How each NFL game is projected to stand at half time: the chance each side is ahead, the chance it is level, and the projected first-half score. A first half is a three-way market — it can finish tied — so the three probabilities below are the whole picture. AccuScore makes Cincinnati Bengals 53% to lead at the half in the next game.
A first-half bet settles on the score at half time rather than at the end of the game. The common markets are the first-half spread, the first-half total and the first-half moneyline — and unlike the full game, a first half can finish level, so the moneyline is usually a three-way market.
The same simulation that prices the full game is read at half time, so the first-half projection comes from the lineups and matchups actually expected rather than from a split of the full-game number. Each figure is the share of simulated games in which that outcome happened by the half.
Scripted opening drives, starting units and a coach's plan are more predictable than what happens after adjustments, injuries and game state take over. A team that starts fast and fades can be a better first-half bet than a full-game one.