the first touchdown of the game on one occasion.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.

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